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As many as 3,000 people were employed by their mines. In the 1930s reports show that nearly 34% of the ore produced in the U.S. was produced in the Upper Pennisula of Michigan. Iron County has one of the three major iron ore ranges. Ore required transportation and as a result two railraods were brought into the county--The Chicago and Northwestern Railway and the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific. While millions of tons of iron ore still remain, phosphorus content, pelletization, and shaft depth contributed to the closing of mines as other regions in the country and abroad made iron production less expensive. Lacking job opportunities, young people had to leave the community to find work, ultimately reducing the population of Iron County. |
While records show 79 mines shipped a total of 208,345,852 tons of ore
from Iron County, new sudies show mine development probably totaled around 115. Over
60 companies operated in the area over the nearly ten decades. Small operators
were brought out by large ones. In the final decades the major companies were
M.A. Hanna, Pickands-Mather, and Inland Steel.