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History · Mountain Iron

Mountain Iron’s history is
mostly unwritten

The public archives hold only 2 old photos of Mountain Iron. The rest are in attics, shoeboxes and the historical society. Help start the collection.

1892established
2old images & papers
1historic places
9recent photos
Leonidas Merritt and family 1892 Mountain Iron MN IMG 1495, 1892 · Wikimedia Commons

The story

from WikipediaRead it all ↗

Mountain Iron was founded in 1892 as a mining village in the former Nichols Township. It was named after the nearby Mountain Iron Mine.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

built from the dates on the items below
1892Established
1892Leonidas Merritt and family 1892 Mountain Iron …Commons
1902Mountain Iron MineLOC
1910–1999Nothing yet. Family albums go here.
Be one of the first

Start Mountain Iron’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Mountain Iron’s history is told.

1 of 10 decades since 1900 have photos 🔁Retake an old viewLeonidas Merritt and family 1892 …, 1892: stand where they stood+15 📦Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
Famous people from Mountain IronWriters, athletes, leaders and more who were born in Mountain Iron.Meet them →
By decade

Mountain Iron, decade by decade

1890s1 item
Leonidas Merritt and family 1892 Mountain Iron MN IMG 1495CommonsLeonidas Merritt and family 1892 Mountain Iron MN IMG 14951892
1900s1 item
Mountain Iron MineLOCMountain Iron Mine1902
1910s–
1990s
Nothing in the archives for these yearsWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
📷 Add from your album
Today9 photos
Mountain Iron IMG 1435CommonsMountain Iron IMG 14352012Mountain Iron IMG 1432CommonsMountain Iron IMG 14322012Mountain Iron IMG 1412 town hallCommonsMountain Iron IMG 1412 town hall2012Mountain Iron IMG 1411CommonsMountain Iron IMG 14112012Mountain Iron IMG 1410CommonsMountain Iron IMG 14102012Mountain Iron IMG 1408 town hallCommonsMountain Iron IMG 1408 town hall2012Mountain Iron IMG 1407 town hallCommonsMountain Iron IMG 1407 town hall2012Mountain Iron IMG 1405CommonsMountain Iron IMG 140520129-26 Mt. Iron - Flickr - USDAgovCommons9-26 Mt. Iron - Flickr - USDAgov2011
National Register of Historic Places

Nothing in Mountain Iron is on the National Register yet

That’s true of most small towns. It doesn’t mean Mountain Iron has no history, only that no one has written up a nomination. The closest listed place is Olcott Park Electric Fountain and Rock Garden in Virginia, 3.1 miles away.

Mountain Iron and the nearest listed places

Dashed line = Mountain Iron. Tap a dot.
Olcott Park Electric Fountain and Rock GardenVirginia-Rainy Lake Lumber Company OfficeVirginia BreweryDuluth, Winnipeg, and Pacific DepotCharles Lenont HouseVirginia-Rainy Lake Lumber Company Manager's Residence

Closest to Mountain Iron

Olcott Park Electric Fountain and Rock GardenVirginia · Object3.1miVirginia-Rainy Lake Lumber Company OfficeVirginia · Built 19073.6miVirginia BreweryVirginia · Building3.6miDuluth, Winnipeg, and Pacific DepotVirginia · Built 19133.6miCharles Lenont HouseVirginia · Queen Anne · Built 19003.7mi

How a place gets listed

1Talk to the stateEvery nomination goes through the State Historic Preservation Office. Owners, towns and historical societies can start one.
2Try a local or state list firstMany states keep their own register with a shorter form, a common first step for old barns, halls and schoolhouses.
3Write it upA nomination covers the history, photos and a map. Olcott Park Electric Fountain and Rock Garden’s page links to a real one.
Know an old place in Mountain Iron?A mill, a schoolhouse, a cellar hole, a church: add a photo of it to Mountain Iron’s story, or a memory of it.
📷 Add a photo of an old place
National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places · photos from Wikimedia Commons

Then & now

No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as Leonidas Merritt and family 1892 Mountain Iron MN IMG 1495 (1892) and it appears here side by side.

🔁 Retake this view · +15

Stories next door

nearby towns’ history
📜 Virginia📜 Kinney📜 Leonidas📜 Great Scott

From Wikimedia Commons (10), the Library of Congress (1) and the National Register (1). Images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.

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Boundary source: https://tigerweb.geo.census.gov/arcgis/rest/services/TIGERweb/Places_CouSub_ConCity_SubMCD/MapServer/18 · 2025-01-01
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