Mesabi Range
Encyclopedia : M : ME : MES : Mesabi Range
The Mesabi Iron Range is a vast deposit of iron ore and the largest of four major iron ranges in the region collectively known as the Iron Range of Minnesota. It is the chief deposit of iron ore in the United States. The deposit is located largely in Itasca and St. Louis counties. It was extensively worked in the earlier part of the 20th century. Extraction operations declined throughout the mid-1970s but rebounded in 2005. China's growing demand for iron made taconite production profitable again and some mines that had closed were reopened.
Iron ore is mined from both underground mines and open pits. Much of the softer ore was formed close to the surface allowing mining operations to be conducted via the open pit mines. The world's biggest open pit iron ore mine is the Hull Rust Mine in Hibbing Minnesota.
Open pit mines that are not worked anymore are a common feature along the iron range and have been the site of further development. The Virginia Pilot for example focuses on grounds adjacent to the mines for redevelopment into low to moderate income residential space. The high water table in this region means that once pumping stops, the abandoned mines themselves are quickly filled in with water. Ore was primarily shipped by railroad to the port cities along Lake Superior, such as Two Harbors and Duluth, Minnesota.
The Hill-Annex Mine is now a state park and offers tours to visitors who wish to learn about mine operations. Tours are guided by former mine workers.
The area is notable for being the site of the first class action sexual harassment case, Jenson v. Eveleth Taconite Co.; this action was the inspiration for the movie, North Country.
External links
- [Cleveland Cliffs] now owns Mesabi Trust, which is administered by Deutsche Bank Trust Co., 60 Wall Street 27th Floor, New York, NY 10005
From Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Original article here. Support Wikipedia by contributing or donating.
All text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License See Wikipedia Copyrights for details.