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Another giant awakens
Photographs of early Mesabi Iron Range mining are in black and white. We may identify the gray material in the rail cars as iron because, well, why else would those sturdy mustachioed gentlemen have shoveled it up? But the early open pit and underground mines were very much driven by color — bright, vibrant hues…
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Talking Iron Range economy and COVID-19 on ‘Almanac’
I was a guest on Almanac Friday evening talking about COVID-19 and the economic downturn on the Mesabi Iron Range. Here’s the video: This was the first time I’ve done the show from the confines of MinnesotaBrown World Headquarters in Balsam Township. It was nice not to have to drive to St. Paul. I was…
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Duluth attorney McEwen thumps Simonson for DFL State Senate endorsement
Jen McEwen, a Duluth attorney, won the Senate District 7 DFL endorsement today after party officials tabulated online balloting. She outpaced incumbent State Sen. Eric Simonson (DFL-Duluth) with more than 70 percent of the vote on the first ballot, a stunning margin for an endorsement challenge. Of 435 eligible delegates, 374 cast votes. “I am…
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Mail voting safe, secure and simple
The first time I voted in a general election I was lying on a set of dorm room sheets that wouldn’t be washed until spring. Cigarette dangling from my lips, I marked my ballot for Jesse “The Body” Ventura as Minnesota’s next governor. Democracy prevailed. However you gauge the wisdom of my first ballot, it…
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Minntac lays off 260 miners
Less than 24 hours after announcing that a Canadian steelmaker was buying a quarter share of Minntac, U.S. Steel announced 260 layoffs at the largest iron mine in the U.S. The layoffs provide a clearer picture of the tumultuous situation in the U.S. economy and North American steel markets. We now see that U.S. Steel…
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Stelco poised to buy 25% of Minntac
During its quarterly earnings call today U.S. Steel announced that Canadian steelmaker Stelco holds the option to buy up to 25 percent of Minntac in Mountain Iron. The taconite plant is the largest in the United States and the “king” of Mesabi Iron Range mines. Stelco will pay $100 million for this option and then…
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Too Many Sticks: Losing the fight against fifth-grade fascism
As warm winds blow and winter snow melts into vernal rebirth I am reminded of springtime in the fifth grade when the fascists won the war. It was April of 1991. A championship for our Minnesota Twins seemed as unlikely as the fall of the democratic republic my friends and I created on the Cherry…
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As economy shutters mines, reflection on 20 years of the same story
My latest column for the Minnesota Reformer is up today: “The mines will come back, many of the jobs won’t.” I reflect on an early career experience offering hollow words to a laid-off miner. Then I explore trends in mining and American industry in general. As world events and volatile markets flap their butterfly wings,…
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Hibbing Taconite third Iron Range mine to shut down amid economic slide
Global steel giant ArcelorMittal will idle its Hibbing Taconite plant from May 3 through July 6 amid evaporating demand for iron ore in a growing economic recession. The move will furlough 650 employees. HibTac becomes the third Mesabi Iron Range mine to announce a shutdown during prime production season due to the sudden collapse of…
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UPM-Blandin to temporarily idle Grand Rapids paper mill
The UPM-Blandin paper mill in Grand Rapids, Minnesota, will temporarily shut down. The idle is expected to last into May. WDIO reports that union officials believe it will be at least two weeks. Like the shutdowns of nearby iron mines, this shutdown is the result of lagging demand from the general slowdown in the world…
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Talkin’ Range history, communists & nonferrous mining, as one does
Last week I gave an e-mail interview to Ed Newman for his blog, which he published as “Dylan Town: MinnesotaBrown Talks About Life on the Iron Range and Its History, Past and Present.” It was an challenging exercise for me, as it combined several different aspects of topics I cover here at the blog. First,…
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Talking animals keep us from cracking up
Our son George circled March 20 on his calendar long before our current public health crisis. That was the day the new “Animal Crossing: New Horizons” game would be released for his Nintendo Switch. I must admit that I reacted to George’s palpable anticipation with a healthy dose of fatherly skepticism. “So, you’re an animal…
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New site lists Iron Range restaurants offering takeout option
It can be tricky figuring out which of your favorite restaurants are still offering takeout amid the COVID-19 public health crisis. One new website, Good to Go, lets local people know which Iron Range eateries offer food to go. The Minnesota Department of Iron Range Resources and Rehabilitation (IRRRB) organized the list. Restaurant owners can…
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Keewatin Taconite to shut down by late May
Another Mesabi Iron Range taconite mine will shut down amid a growing economic recession. Today, workers at Keewatin Taconite learned that they would be laid off in waves over the next month. WDIO reports that the plant will be fully idled by the end of May until demand for ore picks up at some point…
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Sometimes it freezes in April
I walk every day, one of a few good habits that augment my shortcomings. Today, as I often do, I walked up the county road by my house toward the Prairie River. The river flooded its banks last week. It always does this time of year. I’ve seen it higher, but not by much. Acres…