Off US 169, Calumet, Minnesota. County/parish: Itasca.
Added to the National Register of Historic Places August 01, 1986. NRIS 86002126.
3 contributing buildings. 1 contributing site. 2 contributing structures.
Hill-Annex Mine State Park is a former state park of Minnesota, United States, interpreting the open-pit mining heritage of the Mesabi Range. The park was located north of the city of Calumet, in Itasca County, Minnesota. The park provided access to fossil material exposed by mining from the Cretaceous era Coleraine Formation.
In 1892, the land was leased for mineral exploration. It was leased again in 1900 and mining began in 1913. In the years it was in operation, the mine produced 63 million tons of iron ore. It grew to become the sixth largest producer in Minnesota. Historic buildings include the office building (c. 1930), laboratory (c. 1930), maintenance shop (c. 1930), truck repair shop (c. 1919), wooden water tower (c. 1919), and community club (c. 1915).
After the mine closed, the Iron Range Resources and Rehabilitation Board acquired it for a dollar. They converted the community club building into a museum and visitors center and gave tours. The former mine was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1986 as a historic district, and the Minnesota Legislature made Hill Annex Mine a state park two years later. Responsibility for the site was transferred to the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (MNDNR) in 1991.
In June 2024, Hill-Annex Mine State Park was permanently closed, as economic situations had made mining at the site viable again. MNDNR noted that this change had been planned for quite some time, and that the park's closure was "consistent with the historical expectation that mining would return to this site". Preparations for re-opening may begin as early as late 2024, and mining operations could begin as soon as 2025. As of 2024, MNDNR is working with 'community partners' on the question of what to do with the various artifacts preserved at the park's museum building.
(read more...)National Park Service documentation: https://catalog.archives.gov/id/93202097