The Mesabi Iron Range is an elongated trend that contains large deposits of iron ore, and the largest of the four major iron ranges in the region is collectively known as the Iron Range of Minnesota. Discovered in 1866, it is a major iron ore mining district in the United States. The district is located in northeastern Minnesota, mostly in Itasca and the district of Saint Louis. It extensively works in the early part of the 20th century. Extraction operations declined throughout the mid-1970s but rebounded in 2005. China's rising demand for iron, along with a fall in the value of the US dollar against other world currencies, has made taconite production profitable again, and several mines that have been closed have reopened, while the current mine has been expanded.
Video Mesabi Range
Name
The Mesabi span is known by local Ojibwe as Misaabe-wajiw ("Giant mountain"). Throughout the Mesabi line, variations of spelling "Mesaba" and "Missabe" are found along with places containing "Giants" in their names.
Maps Mesabi Range
Geology
There are three iron ranges in northern Minnesota, Cuyuna, Vermilion, and Mesabi. Most of the world's iron ore, including those contained in northern Minnesota, were formed during the middle Precambrian period. During this period, erosion leveled the mountain. This erosion releases iron and silica into new marine waters. Marine algae that live in this new ocean increase atmospheric oxygen levels. This oxygen disaster causes eroded iron to settle into an iron formation found in northern Minnesota and other members of the Animikie Group. Over billions of years, geological forces leave ore deposits with varying qualities and concentrations that will determine how ore is mined from one place to another. In the Vermilion Range, between Soudan and Ely, place the deepest ore. There, miners work in a very deep underground mine, detonating ore from volcanic rocks. In the Mesabi Line, which stretches 100 miles (160 km) from Grand Rapids to Babbitt, the soft ore lies close to the surface, where it can be picked up from an open pit.
The entire range structure is a monoclin that dips 5 to 15 degrees to the southeast. Major errors include Calumet, La Rue, Morton, Biwabik, and Siphon. The Gabbro Duluth complex in the east has caused metamorphic changes in Biwabik formation. The natural iron ore and magnetite taconite occur in the Precambrian Biwabik formation, which is a cherty layer of 340-750 feet (100-230 m) thick. The natural ore lies in longitudinal or tabular channels, while magnetic taconite occurs in the stratigraphic zone. The natural ore contains iron content of 51 to 57 percent while the pellets contain 60 to 67 percent. The natural ore is primarily a mixture of hematite and goetite. The most common silicate is Minnesotaite. Also to note is the existence of algae structure in Biwabik formation.
Physical level
The Mesabi range is 110 miles (180 km) long. The altitude varies from 200-500 feet (61-152 m). The highest point, located about 5.6 miles (9.0 km) northeast of Virginia, is Pike Mountain at 1,950 feet (590 m). Trends range from northeast to southwest, extending from Babbitt to Grand Rapids.
Mountains of Malu
The Embarrass Mountains is a small subrange of the Mesabi Range, stretching about 9 miles (14 km) through the northern White Township and Hoyt Lakes in St. Louis County. The altitude varies from 200-400 feet (61-122 m). The highest point, at 1,940 feet (590 m), is approximately 1.9 miles (3.1 km) west of the Hinsdale unrelated community, near the former Erie Mining Company mine and the taconite processing plant.
Mining operations
Iron-bearing stones were recorded by Minnesota State Geologist Henry H. Eames in 1866. The iron ore was found north of Mountain Iron, Minnesota on 16 November 1890 by J.A. Nichols of the Merritt brothers. This range was defined in 1900. Initially underground mines were employed but this gave way to open holes so that in 1902, half the operations were performed in this way. The last underground mine closed in 1960. The natural ore finally gave way to the iron ore concentrate of the magnetite taconite so that in 1965 a third of the production came from this pellet.
Iron ore is currently only mined from open pit, although some mines operate underground early on. Soudan Underground Mine is the oldest mine in Minnesota. At the end of the 19th century, gold seekers looking for gold in northern Minnesota discovered the very rich hematite veins on the site, often containing more than 65% iron. An open pit began operating in 1882, and moved to underground mining in 1900. The mine worked until the end of active mining in 1962, and then donated to the State of Minnesota for use for educational purposes.
Most of the softer ores are formed near the surface, allowing mining operations to be conducted through an open pit. The world's largest open iron ore mine is the Hull-Rust-Mahoning Open Iron Mine in Hibbing. In the early years of mining from the late 19th century to the 1950s, the focus of mining was on high grade ore which could be processed into steel without much change. However, as the supply dries up, the focus shifts to lower grade ore (taconite) requiring extensive processing at large mining facilities before moving to the port. The mined ore is then transported, mainly by Duluth, Missabe and Iron Range Railway, to the harbors of Two Harbors and Duluth. In Duluth, trains of up to eighty 100 tons of open cars are moved out on a large ore pit to be dumped to "lakers" of up to 60,000 tons of weight to move to steel mills in Indiana and Ohio.
Opening open mines that are no longer functioning are common features throughout the Iron Range. Some of these sites have been redeveloped for other uses. For example, the Virginia Pilot is a project that focuses on rebuilding land adjacent to the old quarry into low- to low-income dwellings. Hill-Annex Mine is now a state park and offers tours to visitors who want to learn about mine operations. The tour was guided by a former miner.
Currently, there are six mining processing facilities operating in the Iron Range. Cliff Natural Resources owns and operates Northshore Mining, which has mining operations in Babbitt and destroys, concentrates (grinding) and pelletizing operations at Silver Bay, along with United Taconite which has mining operations at Eveleth and destroys, concentrates and pelletizing operations in Forbes. Arcelor Mittal owns and operates Minorca Mines and Mining Plant with near mining operations Biwabik and Gilbert as well as destruction, concentration and pelletization facilities near Virginia ( 47,5428 Â ° N 92,5169 Â ° W / 47,5428; -92,5169 ). United States Steel owns and operates KeeTac ( 47,3992 Â ° N 93,0759 Â ° W / 47.3992; -93.0759 ) and Minntac ( 47.49730 Â ° N 92.61401 Â ° W / 47.49730; -92.61401 ) with mining and processing facilities at Keewatin and Mountain Iron respectively. The last facility is Hibbing Taconite which operates a mine and factory between Hibbing city and Chisholm. Although Arcelor Mittal owns a majority stake in Hibbing Taconite, the operating agent is actually a minority owner, Cliffs Natural Resources. United States Steel is also a minority stakeholder in Hibbing Taconite.
In addition, Essar Steel is building a mine/plant near Nashwauk that has plans to not only mine and process taconite, but ultimately produce steel in locations ready to be shipped worldwide. Steel Dynamics and Kobe Steel have Mesabi Nugget ( 47,5280 Â ° N 92,1216 Â ° W < span>/ 47.5280; -92.1216 ) near Hoyt Lakes that has not mine its own material, but produces a high nugget-nuggets of iron content. Magnetation, Inc. is another company currently working in the Iron Range, but their focus is to retrieve the remaining iron from ore disposal with a high-power magnetic separator designed by the company to produce concentrates for sale and shipping worldwide.
Worker strike
Several large-scale strikes took place in Mesabi Iron Range in the early 1900s. The first began on July 20, 1907 after the Western Federation of Miners (WFM) requested the Oliver Iron Mining Company to, among other requests, eight working days and a raise. The strike lasted for two months and resulted in thousands of blacklisted workers.
In June 1913, WFM held a strike of copper companies in the region, again demanding shorter hours and better payouts. This failed strike lasted 265 days and was known as the Coptic State Attack 1913-1914.
On June 25, 1916, a miner left his shift after being paid less than the contracted rate. His actions led to Mesabi's 1917 strike. The World Industrial Workers quickly supported the strike for better payments and shorter hours. In September 1916, workers chose to continue the work, assuming a failed strike. However, shortly after returning to work, a 10% wage increase was spent on workers across the Ranks.
Leading residents and natives
- Joe Bretto, professional hockey player, Chicago Black Hawks.
- Vincent Bugliosi, prosecutor Charles Manson.
- Bruce Carlson, General of the United States Air Force, Director of the National Reconnaissance Office.
- Steve Deger, nonfiction writer.
- Bob Dylan (born Robert Zimmerman in Duluth), musician, singer-songwriter, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Pulitzer Prize and Nobel Prize winner. The song "North Country Blues" is about the decline of mining in the Mesabi Range, and its influence on the miners and their families.
- Steve Enich, a professional soccer player.
- Roger Enrico, PepsiCo's Chairman/CEO from 1996 to 2001, and DreamWorks Animation SKG Inc Chairman from 2004 to 2012. the board of directors of the National Geographic Society, the Environmental Defense Fund and the American Film Institute.
- Philip Falcone, billionaire Wall Street investor.
- Judy Garland, famous actress (born Frances Gumm).
- Dick Garmaker, a professional basketball player.
- Robert Rowe Gilruth, first director of NASA's Manned Spacecraft Center, later renamed Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center.
- Gus Hall, former leader of the US Communist Party and four US presidential candidates.
- Jeff Halper, professor of anthropology, author, lecturer, political activist, and co-founder of the Israeli Committee on House Demolition.
- John Harrington, right wing on the 1980 Gold Olympic team "The Miracle of the Ice".
- Chi Chi LaRue, an American film director
- Roger Maris, a professional baseball player, a former home run record holder for one season.
- John Mariucci, NHL hockey player, hockey coach for the University of Minnesota, and US Olympic hockey coach 1956.
- Kevin McHale, a professional basketball player, 3 NBA titles with Boston Celtics, former Minnesota Vice President Timberwolves. Former Houston Rockets coach.
- Bethany McLean, coauthor of Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room.
- Joe Micheletti, professional hockey player, Olympic television & amp; NHL hockey analyst in NYC.
- Pat Micheletti, professional hockey player.
- Robert Mondavi, an American wine businessman.
- Marie Myung-Ok Lee, novelist and essayist.
- Carol J. Oja, music historian at Harvard University.
- Jeno Paulucci, founder of Jeno's Pizza and Chun King Foods brands.
- Mark Pavelich, centered on Olympic gold medal team "Miracle of Ice" 1980.
- Rudy Perpich, governor of Minnesota, former urban dentist.
- John (Jack) Petroske, a member of the 1956 US Olympic Hockey Team, won a silver medal.
- Gary Puckett, musician.
- Buzz Schneider, LW in the 1980 "Miracle on Ice" Olympic gold medal team. Member of the 1976 Olympics team.
- John P. Sheehy, internationally known architect.
- Carl Wickman, founder and longtime CEO of Greyhound Lines.
Popular culture
Bob Dylan commemorates the Iron Range in the 1963 North Country Blues song, a lament that describes the difficult times in the region. Presented in his 1964 album The Times They Are a-Changin ', it includes lines like:
- So the mining gate is locked and the red iron is decomposed
- And the room smelled heavily from drinking
- When the song is sad, silence makes the clock twice as long
- As I wait for the sun to sink,
The Mesabi range was brought to the public's attention by the 2005 film North Country, which depicts the fictional version of the events around Jenson v. Eveleth Taconite Co. , sexual harassment, class action lawsuits by women miners against mining company Mesabi Range.
The Range is also featured in the song "Youngstown", by Bruce Springsteen, from his 1995 album The Ghost of Tom Joad :
- From the Monongahela valley, to the Mesabi Iron Range -
- To the Appalachia coal mine, the story is always the same.
Springsteen raised two lines of the above lyrics from the opening sound by Gregory Peck in the 1945 The Valley of Decision film installed in the steel city of Pennsylvania.
"Mesabi" is the title song of the 2011 album by Tom Russell: "Some things never change in the Mesabi Iron Range... Bethlehem of the Troubadour Son" (refer to Bob Dylan - see above).
See also
- Gogebik Range
- Soudan Underground Mine State Park
- Hill-Annex Mine State Park
- The Shaft Mine Museum Cliff
- Cuyuna Range
- Vermilion Range (Minnesota)
- Gunflint Range
- Historical District of Central Mountain Iron
- Marquette Iron Range
- Rouchleau Mine
References
- Leith, Charles Kenneth (1903). Iron-bearing Mesabi District in Minnesota . US Geological Survey Monograph 43. Washington, D.C.: Printing Office of the United States Government.
- Stacy, Francis N. (September 1904). "Iron Mining That Gives Us Leadership: The Most Extraordinary Deposit In The World In Mesabi Ranges". World Work: Our Time History . VIII : 5235-5243 . Retrieved 2009-07-10 . Ã, Includes many photos c. 1904 Mesabi works.
Further reading
- Beck, J. Robert. Okay, Here We Are! The Hansons and the Becks . Lincoln, Nebraska: iUniverse, 2005. - History of the Swedish-Finnish immigrant family of the Mesabi Iron Range, which details the social (and socialist) conditions of the area during its heyday.
- George, Harrison. "The Mesaba Iron Range," International Socialist Review, vol. 17, no. 6 (December 1916), p. 329-332.
- George, Harrison. "Victory in the Mesaba Range," International Socialist Reviews, vol. 17, no. 7 (January 1917), pp.Ã, 429-431.
External links
- Hill Annex Mine State Park: Minnesota DNR
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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