See this stunning collection of Iron Range images

The old Dupont power house, just before it was demolished this time last year, shot by Minneapolis photographer Vance Gellart.

I’ve paged through just some of the many photos shot by Minneapolis photographer Vance Gellart from his travels across the Iron Range trying to capture the unique colors, gritty ambiance and stunning contrasts found in this northern Minnesota region. It’s a remarkable collection.

Gellart will unveil his Iron Range exhibit at the B’nai Abraham Cultural Center in Virginia, Minnesota, at 1 p.m. this Saturday, March 23. The cultural center is itself an important part of Range history, as its the last remaining Jewish center of a region that once had a thriving Jewish community. I expect Gellart’s exhibit will tour other sites in the future as well.

I’m fond of the above shot for several reasons. One, you all know how upset I was when the city of Hibbing decided to knock down the Dupont blasting powder company power house last year. Second, I happened to be consulting with Vance about his project before the fact and told him to hurry up and head over to Carey Lake to shoot the building before they knocked it down. The demolishing company gave no notice, not even to the city, that the building would be knocked down just days later. Thus, this is one of the last shots of the Dupont building ever taken.