Thread: Pure iron ore found in Wisconsin!

as I was poking around the internet I found this study that was done in 1912 on the iron ore of Lake Superior and more specifically Wisconsin. My only point is that we all know the old straights made in the USA were made from very high quality of steel. For those who love the American blades this just seems to support that it was indeed a high quality steel. Of course we knew that already.

http://books.google.com/books?id=Wik...ed=0CCAQ6AEwAQ

There was once a thriving iron industry in the Mesabi range in Minnesota. Hematite, and then when that played out the industry died until they found a way to process the tailings from the hematite, producing taconite pellets. I worked up there in the '70s.

Taconite - Digging into MN Minerals: Minnesota DNR

The type of iron ore found in the Mesabi Range in Minnesota was also discovered on the Canadian side of the border at Steep Rock Lake. WWII and the desperate need for iron ore really pushed the development of the mine and the ore was moved by train to an ore dock built in Thunder bay. The mine is long gone and only the unused ore dock remains. In this link Discovery and Development of the Mines if you scroll down the time line to 1938 this line says it all "The ore was very high-grade, of the type that could be fed directly into a blast furnace without any preparation or concentration, apart from screening.". I imagine the Minnesota and Wisconsin ore were of the same high quality.

Bob

The Sudan Mine in Minnesota is the only deep shaft iron mine in the US. The concentration of ore is such that you can weld directly to the walls of the mine.

I believe one custom razor maker uses ore he collects on the shore of one of the Great Lakes to make his steel. I don't know who right off hand. I'm sure someone here knows so maybe he will chime in sometime. Later when I have time I will look for it.


Mike

Originally Posted by mglindo

I believe one custom razor maker uses ore he collects on the shore of one of the Great Lakes to make his steel. I don't know who right off hand. I'm sure someone here knows so maybe he will chime in sometime. Later when I have time I will look for it.


Mike

I believe that is Tim Zowada, working in Michigan IIRC.

Originally Posted by JimmyHAD

I believe that is Tim Zowada, working in Michigan IIRC.

I told ya we have some very knowledgeable people here!


Mike

Originally Posted by Mike Blue

The Sudan Mine in Minnesota is the only deep shaft iron mine in the US. The concentration of ore is such that you can weld directly to the walls of the mine.

My Boy Scout group took the elevator down into the Soudan mine back in the 90s. I brought a rock back up and. It was red tinted, from oxidation I guess.

I can look at piles of iron about 30ft high all day almost everyday near me. I'm not sure if the iron is from the US judging from the names on the ships that haul it in and the fact that a few ships that come in the workers carry Russian vodka and cigarettes that they sell to the dock workers. We also got a dock yard that makes ships for the US Navy. Not sure if they are using the iron for the ships, but the yard that houses the iron has Homeland Security signs all over the place.

Wow! What a great response of solid information. I might just have to look into Tim Z.'s razors. I had no idea he collected the iron ore himself!!