Minnesota Mining Disasters

Location: State of Minnesota
Surnames/tags: Disasters Mining_Disasters Minnesota

Disasters | Mining Disasters | United States Mining Disasters | Minnesota Mining Disasters

Contact: United States Mining Disasters

Contents 1 Minnesota Mining 1.1 Iron Mining 1.2 Alternate Resources 1.3 Mining Disasters 2 Resources 2.1 Genealogy Resources 2.2 Mining Resources 2.3 Museums & Monuments 3 Sources

Minnesota Mining

Native Americans used rock and mineral resources long before mining was initiated in Minnesota.^[1] They created pottery, knives, spears, and paint from the available resources.^[1] The military used limestone to build Fort Snelling in Minnesota, but it wasn't until 1868 that the first granite quarry was opened.^[1] By then, gold rush miners had flocked to the area.^[1] While unsuccessfully looking for gold it was discovered that the ground was rich in iron.^[1][2] The mines attracted immigrants from around the globe.^[1] By 2018 up to 44 million tons of ore were mined from the Mesabi Iron Range yearly.^[2]

In modern times, resources such as copper-nickel have been found as an additional asset to the state.^[3] Although less than one percent of Minnesota's economy is made up of mining proceeds; it is common to find signs around the state saying "We Support Mining."^[2] In 2018 Minnesota was the fifth-largest state for mining in terms of the value of the minerals sold.^[4] In 2018 mines in both Minnesota and Michigan shipped 98% of the usable iron ore products in the United States.^[4]

Iron Mining

• While Minnesota is the largest producer of iron ore in the United States, most of the high-grade ore has already been mined.^[5] Now, a lower grade called taconite is mined, crushed, processed into pellets, and then shipped to steel mills.^[5] In 1996 about 44 million tons of taconite pellets were shipped from Minnesota.^[5] The original ranges that iron was mined from were Cuyuna, Mesabi and Vermilion.^[5] Now only the Mesabi Range produces taconite.^[5]

Alternate Resources

• Other less common resources mined in Minnesota are contributors to the states economy.^[5]
  • Clay is used for bricks, porcelain, tiles and medicine and is mined in the Minnesota River Valley.
  • Silica Sand is very fine sand composed of quartz and is mined in the southeastern part of Minnesota. It is used to make glass and used in oil drilling.^[4]
  • Granite and Limestone are used for home construction, buildings, roads and tombstones.
  • Peat, a plant material, is used in the gardening industry and for absorbing oil and fuel
  • Minerals such as manganese, copper, nickel, and titanium are present but not in high enough quality to mine profitably. Though copper and nickel have not been found with a higher quality, 44% of Minnesota residents favored building copper-nickel mines in 2018 after considering the effect on jobs and the states economy.^[6] Michigan produced approximately 19,000 tons of nickel in 2018, which was exported.^[4] The first nickel mine in Minnesota was expected to open in 2020.^[4] Exploration continues for good sources of gold, platinum, diamonds, zinc, and lead.

Mining Disasters

Minnesota Mining Disasters Date Mine Location Deaths Space Done Profiles Done 5 Feb 1924 Milford Crosby, Minnesota 41 27 Jun 1918 Elivier Open Pit Virginia, Minnesota 18 11 Mar 1911 Norman Open Pit Virginia, Minnesota 14 Yes Yes

Resources

Genealogy Resources

• The Minnesota Genealogical Society (MGS) has information about events in the state, such as conferences.
• FamilySearch.org contains a database of births and christenings that cover 1840-1980 (Index only).
• FamilySearch.org has a database for marriages covering 1958-2001 (Index only).
• The Minnesota Historical Society has indexes of births, marriages, deaths, census records, and veterans graves (as well as some online collections). If you are looking for a vital record, the county offices will refer you here.
• Ancestry.com allows free access to the index for Minnesota, Indian Allotment Records, 1888-1919.
• The Iron Range Research Center has a searchable database of naturalization records, census rolls, death cards, newspaper announcements, and alien registration records.

Mining Resources

• Taconite.org has up-to-date information on how mining is effecting Minnesota. If you click on "View all news" you can access archived articles.
• PolyMet Mining contains court decisions, information on the new copper-nickel mine, information about resources, and opportunities in the state.
• The Minnesota Legislature has articles on mining in Minnesota, the history of mining in Minnesota, and links to other (non-mining) resources within the state.

Museums & Monuments

• The Minnesota Museum of Mining in Chisholm, Minnesota has historic mining equipment, an underground mine to tour, and other historical mining items.
• The Milford Mine Memorial Park in Crosby, Minnesota is the site of Minnesota's worst mining disaster (The Milford Iron Mine Disaster, 1924).

Sources

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5} "Minnesota Mining History," Department of Natural Resources (DNR) (DNR.State.MN.US), viewed 22 February 2020.
2. ↑ ^{2.0 2.1 2.2} "Mining is a small part of Minnesota’s economy..." Minn Post (MinnPost.com), viewed 22 February 2020.
3. ↑ New Survey Reaffirms Strong Support for Copper-Nickel Mining in Minnesota," Mining Minnesota (MiningMinnesota.com), viewed 22 February 2020.
4. ↑ ^{4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4} Orr, Isaac. "Minnesota Now Fifth-Largest Mining State, ..." Center of the American Experiment (AmericanExperiment.org), viewed 7 March 2020.
5. ↑ ^{5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 5.5} "Mining in Minnesota" Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR.State.MN.US), viewed 7 March 2020.
6. ↑ "New Survey Reaffirms Strong Support For Copper-Nickel Mining In Minnesota" (MiningMinnesota.com), viewed on 7 March 2020.

• Minnesota Mining Disasters
• CDC Mining Disasters