Minnesota Brown

Minnesota Brown: Modern Life on the Iron Range

Category: columns

  • Critical thinking on critical minerals

    Critical thinking on critical minerals

    History is like a log floating downriver. Much of the time it bobs along in a predictable sort of way. Sometimes it snags on a rock or along the banks, but the river always moves it along eventually. And then there are the times that the sheer momentum of spring melt or quickening rapids takes…

  • Good neighbors, unnecessary conflict

    Good neighbors, unnecessary conflict

    Sometime around 1865, Francis “Frank” Browne crossed the Atlantic from St. Austell, Cornwall, England. He was part of a generation of young, skilled British tradesmen who left dying mining towns looking for work across the seas. These men had few prospects at home, but many abroad. Frank landed in Canada. Immigration was malleable then. To…

  • People, not place, at heart of rural policy issues

    People, not place, at heart of rural policy issues

    This week I interviewed I interviewed former Gov. Chris Sununu of New Hampshire and former Sen. Heidi Heitkamp of North Dakota about the issues facing rural America. The pair are co-chairing the Brookings/AEI Commission on US Rural Prosperity, a bipartisan initiative to promote a more resilient rural economy. They’ll be in Minnesota on Thursday, Oct.…

  • Bittersweet inspiration on the road to Randall, Minn.

    Bittersweet inspiration on the road to Randall, Minn.

    In a big world with big problems, we should not overlook small places. My writing has mostly focused on one such place: Minnesota’s Iron Range. It’s not that this one place explains everything about everywhere, but rather that taking the time to understand the many layers of a place helps you understand the composition of…

  • The lack of movement that slows our housing market

    The lack of movement that slows our housing market

    Maybe it’s my age and the fact that my kids are starting to fledge, but I often think about the phoebe nest underneath our deck. The nest was constructed by some enterprising lady bird two years after we built our house in 2005. She and her mate raised their first clutch and then they skipped…

  • The value of philosophy in a world of rocks and numbers

    The value of philosophy in a world of rocks and numbers

    The comedian and actor Steve Martin turned an apt phrase on the study of philosophy.  “If you’re studying geology, which is all facts, as soon as you get out of school you forget it all,” he said, “but philosophy you remember just enough to screw you up for the rest of your life.”  That’s a…

  • When safeties fail, we must act

    When safeties fail, we must act

    What do you do when it feel like the whole world is falling apart?  The answer begins with a simple choice: do something or do nothing. We assess whether doing something would make a difference, whether it is safe, and then what to do. This is where most people stop. That’s just not where folks…

  • Plenty of precariousness to go around

    Plenty of precariousness to go around

    The Rick Kupchella documentary “A Precarious State” was clearly designed to dominate Minnesota’s political conversation. The program aired on Hubbard Broadcasting stations last Thursday, Oct. 2.  My column today responds to Kupchella’s documentary. You may have already seen partisan reactions to the film, including the stunning fact that we still don’t know who paid for…

  • Electricity is all about power, but not that kind

    Electricity is all about power, but not that kind

    Last week, the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission approved the proposed acquisition of Minnesota Power by two private equity firms. The majority partner is owned by BlackRock, the largest private equity company in the world. This deal saw widespread opposition early on, but began to collect support when the new owners bundled investment dollars, assorted promises…

  • Emergency vet care out of reach for many rural pet owners

    Emergency vet care out of reach for many rural pet owners

    Pet ownership is a daily comedy and longterm tragedy, but so is life and that’s why so many of us find comfort in pets even when they lead to drama. When our little dog Daisy had a medical emergency earlier this year, we found out how challenging it is to find care in rural Minnesota.…

  • Trump uses U.S. Steel ‘Golden Share’ to maintain status quo when industry needs deeper investment

    Trump uses U.S. Steel ‘Golden Share’ to maintain status quo when industry needs deeper investment

    These are challenging times on the Iron Range in more ways than one. Of course, prices are rising while economic uncertainty settles in across the United States. But there is a great sense of generalized anxiety surrounding this region’s mining industry, dominated locally by U.S. Steel and Cleveland-Cliffs. Cliffs’ Minorca mine was idled indefinitely last…

  • Duluth shipping trends hint at economic challenges and opportunities

    Duluth shipping trends hint at economic challenges and opportunities

    The Port of Duluth is a remarkable part of our lives in northern Minnesota. The people who settled here over the centuries hold many different cultural traditions, but they all share a connection to the far western terminus of the Great Lakes. Those lakes are the aorta of the continent. As much as I geek…

  • Safety concerns rise from more ATVs on trails and roads

    Safety concerns rise from more ATVs on trails and roads

    Growing up in a machine-oriented family in northern Minnesota, ATVs and later UTVs were always around. Four-wheelers were never my passion, but I got to operate them time to time. I get the appeal.  To some rural residents, owning one of these devices is almost as important as a septic system. Though you can get…

  • Economic fear amplifies wild rice sulfate debate on the Iron Range

    Economic fear amplifies wild rice sulfate debate on the Iron Range

    I have stayed on Minnesota’s Iron Range my whole life for two reasons. First, it is my home in every sense of the word. Second, I am a writer by trade, and like the fruited plains the Range has always provided ample subject matter.  One of the most interesting dynamics in writing about the Range…

  • How Minnesota helium could boost regional business

    How Minnesota helium could boost regional business

    I’ve written about the helium deposit being explored in northern Minnesota several times now. Pulsar Helium continues to see green lights in its test data and market position. But today I’m exploring an aspect of the story that might be more impactful than the helium processing plant alone. In today’s column, I expand on the…