Calumet Reclamation Company

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.

04/28/2026

Calumet Reclamation Company’s mission is to create long-term economic resilience on the Iron Range by reclaiming legacy iron ore and helping fuel American steelmaking.

That mission also creates lasting public value for future generations through the Minnesota Permanent School Trust Fund.

🎓 What is the Permanent School Trust Fund?
It is a public fund that supports education in Minnesota through revenue generated from trust lands.

💰 How will CRC contribute to it?
Because part of the project area includes Permanent School Trust land, CRC will contribute to the fund through taxes and royalties. That contribution is projected at approximately $120 million.

📚 Why is that important?
CRC will turn legacy iron resources into long-term economic value for the Iron Range while also helping support public education for future generations.

In total, CRC will generate an estimated $450 million in taxes and royalties, turning historic iron ore assets into long-term public benefit.

Learn more about the project: https://calumetreclamation.com/projects/

04/24/2026

The Calumet Reclamation Company project continues to move forward with a clear long-term vision.

In the recent Mesabi Tribune quarterly MINE edition, our CEO Jim Bougalis shared several updates that highlight where the project is headed and why the team is confident in the path ahead.

⛰️ Annual production target
Calumet Reclamation Company’s expected production is approximately 4.5 million tons of high-grade iron ore annually, creating a significant new source of reclaimed material from legacy stockpiles on the Iron Range.

📈 What this project can mean for the western Iron Range
As Jim Bougalis explains, the project is designed to turn a century-old mining legacy into a new source of economic opportunity by creating good-paying jobs, supporting domestic manufacturing, and preparing the land for future use.

🛠️ What is moving forward now
Over the coming year, CRC will continue advancing final permitting, detailed planning and engineering, transportation and logistics coordination, North Dakota facility development, and ongoing engagement with local leaders, businesses, tribal governments, and communities.

This project is rooted in the Iron Range’s history and focused on creating long-term opportunity for the western Range through responsible reclamation, local investment, and a clear plan for the future.

To learn more about the project, read the full article:
https://www.mesabitribune.com/mine/calumet-reclamation-company-plans-to-move-region-forward/article_beabc646-d73a-4c08-8cb1-cfa68a38d577.html

04/21/2026

Calumet Reclamation Company and North American Iron are part of one connected plan to use Minnesota’s legacy iron ore resources to fuel domestic steelmaking. Here is how the process will work:

⛰️Reclaim legacy iron ore in Minnesota
Calumet Reclamation Company will reclaim iron-rich above-ground material from legacy stockpiles and tailings left behind from historic mining on the Iron Range. CRC will use low-impact surface operations to sort and handle the reclaimed material and prepare iron ore for shipment.

🚆Rail transport to North Dakota
Once reclaimed, the iron ore will be shipped by rail from Minnesota to North Dakota. This existing connection keeps transportation efficient and fully domestic.

⚙️From iron ore to pig iron
At North American Iron, the reclaimed ore will be refined into high-purity pig iron, a vital feedstock for steelmaking. By producing the first fully domestic merchant pig iron, North American Iron will help fuel American steel production.

🌱Land renewal on the Iron Range
After reclamation in Minnesota, remaining material will stay on site and be shaped into stable landforms. Over time, the land will be restored and prepared for future community or environmental use.

04/17/2026

Did you know that the Calumet Reclamation Company project is planned to support the Iron Range for decades to come?

In the recent Mesabi Tribune quarterly MINE edition, our CEO Jim Bougalis shared some details about the scale and long-term vision behind the project.

📍 Next chapter for Iron Range
Calumet Reclamation Company is leasing land across approximately 20 square miles at the Hill Annex and surrounding areas, where legacy stockpiles and iron ore materials remain from past mining operations.

⛰️Land reclamation
Reclamation is expected to take place across thousands of acres, all within areas already identified by the State for legacy material recovery.

📆 A generational opportunity
The project is designed around a 20-year timeline, creating steady work and long-term economic activity on the Iron Range. With generations of legacy materials still remaining across the region, this work also has the potential to continue well beyond the initial project window.

This is a long-term commitment to the Iron Range, focused on creating opportunity, restoring land after reclamation, and supporting the region for generations.

To learn more about the project, read the full article:
https://www.mesabitribune.com/mine/calumet-reclamation-company-plans-to-move-region-forward/article_beabc646-d73a-4c08-8cb1-cfa68a38d577.html

04/10/2026

🇺🇸 During World War II, northern Minnesota supplied roughly three-quarters of the iron used in the Allied war effort. For many Iron Range families, that history is not distant. It is personal.

It lives in the stories of parents, grandparents, relatives, and neighbors who worked in the mines during some of the region’s most productive years.

At that time, the highest-grade ore was processed first to meet urgent demand. The remaining material was organized by grade and preserved on the surface for future use. Today, Calumet Reclamation Company will reclaim these proven, above-ground iron resources and prepare them for processing to support domestic pig iron production, helping supply U.S. steelmakers with American-sourced material.

We know many families across the Iron Range have their own connection to this history, and we would love to hear it.

📷 Do you have old photos from Hill Annex or other Iron Range mines?
⛏️ Did someone in your family work there?
🧡 What stories have been passed down in your family?

Share your stories in the comments! Let’s honor the Iron Range legacy together.

04/07/2026

Did you know that the Hill Annex Mine site contains decades-old, above-ground iron-bearing materials that can be safely reclaimed without drilling, blasting, or mining new ground?

In the recent Mesabi Tribune quarterly MINE edition, our CEO Jim Bougalis explained how Calumet Reclamation Company plans to recover iron ore from legacy materials deposited during earlier mining operations.

Some insights about the reclamation:

⛰️ Legacy materials from historic mining operations
CRC’s reclamation plan focuses on surface-level and near-surface stockpiles deposited between 1913 and 1978, including historic coarse tailings deposits, fine tailings in stabilized areas, and iron-bearing waste rock and concentrate stockpiles that were never fully utilized.

⚙️ Low-impact surface operations
Reclamation and iron ore processing in Minnesota will use standard, low-impact equipment such as wheel loaders and dozers, water trucks and graders, and on-site mobile screening and material-handling units.

🚆 Processing and transport
Material will be collected directly from stockpiles and tailings, then crushed and separated through a wet processing system in a modular facility designed to produce zero wastewater and minimal dust emissions. The recovered iron ore will then be transported by rail to the processing facility in North Dakota.

To learn more about the project’s progress, see the full article here: https://www.mesabitribune.com/mine/calumet-reclamation-company-plans-to-move-region-forward/article_beabc646-d73a-4c08-8cb1-cfa68a38d577.html

04/01/2026

Our CEO Jim Bougalis was recently featured in the Mesabi Tribune quarterly MINE edition, discussing how the Calumet project is advancing across the western Iron Range.

In the interview, Jim outlined where the project stands today and what comes next as Calumet prepares to reclaim legacy iron resources at the historic Hill Annex site.

Here are a few key updates shared in the conversation:

📄 Permit readiness
Calumet Reclamation Company has completed the required technical submissions and is now permit-ready, with the public comment period completed in December 2025.

📅 What happens next
The next step is for the State to complete its site assessments and preparations before handing the site over for construction. Once permits and project financing are finalized, the project will move into site readiness and construction planning.

⛰️ Where and when reclamation begins
Reclamation would begin as part of the construction phase, starting in legacy stockpile areas at the historic Hill Annex site, where iron-bearing materials have been stored above ground since earlier mining operations.

To learn more about the project’s progress, see the full article here: https://www.mesabitribune.com/mine/calumet-reclamation-company-plans-to-move-region-forward/article_beabc646-d73a-4c08-8cb1-cfa68a38d577.html