Minnesota's Iron Country: Rich Ore, Rich Lives

Rating:
Summary: Wonderful history of the Iron Range
Review: I received this book as a Christmas present and have found it to be an absorbing down-to-earth account (pun intended) of the amazing history of Minnesota's Iron Range. From a look at the region as it stands today, one might never know of the Range's truly exciting, often checkered past. I know that I, though a Ranger for most of my life, was fascinated by how many of our towns came to be, or conversely, came to their end. In addition to its detailed and absorbing written account, the book is also a treasure trove of historical pictures from many towns and mines across the region. And for the many people whose lives, or those of their parents, have been tied to the mines, the book's main emphasis (as one might guess from the cover) is how a land of trappers and swamps became one of the world's largest, richest, and most advanced sources of iron.
I highly recommend this book not only to those of you who are native to or familiar with the Iron Range (for whom the book may inspire not a few drives through the region to view the places that are steeped in so much history - I know it did for me!), but also to those who are not, and who may be interested to see how Minnesota of old compared to the raucous Wild West. I guarantee you, you'll be surprised.

Rating:
Summary: FASCINATING IRON RANGE HISTORY
Review: Marvin Lamppa's book is 8.5 by 11 inches and 280+ pages. It is nicely bound, well-illustrated, and clearly written. It includes endnotes, a glossary, a thorough bibliography, and a good index. It covers the general history of most of northeastern Minnesota from prehistory to the present, its exploration and settlement, and the exploitation of its fur, timber, and mineral resources. The heart of the book, however, is the exploration and settlement of Minnesota's Mesabi, Vermilion, and Cuyuna iron ranges and the development of the iron mining industry. The book presents the history of these areas in much greater depth, explaining how social, political, and economic factors caused mining camps to become villages and allowed some villages to become prosperous cities while others became ghost towns. It examines tragic mining accidents, desperate labor struggles, forest fires, economic depressions, and the ongoing effort to keep the mining industry prosperous despite the exhaustion of high grade iron ores.

This volume is a welcome addition to my collection of local history books. It is engrossing, insightful, and full of fascinating detail about the region. I highly recommend it to anyone with an interest in this part of the country.