Today's destination was my FAVORITE thing we've done in Ely thus far... the Soudan Mine.
Highlights:
- The Engine House contains impressive machinery to run the elevator cables, which can handle 3000 tons... the elevators house 11 people in each "car", and weigh only 6 tons.
- 1/2 mile down, then 3/4 mile over (I'm claustrophobic and had ZERO issues)
- 52° underground (crazy muggy ABOVE ground)
- The Soudan Mine contains high grade iron-ore, 67% pure iron, and 30% oxygen, which made it highly sought out to purify iron across the nation. As America was growing, building, and fighting wars, the Soudan Mine was the backbone for America's backbone, STEEL. Go Minnesota!
- Speaking of wars... Soudan Mine was SO important to the cause, that if you worked here, you were exempt from the draft!
- The mines were not quiet... not by a long shot. We experienced two drills, on idle, for 5 seconds, and just THAT was plenty loud.
- In the early days, pre-headlamps, there was one candle for every three men.
- To get the iron ore down to the transfer cars, there would be pits drilled in the floor, so that gravity helped move these heavy pieces. A basketball sized piece weighs about 350 lbs. Only one pit had a ladder for entering/exiting.... try not to fall in the pits, using only 1:3 candles.
- There were mules that lived underground for 9 months, then their eyes were wrapped in cheesecloth to go up top for pasturing. One layer of cheesecloth was removed each day, to allow their eyes to adjust to the light.
- When the mine closed in December 1962, it was between the 1st and 2nd shifts... many things were left as is, including the Christmas trees in the lunchroom underground (per our fantastic tour guide, Justin).
- WHY would such an important mine close, you ask??? Taconite. The Soudan Mine extracted 17 million tons of iron ore over the 80 years it was open.... the Mesaba Taconite Mine extracted 17 million tons... in one year and 3 months. Crazy.
Go and tour this place.... this would be the first thing I'd recommend seeing in the Ely area!!
Today was also Father's Day! We snuck in the last tour of the Dorothy Molter Museum (Root Beer Lady)... sweet lady that was the last resident in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area, made Root Beer for the visiting summer vacationers on the linked islands, and was known to portage two canoes 14 times in one trip with winter supplies. Quite an adventurous spirit!
Back to the trailer for Beef Stroganoff, Fathers Day cards, "Get Smart", and an early bedtime.
-Nelina
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