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June 18, 2001 Busy touring day today as we traveled to the Soudan Underground Mine State Park, the oldest and deepest iron ore mine in Minnesota. It was operational from 1882 to 1962. There was actually a gold rush to this area of Minnesota. When that didn’t pan out (forgive the pun!), they turned to open pit mining for the iron ore near the surface. Eventually that became too dangerous because the miners did not remove anything that wasn’t iron ore. If they removed iron ore underneath a layer that wasn’t removed, it created a ledge. As the miners dug deeper and deeper into the open pit, eventually these ledges became too unstable and collapsed onto the men working below. After too many tragedies such as this, it was decided to start mining underground. Before touring the mine, we watched an informational video. Here we were told that the miners worked 6 days a week for about 13 hours a day. Since the men were gone so long each day, women ran everything else from farming and household duties to raising their children and acquiring supplies necessary for living. They came to this country from all over Europe and Scandanavia to make a better life for themselves? No, for future generations. They expected their lives here to be hard, so they worked hard. Refreshing ideals. It was the English who taught them how to mine, hence the strange-to-us names for various objects and procedures used in mining. This mine has 27 levels. The tour took us down the shaft at a 78 degree angle in the “cage” or elevator which travels at about 10 miles an hour to the very bottom which is a half-mile underground (2341 feet to be exact). It is 50 degrees Fahrenheit here all year round. The mine has its own natural air circulation and the iron ore is so stable that the walls and ceilings do not need to be shored up with timber supports. And the ore here formed before there were many living things on the earth. Therefore there were no dead things in the layers of rock to cause a methane gas problem as the mine was excavated. Fifteen and a half million tons of iron ore were excavated from this mine during the time it was operational. From the nearly-vertical shaft we transferred to a rail-tram that took us through a horizontal “drift”. At the dead end we proceeded on foot – 689 feet below sea level! The iron ore mined here was so heavy (350 pounds per cubic foot) that it made much more sense to dig UP and let the ore fall by gravity rather than to let men try to lift the freshly dug ore up into the wheel barrels. The vertical holes up into an area that is going to be mined is called a “raise” and the horizontal area to be mined is called a “stope” (which is Cornish for ‘step’). As the “stopes” were excavated, the ceilings became higher and higher. As it is dangerous to operate a drill from a ladder, waste stone was poured in to raise the floor. This “Cut and Fill” process allowed miners to excavate to within 10 feet of the next level. In the “stope” we toured there were pillars that we all thought were there to support the ceiling, but in fact they were left because they were not iron ore. If they had been, they would have been excavated as well. On one of the upper levels of the mine, the stope is so large you could play baseball in it! The ore mined here was 69% iron, an amazingly high grade ore. However, modern technology allowed miners to open pit mine lower-grade ore (16%) called taconite much more cheaply and quickly, and that is why this mine was shut down. Today at the other end of the 27th level there is a physics lab where they plan on trying to catch neutrinos shot here from Chicago. Star Trek sounding stuff, don’t you think? Once on the surface, we toured the Engine House that powers the cable for the “cage”. It was fascinating to watch the gauges and the HUGE drum brakes that were used to slow the descent. I will not lie and tell you that the ride in the “cage” was a very enjoyable experience. It was noisy, rickety, and way too fast for my tastes, but overall, the tour was a worthwhile adventure. On our way back to the campground we stopped at Ironworld Discovery Center. There are people there dressed in period garb who explain to you what life was like. We stopped at the Trapper’s Cabin and learned that a European fur shortage precipitated the fur trade that occurred in the United States. Beaver fur was especially popular because the soft, downy undercoat was used to make the felt for the tall top hats that were in style at the time. Cinnabar was used to dye the felt. Unfortunately it is also a mercury-based poison that eventually drove the hat workers insane. Hence the term “mad as a hatter”. Beaver were hunted to near extinction. The good news is that thanks to conservation efforts, there are now more beaver in Minnesota than there ever were. The interpretive center at Ironworld was very informative and entertaining. It overlooks an old pit mine that has since filled with rainwater. This whole area is called the Mesaba Range. Mesaba is an Native American name for a red giant who fell asleep here. Interactive displays educated us on the life and times of the people associated with iron mining. On the upper floor, I liked the blast simulator where you peered through a slit at a video screen. When I raised and lowered the plunger, the video started and simulated dynamite blasting out a new section of the mine. Cool. On the lower floor of the interpretive center you can sample ethnic cuisine and hear live ethnic music of the period. There are other interactive displays here, too. I particularly liked the section on education. One quote said, “Teachers were important people in the early communities. Children were encouraged to learn. Their parents considered education to be ‘the only way to a better life.’” Hmm. Again refreshing. Interestingly enough, the education section was right next to the saloon section where we took a picture of a sign that said, “Svea House”. My Swedish grandmother’s name was Svea, but I doubt she ever owned a bar in Minnesota! At the driver’s meeting back at the campground later that evening, it was decided that we will head up to International Falls tomorrow and that we will have a cookout/potluck on Thursday. A little rain and gusty breezes to sleep by. One week, 1360 miles. So far so good. –Scott & Lise <>< S.L.SCHEUERMANN@WORLDNET.ATT.NET |