Welcome to the Republic Open Pit Mine Observation Site

Welcome to the Republic Open Pit Mine Observation Site. . Twice in history the Republic mine was one of the greatest producers in the country: from 1872 to 1928 and again from the 1950’s through the ‘70’s., The late, great Republic Mine was the impetus for the creation of the village of Republic in 1871, also known as Iron City. The mountain of specular oxide of iron that loomed over the Michigamme River was recorded by government geologists in 1848. The men who formed the Republic Iron Company in 1870 were: Edward Breitung, S.P. Ely and E.D. Parsons., The path from Humboldt to the new mine was widened in the fall of 1871 under the direction of the first mine captain, Peter Pascoe. He served in that position for twenty years then served two years as a state senator. Eager immigrants from Cornwall, Canada, Sweden, Norway and Ireland quickly flooded the town, making the area an exciting, vital part of the Upper Peninsula. By 1920 the Finns outnumbered other groups., Cleveland Cliffs Iron Company took ownership of the underground Republic Mine in 1914. By 1928 the demand for ore had dropped, the mine closed and the Great Depression followed. When CCI reopened and expanded as an open pit mine during the 1950's an eager workforce again resumed mining. An exciting 30-year period of boom and prosperity followed. The mine expansion led to the historic moving of several sections of the town to a site about 3 miles south. By 1981 high production costs and the recession forced CCI to close the mine. Removal of equipment during the late 1990's and eventual demolition of buildings finally made the mine a thing of the past. It is hard to believe something so important and vital to the town and the steel industry has disappeared. We are left with a towering man-made mountain as the huge open pit fills with water. The history and memories of a mining town are all that remain.