Minnesota's Iron Range
Two billion years ago, a shallow inland sea covered what is now northeastern Minnesota. Iron sediments in the seawater formed layers of iron deposits that remained after the sea disappeared. In time, these formations became some of the richest iron mines in the world.
Minnesota’s Iron Range has three distinct iron deposits: the Vermilion, Mesabi, and Cuyuna Ranges. The mines established here were part of an interconnected network of natural resources, technology, transportation, capital and labor. They caused a dramatic and rapid transformation of the region’s landscape. The mining industry drove community prosperity, but it also led to periods of decline. Iron mining had a major impact on the culture, economy, and growth of the state as well as the entire nation.
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