The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1904-07-22
HEAVY MINE
INTERESTS
School System Is Greatly En-
riched by Iron Ore Leases,

The recent decision Of State Auditor
Iyerson to issue leases to lake beds in
this state caused considerable stir
in mining circles and there has been
a rush to secure leases to what are
considered valuable tracts Of iron
bearing lands underlying the many
lakes along the Vermilion and Mesaba
ranges, says Claude NJ. Atkinson IN
Sundays News-Tribune.
AS vet no active work has been done
on any OF the leases, and not much
activity is looked for along that line
until the question of the right of the
state auditor to lease such lands has
been settled in the courts.
i Leases have been issued. to all of
the lakes through to Grand Rapids,
or from township 65, north of range
IL, to township So, north of range 26,
and in some of the larger bodies of
water several leases have been issued.
Beginning at the west the lake beds
thus covered are: Rice, Pokegamah,
Hale, Mckinney, LaPrairie (river),
Trout, Diamond, Pinacle, SNOWFALL,
Oxhide, O'Brien, Longyear, Silver,
Virginia, Manganika, Moskenada,
Ely, ST. Mary, Wanan and Embarrass
on the Mesaba and Lost, Crooked,
Burnside, White Iron, Snowbank,
Wind, Vermilion, Birch and Bear
Head OH the Vermilion.
These are not all of the lakes with
in the iron-bearing formation, as
many of the smaller lakes are not
reached by the action of the state
auditor, whose leases only cover what
are known as ,'meandered' lakes,
Many of the smaller lakes are not
meandered for the reason that they
are not crossed by section lines, and
in a number of cases the smaller lakes
are not shown as lakes on the maps,
but are classified Is swamp lands,
This is shown vt Carson lake, two
miles west of Hib5ing, where there is
a body of water nearly section in eX.
tent, but as it isall within the section
it was reported as swamp land by the
government surveyors, and has re-
manned as such to this day.
This particular piece of land is
owned by the state and was leased
two years ago. Drills were placed or
the ice and determined fine body oil
ore underlying the lake. There are
said to be several other like instances
The leasing of lake beds has beer
taken advantage of by number O
persons in Aitkin county, who will
prosecute the search for coal. TIL,
, geological "red line" extends int
that.county, touching the northwes
corner, but so far as known no mer
charitable body Of iron ore has eve
been found.
1t is expected that the question O
! leasing lake beds will be tested in tn
courts without loss of time, and. i
! the decision faNors the action of TIL,
) state auditor, it will be the stimuli
for marked activity in the furthe
! exploration for ore on both the Mes
{ aba and Vermilion ranges.
A number df the Mesaba rang
3 lakes are known to contain larg
9 bodies of iron ore, particularly Long
year lake at Chisholm, and the deye
9 Opment of these bodies of ore will ad
8 greatly to the revenues of the stat
8 from this section,
In this connection it will be int
3 esting to the average reader to kno
8 of the states interest in the iron Oh
= = producers of the Mesaba range. I'll
6 state owns the fee of fifteen develope
s mines, and great acreage of Ian
that is known, to contain iron ore, bl
g which is yet undeveloped. In tow
s ship So north Of range 10 west {
Z which Is situated the village of Buh
g the state ownssthe fee of more tia
& one-half of the land within the iro
= bearing formation as shown by I'll
= geological maps.
s The developed properties along Il
3 Mesaba, from which the state
: yearly reaping a rich harvest of 70
g alties are: Buckeye, east half of sc
: tion So, 1925: Cleveland Cliffs II,
= company, west half of the northwe
s quarter of section 10, 1923; Missa
Z Chief, north half Of the southwe
= quarter and the southwest quarter
8 the southwest quarter Of section
: 1922; a tested ore body in the soul
: west quarter OF the northwest gu;
ter of section >, 1921. adjoining t
: Mahoning mine; Carson Lake. mort
: west quarter of the southeast quart
g OF section 10, 57-2l; Scranton, former
8 Elizabeth, north half of the northe;
= quarter and the southwest quarter
" the northeast quarter of section