The Ardis Furnace was developed by John Tyler Jones, a mining explorer, engineer and diamond driller.

The experimental furnace, which was named after his youngest daughter Leah Ardis, was an attempt to convert the low-grade ore to nearly pure pig iron. If the process worked it would turn the ore into a commercial product.

The Pennsylvania native arrived in 1881, on the Menominee Iron Range, at Keel Ridge between Quinnesec and the embryo village of Iron Mountain to serve as the superintendent of mines for the P.L. Kimberly Co. He oversaw the Emmett Mine in Waucedah, Keel Ridge Mine and later the Ludington Mine and the Hamilton Mine in Iron Mountain and the Iron River Mine.

Iron had become increasingly scarce in the east, and the company began to experiment with ores from around Lake Superior. Jones decided that he should learn chemistry and analyze his own product. He took a crash course from a professor at Cornell University.

ARDIS FURNACE under construction. (Photo provided by the Menominee Range Historical Museum)

The first mention of a modern revolutionary blast furnace appeared in a December 1907 edition of the Iron Mountain Press.

In January 1908, another article stated that work began on the new blast furnace on the property near Lake Antoine and the stone pump-house will be utilized in the construction.

The furnace of 100 tons cost about $75,000 and would differ from other furnaces that were currently in operation of that time.

Jones filed a patent for his “Method of Treating Iron Ores” in March 1908. The furnace was designed to revolutionize the iron business of the world.

On Oct. 9, 1908, the first successful test of the Ardis Furnace occurred.

ARDIS FURNACE'S 100-foot tube before installation. (Photo provided by the Menominee Range Historical Museum)

The Ardis Furnace featured a horizontal tube that rotated instead of a “stack.”

By November 1908, work had begun on the temporary shelter that measured 80 feet long by 30 feet wide by 20 feet high to house the furnace so the operation could continue through the winter months.

The furnace heated the ore and sent it through the 100-foot metal tube, that was rotated by electric motors. The process metalized the ore by using carbon monoxide that came from the gas given off by bituminous coal. The gases removed iron oxides, changing low grade ore to a commercially viable product. The temperature necessary to remove the oxygen was 1,400 degrees Fahrenheit, but the temperature necessary to fix the “sponge iron” produced so it would not re-oxygenize was 2,200 degrees Fahrenheit.

In April 1910, after testing for more than two weeks, operations were suspended on the Ardis Furnace. However, Jones was determined to complete every step of his invention. The work would require much time and labor and in the meantime Jones decided to erect and operate a number of furnaces similar to the Ardis, disposing of the product to one of the large steel corporations.

After an engineer was called in from Sweden, he examined the furnace and determined the method would not work except briefly because he could not stabilize the heat well enough to produce a continuous long run. The fire bricks lining the furnace simply couldn’t stand the heat produced by the continuous operation.

ARDIS FURNACE after being enclosed. (Photo provided by the Menominee Range Historical Museum)

In May 1916, the large steel tube was sold to the Thomas Iron & Steel Co. of Ohio.

A few months earlier, the city of Iron Mountain had started a condemnation suit to obtain part of the company’s land for the new filtration plant.

On Aug. 13, 1971, the Ardis Furnace was listed on the Michigan State Register of Historic Sites. The marker was erected in 1971.

Only the concrete pillars remain today.

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ONLY THE CONCRETE PILLARS of the Ardis Furnace in Iron Mountain remain today. (Terri Castelaz/Daily News photo)

The Daily News is bringing back photos of “yesteryears.” Each week, an historical photograph will be posted on The Daily News’ Facebook page. Readers will be asked to identify the location, as well as share a memorable experience of the location. “Back to the Present” will then be published in the Wednesday edition, including a current photo. Readers can comment on The Daily News’ Facebook page, or email tcastelaz@ironmountaindailynews.com with subject “Back to the Present.”