Underground Mining on the Mesabi Range | Minnesota DNR
Underground mining of natural iron ore deposits occurred on the Mesabi Range in northeastern Minnesota from 1892 to 1961. The Mesabi Range is the ledge rock exposure of the Biwabik Iron Formation, a geological feature that stretches in length for just over 100 miles, from west of Grand Rapids in Itasca County to east of Babbitt near the St. Louis / Lake County line.