Listen: Inside the mines and megamachines of the Iron Range

The Curious Minnesota podcast heads north to the mighty Mesabi, which helped fuel America's success story.

June 19, 2023 at 6:03PM
Aimee, Delphine, Julien and Nathan Munson stood in front of the bucket of an excavator at the Keetac mine on the Iron Range during a tour in April. (The Minnesota Star Tribune)

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On the latest episode of the Curious Minnesota podcast, host Eric Roper journeys north to U.S. Steel's Keetac taconite mine to see how some of the state's largest machines make the raw ingredients for American steel.

Along the way, we discuss how Minnesota's Iron Range essentially fueled America's success story as the country's largest source of iron ore.

This tour was the subject of a May Curious Minnesota column. It was inspired by the Munson family's quest to find the state's largest machine, which was the subject of a January Curious Minnesota column.

Further reading:

What is the largest machine in Minnesota? (January 2023 Curious Minnesota story)

Inside the mines and megamachines of the Iron Range (May 2023 Curious Minnesota story)

about the writer

Eric Roper

Curious Minnesota Editor

Eric Roper oversees Curious Minnesota, the Star Tribune's community reporting project fueled by great reader questions. He also hosts the Curious Minnesota podcast. 

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