As the glaciers receded from the lands of Michigan’s Keweenaw Peninsula, they left behind a large rock of pure native copper. In a branch of the Ontonagon River, thirty-five miles from the mouth, it rested in waters protected by 50-foot cliffs and cascading waters impossible to traverse by boat. Getting to the rock meant crossing rough terrain of several hundred foot peaks and swampy canyons. The rock stood there for thousands of years, held sacred by the local Indian tribes who considered it a glorious gift from the gods.

As early settlers caught snippets of stories about the rock, explorers would from time to time go out looking for it. Those who did brought back stories of the rock, but due to its location and size, no one was able to move it. The first stories about the rock held that it weighed five tons. One early explorer was able to chip away a hundred-pound piece of the rock. Whether many were able to do this despite the rock’s hardness, whether the stories had been exaggerated, or perhaps for a bit of both, the rock, when finally prayed from its resting place, actually weighed 3,708 pounds.

There are several stories of how the rock was eventually won. The one with the most evidence for the truth is one of the most colorful stories from the Michigan Copper Rush era.

When negotiations with the Indians began in 1826, the government commissioned a group to take the rock, thinking their negotiations would be successful. Neither the negotiations nor the recovery party were, but word of the expedition spread quickly.

Julius Eldred, a Detroit merchant, heard the stories of the great rock and became obsessed with obtaining it for himself. He was not interested in it for the value of the metal, but rather had visions of making his fortune by putting the rock on public display. The sight of him eventually led him to search for the rock with Samuel Ashmen, a justice of the peace from the Northern Michigan Territory who understood the cultures and language of the local Indians. Julius, with the help of his partner, was able to purchase the rock from the Indians for $45.00 in advance and $105.00 in goods when Eldred’s crew had the rock in his possession. Eldred then returned home to gather the manpower and supplies he would need to bring the rock home.

In early 1843, Eldred returned with the entire team to retrieve the rock. He did not realize that Colonel Hammond, from Plattville Territory, Wisconsin, was also on his way with a group of men to retrieve the rock. Neither of these parties knew that the Secretary of State had issued Colonel White the first exploration permits issued when the purchase of the Keweenaw Peninsula area from the Indians was signed at about the same time that year.

When White’s group reached the rock, they found Hammond’s group already there. After some fuss, White sold his license to Hammond’s company for an undisclosed sum. Arriving at the rock with specialized equipment and a full and ready crew of workers, Eldred was shocked to find that his rock was guarded by Hammond’s troops. Of course, a purchase from the Indians had no merit against a government permit. Once again, Eldred was forced to negotiate a price for possession of the rock. Hammond, with Eldred’s check for $1,365.00, took his troops and let Eldred and his men retrieve the prize.

They had to hoist the nearly two-ton rock up the 50-foot cliff and onto a floor because the team had built for it. They then cleared a four-and-a-half-mile track over the rough terrain. They laid 25 feet of rail to slide the car. A second section of track was laid in front, and as the carriage rolled to the end, the rear track was picked up and placed in front. This also meant anchoring the cart while the tracks were being lifted and laid. There is no record of how long this effort took, but it is said that lifting the rock from the river to the top of the cliff took more than a week. In the main current, the rock was floated on a raft to the mouth of the river, where they once again encountered Colonel Hammond himself.

Hammond had been to Detroit where he had tried to cash Eldred’s check, but had not been honest. He demanded that the rock be returned to him. Elder was forced to leave the rock and go with the Colonel to cash the check. Eldred subsequently arranged for a schooner from Copper Harbor to transport the prize. He arrived at Copper Harbor only to find General Cunningham there with orders to seize the rock on behalf of the United States government. His permission was completely inconsiderate. Cunningham was instructed to reimburse Eldred $700.00 for the rock. Realizing that this was a pittance that did not begin to cover Eldred’s expenses, he agreed to allow Eldred to take the rock back to Detroit, pending a reimbursement adjustment from the war department.

Finally Eldred and the schooner reached the mouth of the Ontonagon River again and found their rock waiting on the raft. Also the Okondoken boss. Once the Chief’s goods were delivered to him, the rock was on his way back to Detroit with a very tired Julius Eldred. Arriving in Detroit on October 11, 1843, Eldred wasted no time in placing the rock in an exhibition hall where he charged the public a quarter of a head to view the now-famous rock. His problems now seemed like a fortune because of the publicity he gave his company.

The War Department confiscated the rock from Eldred on November 9. He was allowed to go with the agents to personally deliver the rock to its resting place on display in the War Department courtyard. Congress later paid Julius Eldred $5,664.98 for the rock.

Just how big the rock was when glaciers left it in its protective resting place and how many copper hunters chipped it away over thousands of years will forever remain a mystery.

Today, Ontonagon Boulder rests in the Natural History Building of the Smithsonian Institution, Washington, and contains within it a silent testimony to the vibrant stories and legends of early explorers and prospectors during the settlement of Michigan and the age of Copper Fever.