The Hull-Rust-Mahoning mine established in 1892 in Hibbing is one of the largest open pit iron ore mines in the world, with a 1.5 by 3.5 mile footprint and depths up to 600 feet. It supplied as much as a fourth of all the ore mined in the U. S. during its peak production during WWI and WWII.
Contributing Institution:
University of Minnesota Duluth, Kathryn A. Martin Library, Northeast Minnesota Historical Collections
The overburden of waste rock and earth is removed then picked up with a Bucyrus Erie shovel and placed into this 20-25 ton mining haul truck in this Hanna Mining operation.
Step 4 of 5 in a series of photographs depicting the process of testing an ore sample. In this step the crushed iron ore sample is dumped into the riffler to get a representative sample in the mine lab in step 4.
Step 5 of 5 in a series of photographs depicting the process of testing an ore sample. In this step a ring stand and crucible are used to determine the chemical analysis of the iron ore sample in the mine lab in step 5.
Step 3 of 5 in a series of photographs depicting the process of testing an ore sample. In this step the iron ore sample is ground through a 200-mesh screen in the mine lab in step 3.
Step 1 of 5 in a series of photographs depicting the process of testing an ore sample. In this step an ore sample is gathered from the ore train for testing in the mine lab in step 1.
Step 2 of 5 in a series of photographs depicting the process of testing an ore sample. In this step the ore sample is dumped into the crusher in the mine lab in step 2.
Empty ore cars appear on the tracks of this view looking east from Mahoning Location. Track sections can be seen in the photo. A boring shaft appears on the horizon in the upper right.