Dan Behnke photograph collection

Collection — Multiple Containers

Identifier: MS-1037

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

Collection, 1971-2009, of slides, print photographs, and mounted images created and maintained by photographer, Dan Behnke. Includes images of mine sites, structures, and minerals; as well as research notes and publications associated with copper mining in Michigan and elsewhere. The scope of the collection predominantly documents mines in Houghton, Keweenaw, and Ontonagon Counties within the Upper Peninsula. Also included in the collection are a series of maps from the Geological Survey of Michigan’s Annual Report for 1909, mostly relating to copper mining operations in the Copper Country and Isle Royale; as well as one mineralogical sample of Chalcocite from the Flambeau Mine.

Dates

1971-2009

Creator

Behnke, Dan (Person)

Conditions Governing Access

Available for use in the Michigan Technological University Archives and Copper Country Historical Collections.

Conditions Governing Use

Various copying restrictions apply. Guidelines are available from Michigan Technological University Archives & Copper Country Historical Collections.

Biographical Note

Daniel (Dan) Walter Behnke was born in 1932 to Walter and Sophie Behnke in Chicago, Illinois. Behnke graduated from Loyola University with a degree in Social Work and began his career as Assistant Director of Cook County Public Aid followed by Deputy Director for the Illinois Law Enforcement Commission and then worked as Deputy Director for the Illinois Department of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse.

Beyond his career, Behnke was an avid photographer with a deep interest in microminerals, mineralogy, and book collecting. He was a member of the Board of Directors of the Friends of Mineralogy (1990-1993), Micromount chairman of the Midwest Federation of Mineralogical Society (1981-1988), among other accolades. Behnke was an avid collector of microminerals and amassed a collection numbering over 14,000 specimens from localities throughout the world. As a photographer, his photographs were used in the illustration of many articles and journals and featured in notable publications such as The Mineralogical Record, for which he was an Associate Photographer. Behnke was inducted into the Micromounters Hall of Fame in 2007 and passed away in January 2020.

Extent

2.24 cubic feet (1 Paige box, 3 manuscript boxes, 2 flat boxes, and 1 oversize folder)

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Abstract

Collection, 1971-2009, of slides, print photographs, and mounted images created and maintained by photographer, Dan Behnke.

Arrangement

Arranged in 2 series: 1. Slides and research files, dates. 2. Maps, 1909.

The collection is arranged in two series. The contents of series 1 are arranged alphabetically, while the contents of series 2 are arranged numerically by figure number.