The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1927-06-29
MINING FEVER SWEPT THIS
COMMUNITY SHORTLY AFTER
CIVIL WAR; STEAMER Piled
REDWOOD AND MINI. RIVER.

Though Redwood Falls is in the
center Of the largest prairie area in
zhe state" says the Minneapolis Jour
nal, sit has the. distinction of discov-
ering the first commercial iron ore
mine in Minnesota.
There are few residents alive to-
day who recall the mining fever that
swept Redwood Falls shortly after
the Civil war but in the reddish brown
Iron-ore-laden cliffs of the Redwood
river still are the marks of Mime
sofas first iron ore mine. And on
The pioneer homes and mills of Red
wood, Renville. and Yellow Medicine
counties can still be found the rem
nants of reddish brown paint, the
E first manufactured product from
western Minnesota to go to eastern
markets.
Redwood Falls was pioneer
city, then head of navigation on the
Minnesota river and dreaming of the
day when it would be big metro
politan city, when Colonel Samuel
McPhail, veteran of the Mexican
war, and other new settlers first
started talking about developing the
Iron-laden banks of the Redwood
river. That was in 1859. 1t was
several years later, after samples of
dirt from the river banks had been
taken by steamboat to Fort Ridgely,
st. Peter, Carver, Shakopee, Men
dota, and St. Paul and had been es-
sayed and discussed with government
men, trading post operators and set
tiers in general that Redwood Falls
made its first move to commercially
develop its cliffs of iron ORE
"Barges were first built and
wagon road made from the Redwood
Falls mill to river landing two
miles east of the city. Settlers then
went to the cliffs with pick axes and
shovels to load their first barge full
of the ore to be shipped to eastern
markets as a test for future devel-
opment of the cliffs. Marion Johnson
and H. NJ. Hitchcock, pioneer settlers
of Redwood Falls, remember the ore
barge shipments well, though they
were only young boys then.
1.-THE barge was floated down the
river to the wagon landing and was
there transshipped to the mill where
1T was crushed to dust. From there
At was taken overland three miles to
the Minnesota river and was loaded
aboard steamer bound for st. Paul
AT the latter point, the ore was tried
IN several business experiments I'M
Ill it was found that it made a good
reddish brown paint when mixed
with linseed oil. The orders went
out, therefore, for more of the Red
wood ore and western Minnesota had
started on it's first manufacturing ex-
perience.
"For several years steamers to
Redwood Falls made a business of
loading ore from the river cliffs and
two or three companies sprang up
here in imitation of the down river
concern that was manufacturing
pant. AS rapidly as frame houses
replaced log cabins in Renville, Vel
low Medicine and other adjoining
counties, paint, manufactured from
Redwood Falls iron ore was sold to
the settlers. By 1875 there was
scarcely frame house or store build
ing in the entire western section but
what was reddish brown in color
But the eastern paint manufac
turers, offering multitude of colors,
gradually extended their markets in
to Minnesota along with the settle
ment of the country and development
of railroads. With the passing of
the steamboat on the Minnesota went
the demand for Redwood Falls paint.
"Minnesota's first iron ore mine
was doomed. Today visitors to Alex
ander Ramsey State park are shown
the iron ore cliffs, and the old mill
where the ore was ground to dust
hut only in the pioneer homes of
western Minnesota is there any re-
minder of the first product ever man. !
ufactured in western Minnesota"