Forty-one men are still inside the Barnes-Hecker mine west of Ishpeming, and on November 3 it will be a hundred years. At about 11:20 that Wednesday morning in 1926, the ground above the workings gave way, and within about fifteen minutes the mine filled with quicksand and water. Fifty-one men died. One climbed out. Last Saturday more than 300 people stood at the shaft to dedicate a memorial park with a plaque for each of the 51. On the morning of the centennial, church bells in Ishpeming and Negaunee toll fifty-one times.
The morning of November 3, 1926
The Engineering and Mining Journal, reporting ten days later, wrote that fifty-one men lost their lives at the Cleveland-Cliffs mine near Ishpeming when, without warning, a large block of ground broke loose and caved through to the surface. The journal’s news report put the cave at noon. The company’s general superintendent, S. R. Elliott, in a statement printed one page later, said about 11:20 a.m.
The one man out was Rutherford J. Wills, a 22-year-old motorman on the second level, remembered as Wilfred. Historian Robert M. Neil, citing Wills’s 1927 inquest testimony, spells it Wilford. He was about 200 feet back in the level when he heard the first rumblings, reached the shaft ladders and climbed about 800 feet to the surface. The men close behind him were overtaken by the sand.
Among the dead were Captain William Tippett, mining captain since the shaft was started in 1918, and William E. Hill, the Marquette County mine inspector, re-elected the day before. Forty of the fifty-one men were married. That night seven bodies were carried out through the tunnel to the Morris-Lloyd mine. Three more were found in the shaft on November 9. The rest were never reached.
Where the record disagrees
The journal called the cause a mystery in 1926. The U.S. Bureau of Mines later wrote that the back of a stope caved into the glacial drift above it. Neil, writing in 2008, says the 11:20 blast broke into a void that ran up into the soft overburden. The men underground are counted at 52, the 51 dead plus Wills, and at 55 for the day shift. Wills’s climb is timed at 10, 14 and a little over 15 minutes, and his age at 22 and 23; his birth date, May 5, 1904, makes him 22. The families are counted as 40 married men in 1926, as 41 widows and 130-some children in one 2026 account, and as 42 widows and 132 children by Neil and committee historian Jim Paquette. The Mining Journal and Neil call it Michigan’s worst mine disaster; in 1926 the journal called it the greatest the Lake Superior region had seen.
It is unlikely that any of the remaining 41 can be reached for some time.
Engineering and Mining Journal, Nov. 20, 1926
The park, and the two weeks ahead
The mine site was private land for decades. Ely Township bought it, and on October 17 dedicated Barnes-Hecker Memorial Park on County Road CL, just west of Ishpeming. Project manager Glenn Wing put the community’s gifts of cash, materials and labor at a little over $1 million. The park has a 2,000-foot circle walk, trails to the lake where the cave-in happened, statues of the lone survivor and of a wife and child with a lunch pail, and a plaque for every miner with his name, his story and his family. Gary Walimaa, whose grandfather John A. Kallio is inside the mine, said his mother was 13 months old when her father died.
Wednesday, Oct. 21, 6:30 p.m.: Jim Paquette presents “Uncovering the Truths About the Barnes-Hecker Mine Disaster” at the Marquette Regional History Center, 145 W. Spring St. $5 suggested donation. Through April 3, 2027: the exhibit “100 Years of Tears,” Beaumier U.P. Heritage Center, NMU. Free. Sunday, Nov. 1, 2 p.m.: ecumenical memorial service, Bethany Lutheran Church, 715 Mather Ave., Ishpeming, in person and online. Monday, Nov. 2, 7 p.m.: candlelight vigil at the park, with bagpipers; Westwood High School if the weather turns. Tuesday, Nov. 3, 11:20 a.m.: the bells, 51 times.
Directions, drive times and what is at the site: Barnes-Hecker Memorial Park: Go See It.
If one of the 51 was your family, we would like to know his name.
More worth reading
Sources, credits, and reporting details
Sources & accountability
How this story was reported
Editorial methodArchival synthesis
Last verifiedOct. 19, 2026
Corrections statusNo material correction note is recorded on this article.
AI assistanceResearched and drafted with AI tools. Reviewed and approved by editor Keegan O’Brien. Tool: Claude (Anthropic), drafting and source checks.
Verification note: Written October 20, 2026 as the centennial piece, from the Engineering and Mining Journal reports of Nov. 13 and 20, 1926, Robert M. Neil's 2008 account, and 2026 coverage of the memorial park and centennial events. Where accounts disagree (the time, the cause, the men underground, Wills's name, age and climb, the family counts) the article gives each version and its source. The 1926 rows were read in the scans on Sept. 26, 2026; the 2026 event and park rows were read on the rendered pages Oct. 19, 2026.
Primary sources
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The Barnes-Hecker Mine Disaster, EMJ vol. 122 no. 20, p. 781 — Engineering and Mining Journal (McGraw-Hill), via Internet Archive
Published Nov. 13, 1926. Accessed Sep. 26, 2026.
"fifty-one men lost their lives in the Barnes-Hecker iron mine of the Cleveland-Cliffs Iron Co., near Ishpeming, Mich. Without warning, a large block of ground broke loose, causing a cave through to the surface, and within fifteen minutes the mine was filled with quicksand and water. Only one man escaped alive." Read in the scan Sept. 26, 2026; not re-read Oct. 19 (archive.org unreachable from the session).
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EMJ Nov. 13, 1926, p. 781: the time, and the region's greatest disaster — Engineering and Mining Journal (McGraw-Hill), via Internet Archive
Published Nov. 13, 1926. Accessed Sep. 26, 2026.
"THE LAKE SUPERIOR mining region experienced its greatest mine disaster at noon on Wednesday, Nov. 3". The company superintendent, quoted on p. 782, said about 11:20 a.m.; the article gives both.
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EMJ Nov. 13, 1926, p. 782: Statement by Superintendent Elliott — Engineering and Mining Journal (McGraw-Hill), via Internet Archive
Published Nov. 13, 1926. Accessed Sep. 26, 2026.
Supports: The general superintendent gives the time as about 11:20 a.m.
S. R. Elliott, general superintendent, Cleveland-Cliffs Iron Co.: "At about 11:20 a.m. Wednesday, Nov. 3, a cave occurred at a point above the first level, Barnes-Hecker mine".
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EMJ Nov. 13, 1926, p. 781: cause — Engineering and Mining Journal (McGraw-Hill), via Internet Archive
Published Nov. 13, 1926. Accessed Sep. 26, 2026.
Supports: The cause was called a mystery in 1926
"What caused the ground to give way is a mystery, but it is possible that the jasper ledge (cap rock) hung up as the back was being brought down and finally let go with terrific force."
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EMJ Nov. 13, 1926, p. 781: the one man who escaped — Engineering and Mining Journal (McGraw-Hill), via Internet Archive
Published Nov. 13, 1926. Accessed Sep. 26, 2026.
"The one man who escaped was a motorman on the second level. He was back in the level about 200 ft. from the shaft when he heard the first rumblings and he lost no time in reaching the ladders of the shaft. He climbed through to surface. Companions who were close behind him in the shaft were overtaken by the sand."
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EMJ Nov. 13, 1926, p. 781: named dead — Engineering and Mining Journal (McGraw-Hill), via Internet Archive
Published Nov. 13, 1926. Accessed Sep. 26, 2026.
"Included in the list of dead are Captain William Tippett, mining captain at the mine since the shaft was first started, in 1918, and William E. Hill, mine inspector for Marquette County. The day previous he had been re-elected to serve another two-year term."
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EMJ Nov. 13, 1926, p. 781: married men and the first recovery — Engineering and Mining Journal (McGraw-Hill), via Internet Archive
Published Nov. 13, 1926. Accessed Sep. 26, 2026.
"Forty of the fifty-one men were married, some having large families." / "On Wednesday night seven bodies were removed from the tunnel which connects with the Morris-Lloyd mine, about a mile away."
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Reclamation Work at the Barnes-Hecker Mine, EMJ vol. 122 no. 21, p. 826 — Engineering and Mining Journal (McGraw-Hill), via Internet Archive
Published Nov. 20, 1926. Accessed Sep. 26, 2026.
Supports: Three more found in the shaft Nov. 9; the remaining 41 unlikely to be reached (the pull quote)
"Seven bodies were removed from the workings on the day of the accident and three more were found in the shaft on Nov. 9. It is unlikely that any of the remaining 41 can be reached for some time." Arithmetic: 7 + 3 = 10 recovered; 51 – 10 = 41; 51 + 1 (Wills) = 52.
Additional reporting
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Barnes-Hecker Mine Disaster (U.S. Bureau of Mines summary) — U.S. Mine Disasters (miningquiz.com)
Accessed Sep. 26, 2026.
Supports: Bureau of Mines cause; 52 men underground; Wills 22; 800 feet in 14 minutes; the Wilford spelling
"The back of one of the stopes in this iron mine caved to the overlying glacial drift material and the mine was filled with water and quicksand." / "Of the 52 men in the mine, only one escaped by climbing 800 feet of ladders in the shaft." / "22-year-old Rutherford "Wilford" Wills, was able to escape by remarkably climbing 800 feet in 14 minutes."
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Robert M. Neil, "The Barnes-Hecker, 1926: Michigan's Worst Mine Disaster," Mining History Journal vol. 15 (2008), pp. 83-90 — Mining History Association
Accessed Sep. 26, 2026.
"Wilford Wills, twenty-two and in excellent physical condition, was the sole survivor" / "the blast at 11:20 had broken into a large void, or vug, which ran steeply up through the stable rock into the soft overburden above" / "widowed 42 women and left 132 minor children fatherless". Name sourced in Neil to the 2 Feb 1927 Marquette County coroner's inquest testimony (per the Aug. 22 ledger note on this article).
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Rutherford John "Wilfred" Wills (1904-1973) — Find a Grave
Accessed Sep. 26, 2026.
Supports: Remembered as Wilfred; born May 5, 1904; age 22 on Nov. 3, 1926 (our calculation)
"Rutherford John "Wilfred" Wills"; born "5 May 1904"; died "7 May 1973"; "the lone survivor of the Barnes-Hecker mining disaster". 1926 – 1904 = 22, birthday already passed: calculated.
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Barnes-Hecker Mine Disaster (Wikipedia) — Wikipedia
Accessed Sep. 26, 2026.
Supports: A day shift of 55 (the differing count named in the article)
"the day shift for the Barnes-Hecker mine comprised 55 men". Cited only as the source of the differing figure.
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Barnes-Hecker Mine Disaster (USGenNet) — USGenNet
Accessed Sep. 26, 2026.
Supports: Age 23; a 10-minute climb (the differing figures named in the article)
"Twenty-three year old" / "made the 800 foot climb to the surface in 10 minutes". Cited only as the source of the differing figures.
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Barnes-Hecker Mine Disaster 100th anniversary events announced (Bud Sargent) — The Mining Journal
Published Feb. 12, 2026. Accessed Oct. 19, 2026.
"The tragedy remains Michigan's worst mine disaster, claiming the lives of 51 men. Forty-one of those miners are still entombed in the collapsed mine" / "November 1, 2:00 PM – Interfaith Memorial Service at Bethany Lutheran Church, Ishpeming (The service will be live streamed)" / "November 3, 11:20 AM – Tolling of church bells throughout Ishpeming". Re-read on the rendered page Oct. 19, 2026.
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The Barnes-Hecker Mine before the disaster (Beth Gruber), with the centennial event list — The Mining Journal
Published Oct. 14, 2026. Accessed Oct. 19, 2026.
""Uncovering the Truths About the Barnes-Hecker Mine Disaster" a presentation by Jim Paquette, hosted by the Marquette Regional History Center at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 21 … $5 suggested donation." / "The exhibition will be on display at the Beaumier Center until April 3, 2027, and is free and open to the public." / "An Ecumenical Memorial Service at 2 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 1, in person at Bethany Lutheran Church, 715 Mather Ave in Ishpeming or online." / "A Candlelight Vigil at the Barnes-Hecker Memorial Park on County Road CL in Ely Township at 7 p.m. on Monday Nov. 2. The vigil will include bagpipers. In the event of inclement weather, the vigil will be held at Westwood High School." / "The tolling of church bells throughout Ishpeming and Negaunee on Tuesday, Nov. 3 at 11:20 a.m. … church bells will toll fifty-one times". Read on the rendered page Oct. 19, 2026.
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Ground broken at Barnes-Hecker Memorial Park (Annie Lippert) — The Mining Journal
Published May. 23, 2026. Accessed Sep. 26, 2026.
"The park is at the site of the old Barnes-Hecker mine" / "lined with 51 plaques, one for each lost miner" / "Rutherford "Wilfred" Wills, the only survivor" / "He climbed 800 feet in a little over 15 minutes up a ladder to beat the water." / "There (were) 41 widows and 130-some children at the time of the cave-in."
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Barnes-Hecker Memorial Park breaks ground ahead of 100th (WBUP/WJMN) — WJMN / myupnow.com
Accessed Sep. 26, 2026.
Supports: 42 widows and 132 children (Paquette); the site was private property
Jim Paquette: "It wasn't just the 42 widows and 132 children." Annie Tippett: "we were finally able to purchase this property because it was in private hands".
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Barnes-Hecker Mine Disaster memorial in the works in Ely Township — WLUC TV6 / Upper Michigan's Source
Published Nov. 17, 2025. Accessed Oct. 19, 2026.
Supports: The site was private land for years; the township bought it
Glenn Wing: "There were a lot of years where we weren't even allowed access to this because it was private land". "An anonymous donor provided money to buy the 20 acres of land the mine and cave-in site sit on." Acreage differs from WLUC's Oct. 17 report (51 acres); neither figure is used in the article.
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Barnes-Hecker Memorial Park dedication rescheduled to complete landscaping — WLUC TV6 / Upper Michigan's Source
Published Aug. 6, 2026. Accessed Oct. 19, 2026.
Supports: County Road CL, Ely Township, just west of Ishpeming; dedication Oct. 17 at 11 a.m.
"rescheduled from Saturday, Sept. 5 to Saturday, Oct. 17 at 11 a.m." / "located on County Road CL in Ely Township, just west of Ishpeming."
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'They're smiling at us': Ely Township reveals Barnes-Hecker Mine Disaster Memorial Park (Julia Seitz) — WLUC TV6 / Upper Michigan's Source
Published Oct. 17, 2026. Accessed Oct. 19, 2026.
"Ely Township board members say over 300 people attended the park's dedication ceremony and ribbon cutting." / "The 51-acre park includes statues of the disaster's only survivor and a wife and child bringing lunch to their miner who won't be coming home. Visitors can also walk along a 2,000-foot-long circle walk and trails to the lake where the cave-in happened. Every miner has a plaque with his name, story and family along the trails." / "donations, which totaled a little over $1 million in cash, materials and labor" / "Gary Walimaa says his grandfather, John A. Kallio, is entombed inside the collapsed mine shaft. His mother was only 13 months old when he died." / "the land was bought by Ely Township and turned into a public park". Read on the rendered page Oct. 19, 2026.
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Marquette Regional History Center — Marquette Regional History Center
Accessed Sep. 26, 2026.
Supports: Address, 145 W. Spring St.
"145 W. Spring St. Marquette, MI 49855". The events page footer gives 611 N Front St; the home page address is used.
Photo and media credits
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Barnes-Hecker cave-in, 1926 (featured image, media 3004) — Engineering and Mining Journal, via Internet Archive
Featured image record. Published Nov. 13, 1926. Accessed Sep. 26, 2026. Public domain (US; published 1926).
Supports: Featured image: the caved area about a quarter mile from the shaft
Cropped from the page scan, no other change. Original caption: "Caved area (300×250 ft.) about one-quarter mile from Barnes-Hecker shaft". Credited in caption and alt text. Uploaded to the site, not hotlinked.
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Engineering and Mining Journal headline, Nov. 13, 1926 (media 3005) — Engineering and Mining Journal, via Internet Archive
Published Nov. 13, 1926. Accessed Sep. 26, 2026. Public domain (US; published 1926).
Supports: Body image after the intro: the journal's headline and first paragraph
Cropped from the page scan. Credited in caption and alt text. Uploaded, not hotlinked.
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Superintendent Elliott's statement, Nov. 13, 1926 (media 3006) — Engineering and Mining Journal, via Internet Archive
Published Nov. 13, 1926. Accessed Sep. 26, 2026. Public domain (US; published 1926).
Supports: Body image in the 1926 section: the 11:20 a.m. statement
Cropped from the page scan. Credited in caption and alt text. Uploaded, not hotlinked.
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Barnes-Hecker reel, Yooper Hub Original (video 4191, poster 4192) — Yooper Hub
Published Oct. 6, 2026. Accessed Oct. 19, 2026. Yooper Hub original.
The mine diagram is schematic: level depths to scale; shaft, stope and block positions illustrative. Every on-screen figure is from the EMJ and Mining Journal rows above. Map outlines: Natural Earth 1:10m (public domain); mine placed from the Wikipedia coordinates 46°30′11″N 87°46′44″W.