▁man aging ▁the ▁Derby ▁co pper ▁mine ▁in ▁Ont on agon ▁County , ▁Michigan . ▁Ar riv ing ▁in ▁June ▁ 1 8 5 4 , ▁he ▁worked ▁for ▁nearly ▁two ▁years ▁at ▁various ▁mines ▁in ▁the ▁area . ▁In ▁February ▁ 1 8 5 6 , ▁he ▁walked ▁to ▁Green ▁Bay , ▁Wisconsin , ▁where ▁he ▁then ▁proceeded ▁by ▁stage ▁to ▁F ond ▁du ▁Lac , ▁then ▁by ▁rail ▁to ▁Chicago ▁and ▁Gal ena , ▁Illinois ▁on ▁to ▁Dub u que , ▁Iowa . ▁He ▁then ▁walked ▁across ▁the ▁pra irie ▁to ▁Fort ▁D odge ▁and ▁then ▁to ▁K oss uth ▁County , ▁Iowa , ▁where ▁he ▁worked ▁as ▁an ▁engineer ▁in ▁a ▁saw - mill . ▁ ▁Following ▁the ▁Spirit ▁Lake ▁mass acre ▁in ▁March ▁ 1 8 5 7 , ▁imm igration ▁into ▁the ▁area ▁nearly ▁stopped ▁and ▁combined ▁with ▁the ▁Pan ic ▁of ▁ 1 8 5 7 ▁created ▁greater ▁economic ▁hard ship ▁than ▁usual ▁for ▁a ▁front ier ▁community . ▁Robinson ▁non eth eless ▁purchased ▁ ▁of ▁land ▁and ▁lived ▁there ▁for ▁about ▁five ▁years . ▁ ▁Return ▁to ▁Michigan ▁In ▁ 1 8 6 2 , ▁Robinson ▁returned ▁to ▁Michigan ▁and ▁settled ▁at ▁the ▁village ▁of ▁Han cock , ▁where ▁he ▁worked ▁as ▁a ▁sh ipping ▁cl erk ▁in ▁the ▁Qu in cy ▁Mine ▁until ▁ 1 8 7 3 . ▁During ▁that ▁time , ▁he ▁had ▁acquired ▁about ▁ 2 , 0 0 0 ▁acres ▁( 8   km ² ) ▁of ▁p ine ▁tim ber