A few weeks ago, I wrote a column featuring a new book about traveling along the Mississippi River by Dean Klinkenberg. A few weeks later, I appeared as a guest on Dean’s podcast to talk about the Iron Range. You can now listen to my interview on Dean’s podcast. It’s an hour-long talk, and we… Read More →
Talkin’ Iron Range blues on the ‘Mississippi Valley Traveler’ podcast
July 17, 2024 by Leave a Comment
Public talk to explore past, future of Iron Range schools
July 11, 2024 by 2 Comments
I know it’s summer vacation, but here’s the deal: I love school. I loved preschool. They had this crane that used magnets to pick up blocks. I loved kindergarten. I learned to read early, which felt like a superpower. This continued all the way through college. Sitting in lectures for classes my advisor put me… Read More →
Lecture will detail 1920s Klan activity on the Iron Range
July 8, 2024 by 1 Comment
Public lectures were once a hot ticket on the Iron Range. Before TV, streaming services and YouTube, you had to see someone talk at the local auditorium if you wanted to go down an informational rabbit hole. Well, these days, some of us try to keep the tradition alive. I’ll be giving a free public… Read More →
U.S. Steel merger reveals complexity of foreign investment
June 17, 2024 by Leave a Comment
My latest essay for the Minnesota Reformer, “Allies in Alloys” is out today. Check it out. After covering iron mining on the Mesabi Range for a couple decades, I’ve observed several mergers, acquisitions, shutdowns and assorted skullduggery. What I learned is that the mining business is a highly specialized analog to our political system. One must… Read More →
Companies crowd to mine newly viable West Range iron ore
March 18, 2024 by Leave a Comment
Last week, I met someone who knew my writing and he was shocked to see that I was “young.” I put “young” in quotation marks because it’s a relative term. I think in this case he was really saying that he was surprised that I wasn’t old, because he figured I would be. It’s true,… Read More →
New podcast: Meeting Mesabi
March 7, 2024 by Leave a Comment
Discover the Range, the Iron Range tourism agency, recently launched a new podcast called “Meeting Mesabi. I appear on the second episode. We recorded last summer at the Minnesota Discovery Center in Chisholm. Host Ceasar Ortega, fellow guest Jordan Metsa and I talked about the fascinating history of the Iron Range and how it shaped… Read More →
The Steelworkers strike back; Cleveland-Cliffs stands to gain
February 6, 2024 by Leave a Comment
My latest essay for the Minnesota Reformer is out today: “Steelworkers strike back; Cleveland-Cliffs stands to gain.” I’ve already written a few pieces about the proposed merger of U.S. Steel and Nippon and given some interviews on local TV. In both cases, I surmised that Nippon would face flak in taking over the Steel Corporation,… Read More →
A world that grew from stumps and slash
January 15, 2024 by Leave a Comment
This weekend, I’m giving another lecture stemming from an unexpected twist in my book research. “A World That Grew From Stumps and Slash,” will be Saturday, Jan. 20, from 1-3 p.m. at the Forest History Center in Grand Rapids, Minnesota. The cost is regular park admission, but that means you can check out the museum… Read More →
Big ideas at TEDx Silver Lake
January 4, 2024 by Leave a Comment
On Feb. 23, TEDx Silver Lake will take place at the Iron Trail Motors Event Center in Virginia, Minnesota. Based on the popular TED conferences, TEDx events welcome speakers to present interesting ideas that build community and grow knowledge. The theme for this event is “Crossing the Divide.” I bring this up because I know… Read More →
MinnesotaBrown: Top Posts of 2023
December 29, 2023 by 2 Comments
If a tree falls in the woods and nobody hears it, does it make a sound? That old philosophical query runs through my mind as I pose a new question: if a writer stops tracking his web traffic, does anyone read what he wrote? Of course, the answer is that I think so, but can’t… Read More →
