Travel Channel 

The Keweenaw Peninsula has the largest deposits of native copper in the world. It has produced over 13 billion pounds of copper since 1845. The "Cash and Treasures" crew heads to the Caledonia Copper Mine to dig for red metal. Submerging themselves in tunnels 400 feet under a mountain, Kirsten and crew join copper expert and mine owner Richard Whiteman. It's a lot of hard work, but as Kirsten finds out, finding a vein of copper makes the hunt worth it. Find out what you need to know to hunt copper in Michigan.

The Caledonia Native Copper Mine is one of only two operating underground copper mines in the United States, and the only one offering collecting trips. When the Caledonia native copper mine is operational, the mining is for specimens instead of bulk ore.

Lake Superior Copper is environmentally sound and offers no problems for the visitor. There are no sulfides or environmentally difficult minerals in this copper. The term "native" as used by mining men is synonymous with "pure," "unadulterated" or "virgin." Keweenaw copper was found in a state of such purity that a piece brought from underground could immediately be beaten into pots and pans without smelting or refining.