Calumet Reclamation Company

06/19/2026

Did you know that some Iron Range families were still living in tents while permanent homes were being built?

That was part of daily life in places like Marble in the early 1900s, when mining was shaping how communities grew across the region. Marble’s town history records say the settlement was laid out in 1908 for miners and their families, and some residents were still living in tents or in nearby “White City” before permanent housing was finished. Calumet and Marble were established to support miners, and local gathering places soon became part of community life.

Mining shaped the look and structure of Iron Range towns. Townsites were laid out near the mines, workers lived in clustered locations, and mining taxes helped fund schools, civic buildings, service facilities, and streetcar lines. In Calumet, the Community Club was built around 1915 and later gifted to the town, adding another piece to the civic life growing around the mines.

The history of mining on the Iron Range is also the history of how families lived, where towns took shape, and how community life grew around the work. That connection is still part of the region today.

At Calumet Reclamation Company, our work begins with that legacy. We will reclaim legacy iron ore stockpiles preserved from earlier mining years and help connect that history to a new chapter of local opportunity and domestic steel production.

⛏️ We would love to hear your family stories about Marble, Calumet, or other Iron Range mining communities in the comments.

06/17/2026

The Iron Range already has the infrastructure needed to support reclamation the right way.

Calumet Reclamation Company will rely on established rail, road, and power systems that have supported mining communities here for generations.

🚆 Rail allows reclaimed iron ore to move efficiently from Minnesota to North Dakota.

⚡Existing roads and power help keep operations focused and well organized.

⛽ Fuel and other operational needs will be supplied by local contractors, keeping activity rooted in the regional economy.

Together, this infrastructure supports a practical approach to development that respects the land and the surrounding communities.

By building on proven systems, Calumet Reclamation Company can focus on what matters most: reclaiming legacy iron ore resources, supporting local jobs, and creating long-term value for the Iron Range.

06/12/2026

Calumet Reclamation Company will reclaim Minnesota's legacy iron ore stockpiles and transport the reclaimed material by rail to North American Iron in North Dakota.

The existing rail-to-rail connection between the two sites allows for efficient transportation without the need for new infrastructure.

🚆 It reduces costs, emissions, and transit time while keeping the entire process within the United States.

Together, Calumet Reclamation Company and North American Iron form a fully domestic, end-to-end solution—from reclamation to refining—that supports sustainable American steelmaking and strengthens regional economies.

05/28/2026

Did you know that in 1885, fewer than 5,000 people lived on the Iron Range, and by 1920, the population had grown to more than 100,000?

Much of that growth was driven by the need for labor in the mines. As iron mining expanded across the Vermilion, Mesabi, and Cuyuna ranges, people came from Finland, Italy, Austria-Hungary, Sweden, Norway, Canada, England, and more than 30 other places of origin to build lives on the Range. Over time, immigrants made up more than half of the Iron Range population and 85 percent of the mine workforce.

Mining did not just shape the economy. It helped shape the communities. It brought new families, new cultures, and new traditions to the region. It led to the growth of towns, schools, businesses, churches, and community institutions that became part of everyday life on the Iron Range.

That is why this history matters. It is not only about how much ore was mined. It is about how Iron Range communities were built, how local identity took shape, and why mining remains such an important part of the region’s story today.

At Calumet Reclamation Company, our work begins with that legacy. We will reclaim legacy iron ore stockpiles preserved from earlier mining years and help connect that history to a new chapter of local opportunity and domestic steel production.

⛏️ We would love to hear your family stories about Iron Range history in the comments.

05/26/2026

Calumet Reclamation Company will turn legacy iron ore into lasting economic value for the Iron Range.

Through our work at Hill Annex and across the region, CRC will help create benefits that reach local families, communities, and future generations across Minnesota:

👷‍♀️ 150 local jobs
Good-paying work that supports families and creates long-term opportunity on the Iron Range

💰 $450 million in taxes and royalties
Revenue that can strengthen local services, infrastructure, and the regional economy

🏫 $120 million for the Permanent School Trust Fund
A long-term public benefit that helps support education across Minnesota

CRC’s reclamation-first approach puts preserved resources back to work in a way that supports communities, strengthens the local economy, and creates generational opportunity rooted in the Iron Range.

05/19/2026

Hill Annex has long been an important part of Iron Range history. For decades, it helped shape the region’s mining story, and even after pit operations ended, the site continued to hold historical and educational value for the community.

Calumet Reclamation Company will reclaim legacy iron ore stockpiles and tailings at Hill Annex and help connect that history to a new chapter of local opportunity and domestic steel production.

Watch the video to learn more about Hill Annex Mine’s history and the next chapter taking shape at the site.

05/15/2026

At Calumet Reclamation Company, we are dedicated to keeping our workers safe, our community protected, and our land cared for.

👷‍♀️For our workers, that means the highest standards of health and safety. Training, safe work procedures, and strict operational practices will ensure every job is done responsibly.

🏡For our community, it means operations designed to minimize impact. Our systems will ensure we protect both our neighbors and the environment they depend on.

⛰️For the land, it means reclaiming legacy stockpiles without blasting and overburden removal,. Once reclaimed, over 1,000 acres of land will be restored and available for future use.

Responsible reclamation today, opportunity for generations tomorrow.

05/05/2026

Iron ore has long been part of Minnesota’s story.

During World War II, Minnesota’s iron ore shipments reached historic levels. In 1942, production exceeded 90 million tons of ore. Some estimates, including the book Minnesota’s Iron Country: Rich Ore, Rich Lives, suggest total iron mined on the Iron Range that year have been more than 188 million tons. For many Iron Range families, that is not just history. It is part of the stories they grew up hearing at home.

Minnesota’s iron ore story began across three ranges. The Vermilion Range made its first shipment in 1884, the Mesabi Range followed in 1892, and the Cuyuna Range in 1911. Of the three, the Mesabi became the most prolific. By 1901, Minnesota had become the nation’s leading iron ore producing state.

That growth changed the Iron Range forever. Mining built towns, created jobs, and shaped daily life across the region. It also connected northeastern Minnesota to something much bigger.

During the first half of the twentieth century, the Range supplied 85 percent of the nation’s ore. In wartime, that scale mattered even more. Minnesota ore helped feed the steel production that supported the Allied effort during World War II.

The Iron Range has always been part of America’s steel story. Knowing that history helps us build its next chapter with purpose.

At Calumet Reclamation Company, our work begins with that legacy. We will reclaim legacy iron ore stockpiles that were preserved during earlier mining years and prepare them to help shape U.S. steel history once again. Our work will create generational opportunity for local communities and support both the regional and national economy.

⛏️ We would love to hear your stories about Iron Range history in the comments.

Photo Credit: Minnesota Digital Library

04/30/2026

A new “A County Built on Iron” exhibit by the St. Louis County Historical Society will help tell an important story about Minnesota’s Iron Range.

The exhibit will explore how iron ore helped build communities and shaped Minnesota’s growth over more than a century. It will also highlight the role mining played in local culture, industry, and everyday life across the region.

Preserving our history matters because it helps us build a stronger future while staying connected to the roots that shaped the Iron Range.

At Calumet Reclamation Company, our work is grounded in that same legacy. By reclaiming legacy iron ore stockpiles, we will help carry that story forward in a way that supports local communities, responsible land reclamation, and domestic steel production.

Learn more about the exhibit:

Iron ore has for more than a century inextricably linked the Iron Range and Duluth.