February 14, 2014: That baby on the cover would be in fifth grade by now, well on his way to consuming pounds and pounds of mineral resources. Inside the issue, we explore the mining jobs that still anchor the Iron Range economy, and editor Jean Cole takes a look at the wild rice sulfate
Julie Marinucci. Photo by Cindy Kujala. Women have worked in northern Minnesota’s iron ore and taconite mines for a long time. During World War II, women began working in the mines to take the place of men who had entered the military; in 1945, the St. Louis County inspector of mines recorded 8,500 men working