Much of what makes our locale the interesting place it is stems from the extraction, production and distribution of
ORE. Without this rare gem, steel production would be impossible. To mark its import, and to accompany the report I'm writing
detailing exactly what made our economy what it is, I'll be constructing several scale ore docks that will be in turn serviced
by dozens of DM&IR & CNR (short) ore hoppers.
This video highlights the mighty DM&IR locos that'd growled to prominence over a century ago and these mighty bohemeoths fast
powered the Iron Range to the fore as it funneled from the earth the greatest booty of iron resources the world has ever known.
DM&IR SD-40's
Poundcake By The Ton
CN - DMIR Ore Dock
Two Harbors, Minnesota
Ore Docks
Ore Dock
Two Harbors, Minnesota
Ore Docks Getting iron ore from the mines to the furnace has always been a huge job. As the furnaces grew, so too
did their appetites, requiring loading facilities that were up to the task. Many steel companies and railroads erected these
big loading docks at Great Lakes ports to keep the iron ore (and later taconite) moving down to the steel centers. Often stretching
for hundreds of feet, these engineering masterpieces were first made of wood and later of concrete and steel. Through a series
of pockets lining the sides, iron ore could be loaded by gravity into the waiting holds of the big ore boats.
Still in use today, ore docks are home to some of the most fascinating railroading in the world.
Taconite Ore Hopper
Semis With Ore Hoppers
Ore Dock
Port Arthur
1 Million Tons Of Exploding Ore
Hibbing (Iron Range) History
Atikokan
Open Pit Ore Mine
Interactively Exploring Lake County's Rich History
Ore docks are nothing without ore boats and so I'll also construct several Great Lakes shipping vessles. The foremost
among them, the most famous ore ship there ever was. On November 10th 1975, long before I was even an inkling, The S.S. Edmund
Fitzgerald set out from Two Harbors with a full load bound for Cleveland, Detroit and points beyond. But thanks to events
on that fateful night, the sinking of the largest of the great ore ships catapaulted the boat to infamiy. This was of course
due in no small part to the familiar refrain that Canadian songwriting luminary Gordon Lightfoot penned on that stormy week
of tragedy. 30 years on, Lightfoot was in Thunder Bay, at our Auditorium to remind us what once was. Here's a video of that
night, and a tribute.
