In the late 1880s, iron ore was found beneath the Gogebic Range, and within years a forested hillside became a working city. Mine’s opened. Railroads followed. Families arrived from across Europe, drawn by steady wages and the promise of permanence.
The History of Ironwood, Michigan, begins underground.
Built on Ore and Labor
Ironwood’s early decades were shaped by iron mining. The Norrie, Aurora, Newport, and Pabst mines operated day and night. Men descended deep shafts before dawn and returned after dark. The work was exhausting and dangerous, but it paid better than farming or logging.
