This is the Barnes Hecker Mine.

It was first opened in 1923 and would eventually reach 1,000 feet into the earth,

in an area littered with surface and underground lakes.

But despite the great caution taken by the owners, something unforeseen would happen

deep in one of the tunnels that would have catastrophic consequences.

This is the story of the Barnes Hecker Mine disaster.

As always, viewer discretion is advised.

First operational in 1923, the Barnes Hecker mine on the northern peninsula of Michigan

was one of many iron ore mines along the Great Lakes between Canada and the United States.

Now, despite the potential issues of mining near a body of water, being close to the lakes is also a pretty natural choice,

since it meant that ships could easily ferry ore, building materials and people between the mines and cities

like Chicago, Detroit, and Toronto.

This was especially important before large highways or most train lines had been built because

almost 50% of the highest quality iron ore in the US came from Michigan.

And as time went on, the water only became more

important when canals and locks connected the lakes to each other and then the ocean in a way

ships could navigate. It's for this reason that many of the largest cities and manufacturing

companies are on or near the shore in the area. Another important feature in the region is something

known as the Canadian Shield. It's essentially a continent-sized area of exposed rock spanning from the northern US all the

way to the Canadian Arctic.

The rock is exposed because most of its soil was stripped away by the movement of glaciers

in the last ice age.

...