The Victoria Copper Mining Company operated the Victoria Mine and Mill in Ontonagon County's Rockland Township. A relatively small producer, the Victoria opened as the Cushin Mine in 1849. Early development under the Forest Mining Company (1850-1858) failed to make a profit and the mine was only worked intermittently under the Victoria Mining Company (1858-1899).

In January 1899, the company was reorganized in Boston as the Victoria Copper Mining Company and work began on the mine site in March under Thomas Hooper (a well-known mining pioneer). The reorganization also reunited Victoria with the Glenn, Shirley, Sylvan, Oneida, and Arctic properties, which had been split off into separate companies in the early years of the Victoria Mine.

Presumably due to the numerous earlier failures at the site, the management was cautious with expenditures and the mine expanded its operations slowly. The first mining engineer was not hired until 1902, the first mine captain in 1904, and the first master mechanic in 1905. Financial constraints also resulted in the suspension of mining from mid 1904 to early 1906. Similarly, the stamp mill was only completed in June 1906, more than seven years after the beginning of mining.

In 1902, the Glenn [or Glen] Falls Dam, the first of three major hydroelectric dams, was constructed on the West Branch of the Ontonagon River. Four years later, a second dam (known as the Lake Gogebic Dam or the Bergland Dam) was built on same river near the mouth of Lake Gogebic. In March of the same year, Victoria's famous air compressor went into operation after lengthy construction delays. The Victoria Dam, the largest and last of the dams, was not constructed until after the Victoria Copper Mining Company became defunct. For the history of that dam, see the historical note for Series VII: Victoria Power Project Records.

One of the most isolated mines in the Copper Country, Victoria suffered from recurring labor shortages. However, it was one of the few mines unaffected by the strike of 1913-1914. The Western Federation of Miners did not organize any of the Victoria labor force. A brief work stoppage was resolved with only a few days lost.

Largely due to the post-war collapse of copper prices, the Victoria Mine ceased operations in April 1921.

In August 1929, the Victoria Copper Mining Company sold its water rights to the Northern Acquisition Company and in December sold the remainder of its property to the Copper Range Company.

The records do not indicate the date of the final dissolution of the Victoria Copper Mining Company, but the liquidation of its physical assets in 1929 brought its activities to an end.

For a listing of Victoria Copper Mining Company directors and officers through 1929, see the Appendix.