Vertical Files
The Michigan Tech Archives maintains a set of subject-oriented vertical files / clipping
files. These files contain clippings from newspapers and magazines, as well as
pamphlets and other ephemera, covering a broad range of topics in Copper
Country history, including companies, Michigan Technological University, towns,
buildings, events and people.
Although this vertical file system was begun in the late 1970s, older material
is added as it becomes available. Updated daily, the vertical files of the Michigan Tech Archives and Copper Country Historical Collections provide an important
historical resource and an effective starting point for most research projects.
Formally, the vertical file collection is broken into four main component parts:
Copper Country Vertical Files
Regional historical information. Includes files on cities and towns in the
region, local businesses, copper mining companies, buildings, school districts,
social organizations, ethnic groups, and wide variety of other topics. A
listing of subject headings for these files
is available online.
Michigan Tech Vertical Files
Focuses on topics of specific reference to Michigan Technological University
and its predecessor institutions. Includes files on departments, programs,
student organizations, buildings, sports and other university events such as
commencement and winter carnival.
Biography Files
Alphabetical file with biographical information on local residents. Both Copper
Country and Michigan Tech biographical material is combined into a single set
of files. Not intended to be a comprehensive coverage of all people who have
resided in Michigan?s Copper Country, but a convenient spot to collect
biographical information as it is encountered. The biography files tend to
highlight more significant (or noteworthy) individuals throughout local
history, with more general coverage since the 1970s.
Michigan Copper Mining Company Abstract Files
In addition to company-specific files located within the Copper Country
Vertical Files, this separate set of files was compiled by the United States
Geological Survey (USGS) in collaboration with a local copper mining company,
Calumet & Hecla. Information in these files was abstracted and extracted
from a variety of sources and provided background data for the 1929 USGS
Publication The Copper Deposits of Michigan.
Files are easily accessible in the Michigan Tech Archives reading room. At this time, none
of the information contained within the vertical file collection is available
in digital form. For those individuals unable to make a personal visit, the
archives offers a fee-based research service to assist
in using this material.
