Soudan Underground Mine - Soudan, MN
N 47° 49.171 W 092° 14.564
15T E 556685 N 5296518
This mine is located at 1379 Stuntz Bay Road Soudan, MN.
Waymark Code: WMHZWV
Location: Minnesota, United States
Date Posted: 09/02/2013
Views: 5
The Soudan Underground Mine is home to Minnesota's oldest iron ore mine, where visitors can learn about how mining shaped the history and culture of the Iron Range. Travel a half-mile below the earth's surface, just the way miners used to, and tour the deepest area mined. Visitors wear hard hats and journey down 2,341 feet via a "cage." On the 27th level, the transportation shifts to a rail car for a ride back into the mine as you listen to the stories of the mining days. Then you will be treated to a 3/4 mile train ride to the last and deepest area mined. The mine is 50°F year-around, so remember to bring a warm jacket or sweater and sturdy shoes. The park offers group tours to schools, colleges, organizations and businesses. There is a charge for the underground mine tour. Above ground visitors can explore the dry house, drill shop, crusher house and engine house, and take the boardwalk past one of the deepest open mine pits.
From Wikipedia:
In the late 19th century, prospectors searching for gold in northern Minnesota discovered extremely rich veins of hematite at this site, often containing more than 65% iron. An open pit mine began operation in 1882, and moved to underground mining by 1900 for safety reasons. From 1901 until the end of active mining in 1962, the Soudan Mine was owned by the United States Steel Corporation's Oliver Iron Mining division. By 1912 the mine was at a depth of 1,250 feet (381 m).[4] When the mine closed, level 27 was being developed at 2,341 feet (713.5 m) below the surface and the entire underground workings consisted of more than fifty miles of drifts, adits, and raises. In 1965, US Steel donated the Soudan Mine to the State of Minnesota to use for educational purposes.
The primary underground mining method used was known as cut and fill. This involved mining the ceiling and using Ely Greenstone and other waste rock to artificially raise the floor at the same rate as the ceiling was being mined out. As a result the floor and ceiling were always 10–20 feet (3–6 m) apart, and waste rock never had to be hauled to the surface, since it was recycled. This technique was particularly suited to the Soudan Mine due to the strength of the hematite formations and the weakness of the encasing Greenstone. This method was not possible in the nearby mines in Ely because the iron formations there were fractured and thus were not as structurally stable as those in Soudan.
Mine Type: Tourist Mine
Mineral Collecting: Yes
Material Mined: Non-Precious Metal
Operation: Underground Mine
Surface Features: Yes
KNOWN DANGERS:
Uneven ground, Darkness, Falling debris and Cold temperatures
Any associated website: [Web Link]
Any Other information:
The Tour is very safe, the tour guides take very good care of the guests. I highly recommend it to all.
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Visit Instructions:
Optional photograph welcomed.