Oliver Mining District Office
200 Cole Ave., Coleraine
Mining Expansion and a Model Town
In 1904, U.S. Steel, the parent corporation of Oliver Mining, began plans to expand its Mesabi operation from the iron-rich eastern and central regions to the west, where the ore was of a lower grade.
John C. Greenway, a Yale graduate, Rough Rider, and friend of Teddy Roosevelt, was chosen to lead the effort.
Greenway’s job included general supervision of the building of mining structures and planning the model town of Coleraine.
The district general office, a red brick building overlooking Trout Lake, served as a mining company office until 1906. It is now used by the Coleraine School District.
John C. Greenway
A Yale graduate, Rough Rider, and friend of Teddy Roosevelt, Greenway was selected to lead U.S. Steel’s effort to expand Oliver Mining’s Mesabi operations into the lower-grade ore deposits of the western range.
Building Industry and Community
Mining Structures
Greenway’s responsibilities included general supervision of the construction of mining structures needed for the expanded operation.
Planning Coleraine
His work also included planning Coleraine as a model town for the new western Mesabi mining district.
From Mining Office to School District Use
Western Expansion
U.S. Steel began plans to expand Oliver Mining’s Mesabi operation into the western portion of the range.
Mining Office
The red brick district general office served as a mining company office until 1906.
School District Use
The building is now used by the Coleraine School District.
A Red Brick Landmark
Overlooking Trout Lake, the former district general office remains connected to both Coleraine’s mining origins and its continuing role as a center for the surrounding community.
The District Office in the Historical Record
The building reflects the connection between Oliver Mining’s industrial expansion and the planned development of Coleraine.
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