The Cutting Edge Mural

The Cutting Edge is an illustration of the huge cutter on the dredges used by Construction Aggregates Corporation at both mines. CAC was a Chicago based veteran of the dredging industry. The contract for the Steep Rock dredging job was the largest single dredging job ever let, 50 million cubic yards of over burden were to be moved over a period of fie years and required special equipment. A cutting edge was on the business end of each of the dredges, grinding through the rocks, mud and boulders to expose the lake bottom.

The Rand “Little Giant” Drill was part of a three drill complex which was used in 1906 for sinking the shaft of the Minto Goldmine, located approximately six miles north of Sapawe. This drill was developed by A.C. Rand and George Githens, patented in 1892. Among the earliest successful rock drill types, it used compressed air and water pressure to operate a piston and tappet system for turning the drill bit. Widely adopted throughout the Lake Superior iron and copper country, the “Little Giant” was also used in the Panama Canal and on the site of the new Pennsylvania Railroad Terminal, New York City.