Hill Annex Mine
Calumet
A Spectacular Monument to Minnesota Mining
The Hill Annex Mine excavation, which is one mile long, three-quarters of a mile wide and 500 feet deep, is a spectacular site. Spectacular, too, is the amount of ore that was mined from it.
During the first half of the 20th century, Hill Annex and the rest of the Mesabi Range produced 85 percent of the country’s iron ore.
Spanning 60 years, the site illustrates the technological changes made in the entire industry. Hill Annex started early enough to have used horse power. It also used steam power, was the first major all-electric mine, and made the change to processing taconite.
The site includes an office building, laboratory, maintenance shop, wooden watch tower, processors, trucks, conveyors, and rail cars. Hill Annex is currently operated as a state park.
Sixty Years of Changing Technology
Hill Annex illustrates the major technological changes that transformed the mining industry.
Horse Power
The mine began early enough in the industry’s development to use horse power.
Steam Power
Steam-powered equipment became part of the mine’s changing operations.
Electric Power
Hill Annex became the first major all-electric mine.
Taconite Processing
The mine also made the transition to processing taconite.
An Industrial Landscape
The Hill Annex site includes an office building, laboratory, maintenance shop, wooden watch tower, processors, trucks, conveyors, and rail cars—preserving the many parts of a large-scale mining operation.
Hill Annex in the Historical Record
The mine preserves evidence of the machinery, transportation, and processing systems that shaped iron mining on the Mesabi Range.
Leave a Reply