Omena was not the only little town in the county to have failed businesses. On our Facebook page last February 19th we told about Bidleman’s Gas Station which was only in business from 1935-1939. We also talked about Queenie Smiths Brothel which was only in business for a year, 1949-1950. And don’t forget the little church that couldn’t make it, Omena Congregational Church which struggled off and on from 1886 to 1931 which I posted about on August 10, of this year.
But there was a nearby business that failed not once but three times, leaving its waste products in Lake Michigan for all time. Those very waste products, the junk of the failed company, turn into valued and much hunted collectors’ items today. I am talking about, of course, Leland Blues.
Leland Lake Superior Iron Company
It’s hard to imagine, but back in 1870 Leland was a smog-filled industrial town. The main industry of which was the iron smelting company owned by two Detroit investors. They called it “Leland Lake Superior Iron Company.” Just two years later, they had lost their investment of $150,000 and were $110,000 in debt. They were able to sell it however, to two other Detroit investors who took over their debt and rebuilt the furnace, renaming it “E. B. Ward and Company”. They were able to produce up to an amazing 40 tons of iron per day for a time.
As the raw ore was heated, the desired iron ore was separated from various natural impurities. When those impurities cooled, it resulted in a stone-like slag, which was dumped into the lake. But then, a catastrophe! The factory burned…not once, but twice! On top of that, there wasn’t a good enough harbor in Leland for the big schooners that brought the iron ore they needed from the upper peninsula, and on top of that, the overhead costs were huge.
So in 1884, the iron company was sold yet again, this time to the Leland Lumber Co. They operated a sawmill on the site for a time until the lumber industry collapsed at the end of the century. By then nothing was left of the old plant except a heap of ruins. The remains of the industry, including heaps of slag, were dumped into the lake.
Leland Blues
120 years later, beautiful blue stones, a byproduct of the foundry, are still washing up on shore near Leland. Called Leland Blues, it is technically not a stone at all, but lake tumbled slag. Leland Blue is a bit of a misleading title to this little man-made gem as it is the mix of slag with other chemicals. This varying chemical medley can also cause the slag to appear in colors of purple, gray, or in shades of green (called “Frankfort Green”) as well as blue. They also can have swirling patterns and pits or bubbles throughout, as well as rusty spots from the iron.
Slag glass can be found all over Michigan where smelting occurred, but you have to be in Leland to find the coveted “Leland blue.” Good spots to start are Van’s Beach and North Beach. It can take your eyes awhile to adjust to slag spotting, but once you find a piece or two, you’ll be hooked.