Mesabi Range

The Mesabi Range is an iron-ore-bearing district in northeastern Minnesota, United States, that has been the state’s principal iron-mining region since the late 19th century. It is a major part of Minnesota’s Iron Range economy and industrial history.

The formation extends roughly 110 miles east-west across the Arrowhead region and contains both historic high-grade hematite deposits and extensive taconite deposits that have been mined at large open pits and processing plants. Mining infrastructure including rail lines and processing facilities remains a visible feature of the landscape.

Many towns on the range grew as mining centers; facilities for open-pit mining and taconite processing dominate much of the modern industrial activity. Public sites related to mining history and roadside overlooks near former and current mines provide common viewpoints for visitors interested in industrial heritage.

The iron-bearing rocks of the range are Precambrian banded iron formations that became economically important in the late 19th century when large-scale iron mining began. High-grade hematite was mined first; after those deposits declined, taconite processing plants were developed in the mid 20th century to extract iron from lower-grade ore.

Situated in northeastern Minnesota’s Iron Range region, the Mesabi Range runs through communities such as Hibbing, Virginia and Eveleth and lies inland from the North Shore of Lake Superior. It occupies a belt of uplands and low hills formed by the iron-rich bedrock.

• Length: about 110 miles (roughly 177 km) running east-west across northeastern Minnesota
• Towns and notable site: Hibbing, Virginia and Eveleth are principal communities on the range; the Hull-Rust-Mahoning open-pit near Hibbing is a notable historic mining site