Eagle Mine – forest on all sides (Picture is from the Eagle Mine website.)
The only currently operating sulfide mineral mine in the northern Midwest is the Eagle Mine located north of Marquette, Michigan, in the wilderness area called the Yellow Dog Plains. Ore from the original Eagle deposit and the subsequently discovered Eagle East and the Upper Eagle East deposits is brought to the surface using the portal of the original Eagle Mine. Ore from the Eagle Mine portal is then taken by truck sixty miles to the Humboldt Mill for processing. Humboldt Mill will be a topic of a later blog.
(Map was drafted by the author using a variety of sources. Note that the outer boundaries of the Huron Mountain Club are approximate as is the detailed ownership within the outer boundaries.)
Wilderness setting of the Eagle Mine
Just to the south of the Eagle Mine is the Yellow Dog River, a pristine river with its headwaters in the McCormick Wilderness Area. It flows over 32 miles through a rugged and scenic landscape including granite cliffs, swamps, and hardwood forests. It is known for its clean water, cold-water fishery for trout, and a four-mile section designated as a federal Wild and Scenic River. The river features several notable cascades and falls including Yellow Dog Falls (Hills Falls) and Pinnacle Falls. The river dumps into Lake Independence. That lake’s outflow forms the Iron River, which continues to Lake Superior.
To the north of the Eagle Mine is the Salmon Trout River. It flows through heavily wooded, largely unpopulated areas with old-growth forests. It features numerous waterfalls and rapids, some over twenty feet high. This river is unique as it is the only remaining natural spawning stream of the “coaster” brook trout in Michigan, a larger, lake-dwelling form of brook trout.
Metals produced, economic activity generated, and employment by the Eagle Mine
Located in the wilderness area of the Yellow Dog Plains, the Eagle Mine started producing sulfide mineral ore in November of 2014. According to Eagle Mine’s website, Eagle Mine will produce approximately 440 million pounds of nickel and 429 million pounds of copper. Eagle Mine is the only primary nickel mine in the United States and produces 1.5 percent of the world’s nickel.
Eagle states on their website that Eagle Mine’s direct and indirect impact will generate an additional $4.3 billion for Michigan’s economy ($4 billion for Marquette County). Eagle will also provide $570 million in local procurement and $240 million in state/local taxes and royalties over the life of the mine.
In an interview with Marquette’s TV6 in 2023 Eagle Mine Manager of Environmental and Water Services Rob Beranek said, “ The Eagle Mine employs 470 people between the mine and the mill and “for every employee of ours, we have two to three spinoff jobs in the community.”
As of 2025 no significant environmental impact from the Eagle Mine
An October 2025 investigative report by Chris Horefski of Minneapolis’s KARE News featured a statement by Geraldine (Geri) Grant of the Superior Watershed Partnership (SWP) in which she said that the independent monitoring by SWP of Eagle Mine’s operation has shown no environmental or public health impact from the operations of the Eagle Mine. The KARE report also featured Emily Shaw of the Keweenaw Bay Indian Community who also spoke favorably of Eagle Mine’s operations, but she pointed out that a successful closure of Eagle’s operations had not yet happened.
For the complete report on the Eagle Mine see: Horefski, Chris. Mining for Truth: Eagle Mine. Kare October 2025. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VYCJ1JzGaII&t=30s
Change of ownership of the Eagle Mine and Humboldt Mill
Eagle Mine’s recent significant event occurred on January 9, 2026 when Lundin Mining Corporation announced the completion of the sale of the Eagle Mine and the Humboldt Mill to Talon Metals Corp.
The responsibility for the operation and closure of the Eagle Mine and Humboldt Mill with no negative environmental consequences will be the responsibility of Eagle Mines LLC, now a wholly owned subsidiary of Talon Metals. During Lundin’s ownership of the Eagle Mine and Humboldt Mill, Lundin contributed to the cost of the independent monitoring of the Eagle Mine and Humboldt Mill by the Superior Watershed Partnership (SWP) and conducted continuing studies to develop plans for the closure of the Humboldt Mill.
I was able to confirm with Geri Grant of the SWP that the term of the SWP monitoring program of the Eagle Mine and Humboldt Mill was extended in December 2025 to December 31, 2027. The agreement to extend the SWP agreement was signed by Eagle Mine LLC and therefore remains valid after the ownership of the Eagle Mine and Humboldt mine transferred to Talon Metals,
Closure of the Eagle Mine and Humboldt Mill
The closing of these facilities will be a coming significant event for the Eagle Mine and Humboldt Mill. A December 19, 2025 MLive article by Garrett Ellison gave the estimated closure date of the Eagle Mine as 2029.
During my process of talking to individuals about the Eagle Mine, one comment particularly stands out in my mind. In 2023 Rochelle Dale, Administrator of the Yellow Dog Watershed Preserve told me, “…a lot of sulfide mines in the past haven’t really had a problem until after closure. It’s something our grandchildren are going to inherit.”
Next Blog
My next blog will be on the potential negatives of mining sulfide minerals.
