As I tour the Iron Range for my new book “Overburden: Modern Life on the Iron Range” one of the topics audiences and I keep revisiting is the boundary of the Iron Range. Where does it end and where does it begin? I argue in the book that Iron Ranger status is part genealogical and part self-declared, but I think there is also an invisible geographic line that is roughly related to the footprint of mining activity and, to some extent, logging activity.
A friend who digs this kind of thing recently informed me of a special federal designation of “National Heritage Areas.” She lives in the state of Virginia where many battlefields have such designations. National Heritage Areas are for regions who choose to form alliances across local government lines to preserve a specific zone of cultural heritage and, more importantly, seek funding for projects that rejuvenate that local culture. This congressional testimony by Brenda Barrett of the National Park Service explains. This is not the same as signing petitions to save the old Jenkings Building, but instead establishes a region of historical and cultural significance for the purposes of future planning. We’ve already established the Iron Range as a significant region on the state level through the legislation governing Iron Range Resources. Could this be another way to create more projects like the Mesabi Trail? (That trail was federally and state funded by way of the regional rail authority). Or would mining interests block such a designation? It’s worth checking out. What do you think?
I’ll sign up! And draft official-looking documents!
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