[1] Many of these specimens are native generally to Michigan, and more specifically to the Lake Superior region.
[3] The mineral museum first became a reality in 1902, when it was set up in the former Qualitative Laboratory room in Hubbell Hall[2] on Michigan Tech's campus.
[5] On June 17, 1976 the museum moved to the fifth floor of the Electrical Energy Resource Center at Michigan Tech,[6] built on the site of Hotchkiss Hall.
[9] In 2011, the museum moved to the new[10] Thomas D Shaffner Hall, across from the Advanced Technology Development Complex.
It is named for Thomas Shaffner, a Michigan Tech alumnus who donated $1 million for the new museum.