Mountain Iron Mine is a former mine in Mountain Iron, Minnesota, United States. Opened in 1892, it was the first mine on the

Mesabi Range The Mesabi Iron Range is a mining district in northeastern Minnesota following an elongate trend containing large deposits of iron ore. It is the largest of four major iron ranges in the region collectively known as the Iron Range of Minnesota ...

, which has proved to be the largest iron ore deposit ever discovered in the United States. Mining operations at the site ceased in 1956. The bottom of the

open-pit mine Open-pit mining, also known as open-cast or open-cut mining and in larger contexts mega-mining, is a surface mining technique of extracting rock (geology), rock or minerals from the earth from an open-air pit, sometimes known as a Borrow pit, b ...

has filled with water but its dimensions are readily visible. With The city maintains an overlook in Mountain Iron Locomotive Park. Mountain Iron Mine was proclaimed a

National Historic Landmark A National Historic Landmark (NHL) is a building, district, object, site, or structure that is officially recognized by the United States government for its outstanding historical significance. Only some 2,500 (~3%) of over 90,000 places listed ...

in 1968 and subsequently listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...

for its national significance in the theme of industry. The property was nominated for setting in motion the extraction of iron ore on the Mesabi Range, which helped make Minnesota the nation's largest iron producer and the United States the world's largest steel manufacturer.

History

The discovery of a boulder of high-grade iron ore by Leonidas Merritt in 1887 during a railroad survey prompted he and his brothers to establish the Mountain Iron Mine in 1892. By 1893 the " Seven Iron Brothers" had claims on a significant portion of the Mesabi Range and had built the Duluth, Missabe and Northern Railway (DM&IR). Financial conditions forced them to sell their shares to

John D. Rockefeller John Davison Rockefeller Sr. (July 8, 1839 – May 23, 1937) was an American business magnate and philanthropist. He has been widely considered the wealthiest American of all time and the richest person in modern history. Rockefeller was ...

. Rockefeller later sold his interests to

Andrew Carnegie Andrew Carnegie (, ; November 25, 1835August 11, 1919) was a Scottish-American industrialist and philanthropist. Carnegie led the expansion of the American steel industry in the late 19th century and became one of the richest Americans i ...

. The early development was as an underground mine, but open-pit mining soon proved to be a better choice because of the soft, shallow ore deposits. The Mesabi Range and nearby Vermilion Range led Minnesota to become the nation's largest producer of iron ore and the United States to lead the world in steel production. This capacity is considered to have been a major factor in America's ability to contribute to

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

. It also played a major role in the financial success of Andrew Carnegie and U.S. Steel. Carnegie returned some of his fortune to the communities by funding 2,500 public Carnegie libraries across the world, including 64 in Minnesota. The extraction of ore in the region also contributed to the city of

Duluth , settlement_type = City , nicknames = Twin Ports (with Superior), Zenith City , motto = , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top: urban Duluth skyline; Minnesota ...

thriving and becoming the leading port in the United States (by tonnage) in the early 20th century.

References

External links

* {{National Register of Historic Places in Minnesota 1892 establishments in Minnesota Buildings and structures in St. Louis County, Minnesota Historic American Engineering Record in Minnesota Industrial buildings and structures on the National Register of Historic Places in Minnesota Iron mines in the United States Mines in Minnesota National Historic Landmarks in Minnesota National Register of Historic Places in St. Louis County, Minnesota Open-pit mines Surface mines in the United States Tourist attractions in St. Louis County, Minnesota

History

See also

References

External links