The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1910-11-05

Minnesota is not generally classed
as a mineral state, although it fur
nishes a good two-thirds of the iron
mined in the United States and ex-
pert opinion is that the whole north
eastern part of the state is underlaid
with a rich bed of iron ore prac.
tically inexhaustible, said a writer in
the Minneapolis Journal some time
since in describing that section
Here are some things that the min
ing industry does for Minnesota:
Wonderful results attained by en-
cheering ingenuity leading to an an
nual rate of production of twenty mil
ion tons of ore a year. Conservation
that really conserves, practical and
not theoretical, is being applied, which
gives to the western Mesaba the same
development that other parts of the
range have received. Millions of dol
lars being expended at Coleraine and
Duluth upon the erection of plants
that will smelt ore at the mine and
eliminate the cost of transportation
to the east. The mines furnish a liv-
ing to at least 100000 people, within
the state, directly or indirectly, in
Guiding the shipping. transportation
and manufacturing branches, as well
as the mining Of the ore, in which
industry about $4,000 people are en-
gagged. The iron ore railroads pay
in taxes annually one-fifth of the cost
of administering the affairs of the
entire state of Minnesota and they
pay one-third of all the taxes con
tributed by all the railroads of the
state. The mines themselves pay q
million dollars a year by direct taxes
to the state. The state Of Minnesota
receives a royalty of rs cents tor
for every ton of iron ore taken from
twenty-five mines discovered on state
lands and operated by various com
panies on lease The state also owns
many thousands of acres of land OF
which mineral rights are reserved.
Twelve years ago the surface O.
the earth everything the Mesaba lode
was barely scratched with the picks
and scrapers Of the miners. Sine,
then from the Mesaba range Their.
have been shipped 2O0,O0O,OO0 ton!
of ore. It would be idle to speculate
upon the annual value, real or per
spective, Of these mineral ranges
There is a strip of iron ore IS mile
long and from one-half to three miles
wide, of greatly varying depth, from
which will be taken during the mex
SO or 100 years millions of dollar
worth OF iron ore. In addition Their
are many rich beds of ore in St. Loui
and Itasca counties and in countie
in the northeastern part of the state
AS early las 1850 a scientific observer
John G. Norwood, reported that h
had found iron ore on Gun Flint lax
on the edge of the Mesaba range
In 1854, H. H. Eames, an official &c
ologist, located ore of commercial
value and in paying quantities whic
was developed some years later as tn
Soudan mine of the Oliver grour
Charlemagne Tower, afterward an
bassador to Germany, in 1875 sen
Professor A. II. Chester of Hamilto
college to prospect the Mesaba range
AS result of his report the Mime
sofa Iron company was organized an
Tower and his associates put $4,000
600 into development, and in 1888
brought down over their own roa
and shipped $4,000 tons of ore
The Duluth G Iron Range railroa
was built to handle the ore Of tina
property then developed and is sti
handling it. The riches found in tina
district were remarkable Besides tn