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432 
MINERALS YEARBOOK, 1967 
Figure 2.—Locations of Mesabi Range Taconite-processing plants. 
 
 Iron ore was produced by 13 companies operating mines on the Cuyuna Range
in Crow Wing County, the Mesabi Range in Itasca and St. Louis Counties, the
Spring Valley district in Fillmore County, and the Vermilion Range in St.
Louis County. Shipments from the Mesabi Range accounted for 97 percent of
all iron ore produced in Minnesota and for all of the taconite concentrates
produced in the State. 
 Underground iron mining in Minnesota ceased in June when Inland Steel Co.
closed its Armour No. 2 mine on the Cuyuna Range, Crow Wing County. Since
its initial shipments in 1912, this mine shipped nearly 9 million tons of
ore. Earlier in the year, United States Steel Corp. terminated mining at
its Pioneer underground mine at Ely, the last remaining active mine on the
Vermilion Range. The Pioneer began production in 1888 and produced about
41 million tons of ore during its operating life. 
 Completion of new plants and expansion of existing facilities increased
shipments of taconite concentrates to 23.9 million long tons or 48 percent
of the total Minnesota iron ore shipments, compared with 21 million tons,
or 39 percent of the total, in 
1966 
 At yearend, Minnesota's annual taconite 
capacity approached 32 million tons. The Hanna Mining Co. began production
at the Butler Taconite Project in March. This operation is owned by The Hanna
Mining Co., Inland Steel: Co., and Wheeling Steel Corp. Oxide pellets are
produced by the Allis-Chalmers grate-kiln process. The National Steel Pellet
Plant, operated by The Hanna Mining Co. near Keewatin, began production in
June. National Steel Corp. has an 85 percent interest in the venture and
The Hanna Mining Co. a 15percent interest. The plant produces pellets using
a Midland-Ross twin-hearth rotary furnace. Both the National Steel and Butler
plants were designed to employ autogenous grinding methods. Primary crushing
for both plants is done in the pit areas with 60-inch gyratory crushers.
A 200-car unit train transported pellets from these plants to the Great Northern
Railway Co.'s ore docks at Superior, Wis. During the winter months, the pellets
were stockpiled at the Great Northern's 2.2million-ton capacity storage and
handling facility at Superior. 
 United States Steel Corp.'s 4.5-millionton-per-year Minntac taconite plant
near Mountain Iron was in the startup stage at yearend. The first of three
pellet production lines was placed in operation in October, using concentrates
from the corn-