Milford Lake: Then & Now

Milford Lake: Then and Now. . , The many lakes and wetlands of Cuyuna Iron Range made it difficult to locate and gain access to the ore bodies. The Milford Mine was situated between Island Lake and a smaller body of water called Foley Lake. Due to its size, it was also called Foley Pond. This body of water was surrounded by wetlands, which connected to another pond to the south. The Milford Mine disaster permanently changed the size and shape of Foley Lake, which is now called Milford Lake., This photograph, taken just after the Milford Mine disaster, shows Foley Pond and the surrounding wetlands. Water was being pumped out of the lake, lowering the water level and causing the ice cover to cave., Photo Courtesy of the Minnesota Historical Society, On February 5, 1924, the easternmost extension of the underground mine was about 1,000 feet from the shaft. The committee investigating the disaster concluded that Foley Lake was directly connected to the surrounding wetland and pressure from the lake caused water to rush into the mine. This illustration points out the mine workings at Contract 13, where the collapse occurred and flooding began.