Hurley in Iron County, Wisconsin — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)
Iron Mining in Wisconsin
Photographed By Paul F, September 2, 2009
1. Iron Mining in Wisconsin Marker
Inscription.
Iron Mining in Wisconsin. . Although iron mining in Wisconsin had its beginnings in Sauk, Dodge and Jackson counties in the southern part of the state in the 1850’s, discoveries of vast new deposits shifted the focus to northern Wisconsin in 1880. The major iron mining area from the mid-1880’s to the mid-1960’s was the Gogebic Iron Range, which extends for 80 miles from Lake Gogebic in Michigan to Lake Namekagon in Wisconsin. Forty-five to 70.7 million tons of ore produced from the Gogebic Iron Range in Wisconsin came from the Cary Mine near Hurley and the Montreal Mine at Montreal. The remaining ore came from smaller mines such as the Ottawa, Atlantic, Iron Belt, Germania and Plummer mines, most of which ceased operation before World War I. The Montreal and Cary mines closed in the 1960’s when the steel industry changed from using high-grade iron ore from deep-shaft mines to using abundant taconite ore that could be economically mined by the open-pit method. At the time of closing, the Montreal and Cary mines were producing ore from workings nearly one mile deep. The last iron ore from the Gogebic Iron Range in Wisconsin was shipped from the Cary Mine in 1965.
Although iron mining in Wisconsin had its beginnings in Sauk, Dodge and Jackson counties in the southern part of the state in the 1850’s, discoveries of vast new deposits shifted the focus to northern Wisconsin in 1880. The major iron mining area from the mid-1880’s to the mid-1960’s was the Gogebic Iron Range, which extends for 80 miles from Lake Gogebic in Michigan to Lake Namekagon in Wisconsin. Forty-five to 70.7 million tons of ore produced from the Gogebic Iron Range in Wisconsin came from the Cary Mine near Hurley and the Montreal Mine at Montreal. The remaining ore came from smaller mines such as the Ottawa, Atlantic, Iron Belt, Germania and Plummer mines, most of which ceased operation before World War I. The Montreal and Cary mines closed in the 1960’s when the steel industry changed from using high-grade iron ore from deep-shaft mines to using abundant taconite ore that could be economically mined by the open-pit method. At the time of closing, the Montreal and Cary mines were producing ore from workings nearly one mile deep. The last iron ore from the Gogebic Iron Range in Wisconsin was shipped from the Cary Mine in 1965.
Erected 1992 by State Historical Society of Wisconsin. (Marker Number 314.)
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Industry & Commerce
Location. 46° 27.785′ N, 90° 11.725′ W. Marker is in Hurley, Wisconsin, in Iron County. Marker can be reached from U.S. 51 south of West Groveland Drive (U.S. 2), on the right when traveling south. Marker is located at the entrance to the Wisconsin Information Center, 1 mi. north of Hurley, Wisc. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Hurley WI 54534, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Credits. This page was last revised on June 16, 2016. It was originally submitted on May 18, 2010, by Paul Fehrenbach of Germantown, Wisconsin. This page has been viewed 1,883 times since then and 37 times this year. Photos:1, 2. submitted on May 18, 2010, by Paul Fehrenbach of Germantown, Wisconsin. • Syd Whittle was the editor who published this page.
