Escanaba in Delta County, Michigan — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)
The Ore Pellet
Photographed By Joel Seewald, June 9, 2019
1. The Ore Pellet Marker
Escanaba has a long history in timber and fishing, but it is the perfect natural harbor and closeness to the iron range that have given Escanaba prominence in Michigan history. During the 1800's through the 1950's, large chunks of low grade ore with 20% iron content (as seen behind you) was shipped from Escanaba harbor. Today, this same ore goes through a series of crushing systems. This breaks down the ore to the size of sand and through magnetic seperation removes the waste. With the addition of Bentonite clay, iron ore pellets are balled, fired, hardened and ready for shipment. As seen here to your right, these pellets have a 60% or better iron content.
The highest tonnage of iron pellets shipped from Escanaba in one year was 11,933,686 tons in 1979.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Natural Resources. A significant historical year for this entry is 1979.
Location. 45° 44.749′ N, 87° 2.857′ W. Marker is in Escanaba, Michigan, in Delta County. Marker is on Ludington Street east of South 2nd Street, on the left when traveling east. Marker is in the park at the Ludington
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Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. The Peninsula Railroad (a few steps from this marker); Iron Ore Centennial (a few steps from this marker); Little Bay de Noc (a few steps from this marker); Before the Settlers (a few steps from this marker); Escanaba's Docks (a few steps from this marker); The Port - Today (a few steps from this marker); Escanaba (a few steps from this marker); The Port - Early Years (a few steps from this marker). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Escanaba.
Photographed By Joel Seewald, June 9, 2019
2. The Ore Pellet Marker
Credits. This page was last revised on July 28, 2019. It was originally submitted on July 28, 2019, by Joel Seewald of Madison Heights, Michigan. This page has been viewed 173 times since then and 16 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on July 28, 2019, by Joel Seewald of Madison Heights, Michigan.
