The Iron Range Towns

Tuesday June 30 2009.  Big Balsam Camp and Resort

The weather was cold and raining again today, but I will not dwell on that.  We did some traveling and I a great time.

When I was a child and we came up here to the Iron Range, all the iron ore mines were in full swing.  Now they are all closed and most of them filled with water.  Some of the old open pit mines even have fish in them.  A few of our 10,000 lakes.

We stopped in three towns today Nashwauk, Keewatin and Hibbing.  Hibbing being the largest of the three. 

 

Downtown Hibbing

Hibbing’s most famous celebrity is singer songwriter Bob Dylan.  He lived here from the age of 7 and left at the age of 18. 

Please follow the link below and read a little on the history of Hibbing and the Iron Range.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hibbing

Keewatin is the smallest of the three towns.  It also was a mining town.  Keewatin’s mine was the St. Paul Mine and operated between 1905 and 1964. 

This building is no longer the City Hall, I believe it is now the police station.

Again please follow the link below and learn about the first settlers on the Iron Range.  I thought most of the people that settled in the area were Scandinavian, but many were from Ireland and Italy.   (check this out Bob C)

The beginnings of the Iron Range and Keewatin

Our next stop was Nashwauk.  Nashwauk is located between the two largest Iron Range Cities, Hibbing and Grand Rapids. Over 1000 lake are in the area

In the town of Nashwauk, the Hawkins mine was the first mine in Itasca county.  It shipped out over 25 million tons of iron ore between 1902 and 1962. 

Pictures of the open pit mine, now filled with water.

 

 

Not sure what this building was or when it was built, but I like the architecture.  It is now abandoned.

  

Downtown Nashwauk

Hope touring the iron range with us.  Maybe the sun will shine Wednesday.