Migrating to Michigan by Jeffery L Schatzer

finding a nice vein of copper. He told his friend that the copper was several inches thick and as long as his arm. The other man mentioned that he was working on a crew that found a big rock of native copper. The rock was so big that they couldn’t get it out of the mine by hand. His crew was chiseling away at the boulder so they could take it out piece by piece.
    â€œProfessor,” Owen asked, “can we go down into the mines? I’d sure like to see what it looks like.”
    â€œHeavens no,” said the professor. “Mining is a dangerous business. Copper mines often cut deep into the hillsides. And, rats and bats like to make their homes in mines.”
    â€œE-w-w-w,” Rachel squealed. “I hate bats, and I hate rats even more.
    The professor continued, “The mines were dark, dirty, and wet. Miners often used wooden beams to keep the ceiling of the mine from caving in around them. Still, there were many, many accidents in the mines. The mining companies here in the Keweenaw tried to hire the best and most skilled workers. Some of these men came from Scandinavian countries, like Finland, Sweden, and Norway. Others came from mining areas such as Cornwall in England.”
    The professor thought for a time before continuing. “As you can see by looking at the men who just came out of the mine, it is a very dirty business. The miners often go deep into the earth to find veins of copper. They use heavy hammers and chisels to dig out what was called ‘red metal.’ Rocks and pieces of copper are carried to the surface, where it was sorted then shipped throughout the United States.”
    We sat quietly for a while and listened as the miners continued talking. The two of them talked about their families and children. Then one of them mentioned something that scared me.
    â€œWe must be very careful with our children,” he said. “Isak told me he saw a wolf behind his house the other night.”
    â€œA wolf,” the other man replied, “I thought that Johan chased the pack off for good.”
    â€œWell, I think they are back. Anyway, we must all watch the children and our animals very carefully.”
    I swallowed hard. Maybe I had seen the wolf in the shadows alongside the road. “Professor, can we go now?” I asked. “I’m getting cold.”

Lost in Copper Country
Houghton, Michigan—September 1866
    A s we headed back I was careful to keep a close eye on Rachel, Owen, and Mister Adams. The idea of wolves nearby scared me. I didn’t want anything to happen to me or anyone else.
    Professor Tuesday stopped short and took a look at his watch. “Oh, my gosh, look what time it is.” He held up his watch for us to see, but he put his arm down so fast we couldn’t tell what time it was.
    â€œWe don’t have time to discuss this visit right now,” the professor said. “I want to see more before the day is over.”
    We headed back toward the spot where the teleporter dropped us off. As we approached the pine forest, a cloud of insects greeted us.
    â€œOh, no,” said the professor, “Keweenaw eagles.”
    â€œEagles … where?” Owen asked as he swatted insects away.
    â€œBlack flies,” said the professor. “The miners called black flies ‘Keweenaw eagles’ because they were so big.”
    Professor Tuesday dug into his emergency pack and pulled out a can of insect repellant. We closed our eyes and plugged our noses as the professor sprayed us down. “Black flies and mosquitoes were another nasty hazard that immigrants in Copper Country faced.”
    We continued walking into the pine forest. It seemed like we had been walking a long time when the professor stopped and raised his hand.
    â€œWhat’s wrong, Professor?” Rachel asked.
    â€œThe teleporter cloud should be here somewhere,” he said as worry crossed his face.
    â€œWhere is it?” Owen asked.
    â€œI