Great Northern Iron: James J. Hill’s 109-Year Mining Trust
The exclusive story of Great Northern Iron Ore Properties.
Revealing for the first time a story hidden from public view for a century, award-winning historian James A. Stolpestad and the Ramsey County Historical Society present the history of the Great Northern Iron Ore Properties mining trust formed in 1906 by James J. Hill and Louis W. Hill to acquire, manage, and lease 67,000 acres on Minnesota’s 100-mile long Mesabi Range.
Mines on trust land produced 15% of all Minnesota iron ore and taconite and as much as half of world production during some World War II years. Investors received their interests FREE because they owned stock in the Great Northern Railway (known today as BNSF). Over its 109 years, the trust paid investors more than $500 million in cash distributions or $2.8 billion in 2017 inflation-adjusted dollars.
Diamond Drill Tripod at Mesaba Mine, circa 1890. Photo from Minnesota Historical Society.
James J. Hill (left) and Louis W. Hill (circa 1907). Courtesy of the Minnesota Historical Society.
Great Northern Iron supported tens of thousands of miners and their families from 43 different nationalities. Many descendants are nationally recognized figures of today.
The book presents the unique story of Minnesota’s iron country:
the hardships of opening the Mesabi Range
the discovery of iron ore and how it was mined
the stupendous iron ore production during 4 wars
the perfection of taconite at the University of Minnesota
the replacement of depleted iron ore with taconite pellets
the IRRRB and mine land reclamation efforts
the rise of scrap iron fed electric arc furnaces
and much more.
Great Northern Iron explains the rich history of colorful characters, savvy business moves, and the important links between mining in Northern Minnesota to the great railroads and factories of an emerging industrialized nation.
The 348-page volume contains original documents, photographs, maps and detailed tables. Dramatic 36-inch fold out maps show the entire Northern Minnesota mining region from both a birds-eye view and its cross-section.
Mining As Art. Photo by Adam Jarvi.