Northwestern Precinct in Saint Paul in Ramsey County, Minnesota — The American Midwest (Upper Plains)
The War at Home
Photographed by McGhiever, September 28, 2025
1. The War at Home Marker
So we worked seven days a week, twenty-four hours a day, even after it got cold and the ore would freeze in the chutes.
President Roosevelt stressed the need for Allied armed superiority, and Minnesota industries responded. The Iron Range supplied the raw material to build the machinery of war. In four years, the Mesabi, Cuyuna, and Vermilion ranges mined record-breaking quantities of ore, rapidly depleting their resources.
In Saint Paul, B-24 bombers were modified and troop transport gliders were built. High-altitude flight was tested at the Mayo Clinic with aviator Charles Lindbergh. Oceangoing ships were built in Duluth and Savage. Significant Minnesota wartime inventions included the portable refrigeration unit and the K-ration. ★ Just a few of the other war items produced in the state included ammunition, gun sights, aircraft autopilot systems, canned meat, insulated panels, military vehicles, periscopes and telescopes, portable bridges and pontoons, prefabricated huts, reflective tape, propeller blades, and submersible pumps.
Europe
1942:
· U.S. troops arrive in Britain
· German U-boats sink many Allied ships; escorts and radar help reduce Merchant Marine losses
· Massive German offensive in Soviet Union diverts Allied resources from the western front
· Soviet forces surround German troops at Stalingrad
· Allied invasion of North Africa begins Operation Torch
1943:
· German forces surrender to Soviets at Stalingrad; German troops begin to fall back
Top: A B-24 Liberator bomber, circa 1944. Over 3,200 planes flew in from Michigan to be modified at Saint Paul's Holman Field.
Inset: Open pit at the Hill Annex Mine near Calumet. Over its lifetime, this mine was the sixth-largest producer of iron ore in the United States.
Quote: Angelo Legueri from Nashwauk, who worked in the iron mines before being drafted into the Army in 1943.
Bottom: USS Agawam, the first ship to squeeze through the dredged Minnesota River, passes under the Mendota Bridge, 1943.
Back: Chemical lab in Rosemount, 1945. Minnesota ranked 18th out of the 48 states in government wartime contracts.
Erected 2007
this page online
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Industry & Commerce • War, World II. A significant historical year for this entry is 1942.
Location. 44° 57.123′ N, 93° 6.125′ W. Marker is in Saint Paul, Minnesota, in Ramsey County. It is in Northwestern Precinct. It can be reached from W. 12th Street. The marker is centered on the east side of the Minnesota World War II Memorial on the Capitol Mall. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Saint Paul MN 55155, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in the Twin Cities Metropolitan Area. It is also in the American Midwest, in the Corn Belt, and in the Great River Road Region. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once Rupert’s Land, the territory of the Mississippian Culture, and the Louisiana Purchase.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: A Changing World (here, next to this marker); Above & Beyond (a few steps from this marker);
Photographed by McGhiever, September 28, 2025
2. The War at Home Marker (third back) on the east side of the Minnesota World War II Memorial
Credits. This page was last revised on October 24, 2026. It was originally submitted on October 24, 2026, by McGhiever of Minneapolis, Minnesota. This page has been viewed 7 times since then. Photos: 1. submitted on October 24, 2026, by McGhiever of Minneapolis, Minnesota. 2. submitted on July 23, 2026, by McGhiever of Minneapolis, Minnesota.
