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. The iron ore deposits were extracted by immigrant miners. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries tens of thousands of people arrived in northeastern Minnesota from Finland, Austria-Hungary, Germany, Italy, Norway, Sweden and many other European countries as well as Chinese immigrant men who ran restaurants and laundry services.
Initially, miners extracted the iron ore using hand tools such as pick axes and shovels, but later used increasingly mechanized equipment. The ore was then shipped to Duluth via railroads which were built and operated by the mining companies. The ore left Duluth on lake freighters or "ore boats" bound for Detroit and Pittsburgh where the raw ore was smelted for the automotive and construction industries.
The demand for iron ore in the United States frequently mirrored larger historic events. Demand surged during the years around World War I, followed by a decreased demand during the Great Depression. World War II and the Korean War sparked boom years with many mines running at maximum production. The post-war years into the 1960s and 1970s saw decreased demand and the closure of many mines. Today iron ore is still mined on the Iron Range but in a much-diminished capacity.
Iron ore mining has had a lasting impact on Minnesota and helped to shape the state's industrial and cultural identity.