Editing Mesabi Range (section)

==Mining operations==
Iron-bearing rocks were noted by the Minnesota State Geologist Henry H. Eames in 1866.<ref name="MNop-Mesabi">{{cite web |last1=Tieberg |first1=Alex |title=A brief history of Minnesota's Mesabi Iron Range |url=https://www.mnopedia.org/place/mesabi-iron-range |website=MNopedia |publisher=Minnesota Historical Society |access-date=5 March 2022}}</ref> Iron ore was discovered north of [[Mountain Iron, Minnesota]] on November 16, 1890 by J. A. Nichols of the [[Merritt brothers]]. The range was defined by 1900. Initially underground mines were employed but these gave way to open pits so that by 1902, half the operations were conducted this way. The last underground mine closed in 1960. Natural ores eventually gave way to iron-ore concentrates from [[magnetite]] [[taconite]] so that by 1965 one third of production came from these pellets.<ref name=Ridge>{{Cite book |author1=Marsden, R.W. |author2=Emanuelson, J.W. |author3=Owens, J.S. |author4=Walker, N.E. |author5=Werner, R.F. |title=The Mesabi Iron Range, Minnesota, in Volume 1 of Ore Deposits of the United States, 1933–1967 |publisher=The American Institute of Mining, Metallurgical, and Petroleum Engineers, Inc. |year=1968 |editor=John D. Ridge |pages=520–521}}</ref>

Iron ore is currently mined only from [[Open pit mining|open pits]], although some mines operated underground early on.<ref>[http://www.macalester.edu/geography/mage/urban/iron_range/vermillion.htm Iron Range – The Mining Frontier] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080924062041/http://www.macalester.edu/geography/mage/urban/iron_range/vermillion.htm |date=September 24, 2008 }}. [[Macalester College]].</ref>

Much of the softer ore was formed close to the surface, allowing mining operations to be conducted via open pit mines. The world's largest open pit iron ore mine is the [[Hull–Rust–Mahoning Open Pit Iron Mine]] in [[Hibbing, Minnesota|Hibbing]]. In the early years of mining from the late 19th century until the 1950s, mining focus was on high grade ore that could be processed into steel without much change. However, when that supply dried up, focus shifted to lower-grade ore (taconite) which requires extensive processing at large mining-processing facilities before moving to port. The mined ore is then transported, primarily by the [[Canadian National Railway]], to the ports of [[Two Harbors, Minnesota|Two Harbors]] and [[Duluth, Minnesota|Duluth]], and by [[BNSF Railway]] to [[Superior, Wisconsin]]. At Duluth, trains of up to eighty 100-ton open cars are moved out on massive ore docks to be dumped into "[[Lake freighter|lakers]]" with [[tonnage]]s of up to 60,000 for shipment to steel mills in [[Indiana]] and [[Ohio]].
 
Dormant and exhausted open pit mines are a common feature along the Iron Range. Some of these sites have been redeveloped for other uses. For instance, the Virginia Pilot is a project which focuses on redeveloping the grounds adjacent to the old mines into low- to moderate-income residential space. The [[Hill-Annex Mine State Park|Hill-Annex Mine]] is now a [[state park]] and offers tours to visitors who wish to learn about mine operations. Tours are guided by former mine workers.

Currently, there are six mining-processing facilities in operation on the Iron Range. [[Cleveland-Cliffs Inc.]] owns and operates Northshore Mining, which has mining operations in [[Babbitt, Minnesota|Babbitt]] and crushing, concentrating (grinding) and pelletizing operations in [[Silver Bay, Minnesota|Silver Bay]], along with United Taconite which has mining operations in [[Eveleth, Minnesota|Eveleth]] and crushing, concentrating and pelletizing operations in [[Forbes, Minnesota|Forbes]]. [[Arcelor Mittal]] owns and operates the Minorca Mine and Plant with mining operations near [[Biwabik, Minnesota|Biwabik]] and [[Gilbert, Minnesota|Gilbert]] and a crushing, concentrating and pelletizing facility near [[Virginia, Minnesota|Virginia]] ({{coord|47.5428|N|92.5169|W|display=inline}}). [[United States Steel]] owns and operates both KeeTac ({{coord|47.3992|N|93.0759|W|display=inline}}) and Minntac ({{coord|47.49730|N|92.61401|W|display=inline}}) with mining and processing facilities in [[Keewatin, Minnesota|Keewatin]] and [[Mountain Iron, Minnesota|Mountain Iron]] respectively. The last facility is Hibbing Taconite which operates a mine and plant between the cities of Hibbing and [[Chisholm, Minnesota|Chisholm]]. Hibbing Taconite is majority owned and managed by ArcelorMittal USA, with minority stakes held by Cleveland-Cliffs and United States Steel.

In addition, Mesabi Metallics (controlled by [[Essar Steel]]) is constructing a mine/plant near [[Nashwauk, Minnesota|Nashwauk]] to mine and process taconite.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Kraker |first=Dan |date=2024-12-02 |title=After years of delays, revived taconite mine offers new economic hope on Minnesota's Iron Range |url=https://www.mprnews.org/story/2024/12/02/after-years-of-delays-revived-taconite-mine-offers-new-economic-hope-on-minnesotas-iron-range |access-date=2024-12-02 |website=MPR News |language=en}}</ref> [[Steel Dynamics]] and [[Kobe Steel]] formerly owned and operated Mesabi Nugget ({{coord|47.5280|N|92.1216|W|display=inline}}) near [[Hoyt Lakes, Minnesota|Hoyt Lakes]] which did not mine its own material, but produced high-iron content nuggets from purchased iron ore concentrate. Magnetation, Inc. formerly produced iron ore concentrate reclaimed from tailings with company-designed high-power magnetic separators to produce concentrate to sell and ship throughout the world.

<gallery widths="200px" heights="200px">
File:Hibbing Open-pit iron mining 1906.jpg|Open-pit iron mining with five-ton steam shovels, Hibbing, Minnesota {{circa| 1906}}
File:Duluth Ore Docks.jpg|Duluth Ore Docks {{circa| 1900–1915}}
File:Mahoning-overlook.jpg|Hull–Rust–Mahoning Open Pit Iron Mine {{circa| 1946}}
</gallery>