The science behind Minnesota's Iron Range

During World War II, northern Minnesota produced, by some estimates, 75% of the iron ore used in the war effort. That ore was made into steel that went to the factories that produced planes, tanks ...

What did the topography of the Iron Range look like

The Mesabi Iron Range is the largest of Minnesota's three major iron formations, which also include the Vermilion Range near Ely and the Cuyuna Range near Brainerd — both of which are now ...

How low-emissions steelmaking could be big business for Minnesota…

The transition to clean energy could create new economic opportunities for the Iron Range, experts say, including the possibility to process iron ore on-site into a cleaner, premium product.

Iron ore reserves of the Mesabi Range, Minnesota

Summary of the geology, mineralogy and reserve estimates of iron ore on the Mesabi Iron Range, Minnesota. Related to. Replaces. License. Collections. Open-File Reports. Series/Report Number. OFR 77-02. Funding information. Isbn identifier. Doi identifier. Previously Published Citation. Other identifiers. Suggested citation.

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Located in Hibbing, Minnesota, this site overlooks a portion of the Mesabi iron formation and more than 125 years of continuous iron ore mining in Minnesota This site is currently under construction. Check the City of Hibbing website and social media for updates and plan to ascend the reclamation pile, peruse the new buildings and view the ...

Mining in Minnesota | Minnesota DNR

In the past, iron ore was mined on three iron ranges - the Cuyuna, Mesabi and Vermilion - and also in Fillmore County in southeastern Minnesota. Today, only the Mesabi Range still has iron ore/taconite mining taking place. Clay is mined in the Minnesota River Valley. Clay is used in making bricks, porcelain, tiles, and medicines.

Vermilion Iron Range

The Vermilion Range, with its distinctive hard and high-grade iron ore deposits, looms large in the history of the mining industry in Minnesota. It was the first range to open (1884) and also the first to cease commercial mining operations (1967) due to changes in the steel-making process and the rise of cheaper-to-produce taconite on the nearby Mesabi Range.

Iron Mining History

Minnesota has the largest deposits of iron ore in the United States, and northern Minnesota has been mining iron ore for 130 years (26 years after Minnesota became a state in 1858).

Low-emissions steelmaking could be big business for Minnesota's Iron …

Minnesota's Iron Range has experienced monumental shifts since settlers found iron-rich deposits there in the late 19th century. The giants of American industry — James J. Hill, Andrew Carnegie and John D. Rockefeller — collectively created U.S. Steel, the world's first billion-dollar company, with iron ore largely mined from the Iron ...

Reclaimed ore, high prices spark mining scramble …

An entrepreneur plans to reclaim century-old iron ore waste from the Mesabi Iron Range for an innovative — though still aspirational — pig iron plant in west central North Dakota. The proposal would require de …

Iron Range Map

324 West Superior Street, Suite 903 | Duluth MN 55802 218-722-7724 | info@minnesotairon. Join the Conversation ©2024 Minnesota Iron | A Division of Taconite Minnesota Web Design ...

Taconite

After many years of hard work, a process was developed to create taconite pellets. Taconite saved Minnesota's iron ore mining industry. Learn more about Taconite from Minnesota History Center. The Hull Rust Mahoning Mine in Hibbing, Minnesota. World's largest open pit iron ore mine; First ore shipments in 1895 (still being mined today, 114 ...

Mesabi Range | Iron Mining, Iron Ore, Minnesota | Britannica

Mesabi Range, largest of three iron ranges in northern Minnesota, U.S. (the others are Vermilion and Cuyuna).It extends 110 miles (180 km) from Babbitt (northeast) to Grand Rapids (southwest) at heights varying from 200 to 500 feet (60 to 150 metres), with a high point of 2,000 feet (610 metres). The great bulk of its iron-ore formation is hard magnetic taconite, which exists in thick …

High-grade iron ore deposits of the Mesabi Range, Minnesota …

The Mesabi Range along the north edge of the Paleoproterozoic Penokean orogen in northern Minnesota has produced 3.6 billion metric tons of ore since its discovery in 1890. Of that amount, 2.3 billion metric tons were extracted from hematite-or goethite-rich deposits generally referred to as "high-grade" ores. The high-grade ores formed as the Biwabik Iron-Formation was oxidized, …

Things to Do on the Iron Range | Explore …

Once covered with mountains and a shallow sea, the stretch of Northeast Minnesota known as the Iron Range evolved to serve up mining riches around the year 1890. Miners built the towns of Biwabik, Chisholm, Eveleth, Hibbing, …

Underground Mining on the Mesabi Range | Minnesota DNR

Underground mining of natural iron ore deposits occurred on the Mesabi Range in northeastern Minnesota from 1892 to 1961. The Mesabi Range is the ledge rock exposure of the Biwabik Iron Formation, a geological feature that stretches in length for just over 100 miles, from west of Grand Rapids in Itasca County to east of Babbitt near the St. Louis / Lake County line.

How important was the Iron Range to winning World War …

Minnesota's Iron Range featured the top iron ore-producing mines in the nation in the early 20th century, helping to build structures like the Empire State Building.

THE LAKE SUPERIOR IRON RANGES: GEOLOGY AND …

Currently the only source of domestic iron ore. In recent years, Lake Superior ores provided roughly 85% of U.S. demand. Annual production varies but is generally about 50 ... Vermillion Range, Minnesota: discovered 1882, first mine 1884 …

How immigrants shaped the Iron Range

Minnesota has three iron mining ranges, which are collectively known as the Iron Range. ... The Vermilion is the northernmost, and it began shipping ore in 1884. The Mesabi Range is the largest ...

Pellet Project

MINING & PELLET PLANT Transforming the Iron Range Located on the historic Mesabi Range in Minnesota, the Mesabi Metallics project represents a significant development in the region's long-standing mining industry. Scheduled for completion in early 2026, this 7-million metric ton per year taconite mining and DR grade pelletization operation seeks to revive the potential of

Take a Field Trip on the Iron Range

Minnesota's first iron ore mine is now a state park with preserved dry house, drill shop, crusher and engine house, plus an underground mine tour that takes visitors ½ mile into the Earth on a …

MPR: A timeline of Minnesota's Iron Range

More than 82 percent of iron ore extracted from United States' mines originates in Minnesota. The opening of the St. Lawrence Seaway makes the Iron Range accessible to the Atlantic Ocean. …

Mining on the Iron Range | Minnesota Digital Library

Minnesota's Iron Range is located in the state's far northeastern corner and includes the following counties: Aitkin, Carlton, Cook, Itasca, Koochiching, Lake and Saint Louis. Iron mines were generally of two types: open pit and underground. The Iron Range includes three major iron ore deposits: Mesabi Range, Vermilion Range, and the Cuyuna Range.

Mesabi Iron Range

Since the 1890s, the Mesabi has produced iron ore that boosted the national economy, contributed to the Allied victory in World War II, and cultivated a multiethnic regional culture in …

Home on the Minnesota Range

Iron Range refers to several elongated iron-ore mining districts around Lake Superior. The largest is the Mesabi Iron Range in northeastern Minnesota. First described in 1866 as the chief iron ore mining district in the United States, it is located mainly in Itasca and Saint Louis counties and has been mined since the late 1800s.

The West rises on the Mesabi Range

For the last 10 years, however, hours of operation dwindled amid budget cuts. Meantime, steel prices parked at historic highs. With marketable iron ore directly under the park grounds, mining history is about to become mining present. For a generation, the western Mesabi was the quiet end of the Iron Range.

7 Must-See Historical Attractions on Minnesota's Iron Range

The Iron Range of northern Minnesota is a testament to America's industrial heritage, and there's so much to explore between Hibbing and Hoyt Lakes. Mines, sports, culture. Today, the historic sites in the area give us a unique glimpse into the past. ... While iron ore built the Range, it also shaped one of America's most influential ...

FAQs

Minnesota's Iron Range, in northern Minnesota, stretches about 175 miles southwest to northeast from Crosby to Ely and is comprised of three individual "ranges," or ore-rich areas: the Cuyuna in the south, the Mesabi in the middle and the Vermilion in the north. There are currently six active mines, all of them are located on the Mesabi.

Minnesota mining history | Minnesota DNR

Since their aim was gold, the iron was ignored. As it turned out, the iron would become more valuable to northern Minnesota than the gold. Iron ore was discovered on the three iron ranges at different times. The first ore shipped from the Vermilion Range was in 1884, the Mesabi Range in 1892, and the Cuyuna Range in 1911.

Mesabi Range | Iron Mining, Iron Ore, Minnesota | Britannica

Mesabi Range, largest of three iron ranges in northern Minnesota, U.S. (the others are Vermilion and Cuyuna). It extends 110 miles (180 km) from Babbitt (northeast) to Grand Rapids …