The Cook County herald. [volume] (Grand Marais, Minn.) 1893-1909, 1899-06-10


Johnson people. We do not need to u
told that there are many keen, fat-
sighted men in the business. I suspect
Henry w. Oliver OF knowing something
about the extensive explorations that do
now making in Cook county" +
One of the facts that have held ba&
the development Of Cook county ird
lands has been tho great diversity Il
interests up there. Another matter that
has given that section q discouraging
aspect as an iron ore producer was TIP
fact that the Duluth, Port Arthur =
Western road has never become an OBJ
shipper. It built spurs to newly opened
mines, but the development of the mines
was discontinued, and the spurs leading
to them we're abandoned. But that wab
several years ago, when the urgency DE-
new iron ore properties was not so gzedt
as now. The Atichocan iron rang9,
which runs from Canada down into Cook
county, Is said to contain large deposits
of iron ore, and if, as reported, tho Oh
jectionable titanium disappears as the
shaft is sunk in tho orc body, there can
be nothing less than a wonderful future
for Cook county as an iron producing
section. The people of Grand Marais
are counting much on the development
of mines in Cook county, for they have
a very good harbor, and the rail haul
from any part of the iron region of the
county is much nearer than to Two
Harbors. It is confidently expected by
some Duluth mining mon that Cook
county will be the next great iron pro-
ducing region of the Lake Superior
country. ~
A prominent official or one of the ore
handling roads said last evening that he
did not believe there is a pound of mer-
charitable iron in Cook county. Con-
tiuing, he said:
''The ores in Cook county are what is
known as titanic. Thy are magnetic
ores, strongly charged with titan1um. It
is possible to eliminate the titanium, but
it costs moro then it is worth under
present conditions. IF iron should be-
come twice as valuable as it is now,
these ores might have some value. This
report that tho titanium disappears as
depth is attained is not fact. under
stand on good authority that tho John
son people have drilled to a depth: of
LOO feet, and the titanium was still in
the ores in very marked degree. But
there is lots of undiscovered iron ore in
this region. I bave lost faith in the
traditions that iron ore is found only
uuder certain geological conditions next
to granite. for instance, and that sort of
thing. But Cook county will never
startle the world with it's iron ore pro.
duction." ! Die
And thus views differ as to the future
of the Cook county iron deposits. One
man says there are no deposits OF, iron
in that county, and says it Is 8 sort OF d
"sore thumb" on the northeast corner
of the state. Another says Cook county
has great future as an iron orc district.
Still another says there is plenty Of ore
there but it is not merchantable. It is
matter of some speculation just how
much is actually known about Cook
county. As trees are found above
ground, and iron ore beneath the surface,
more is known of the timber resources
OF the county than of it's mineral wealth.
The above article from the Duluth
News Tribune of recent date very fairly
states the case by explaining that the
opinions concerning Cook county ore