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Fur Trade in Minnesota

The North American fur trade began around 1500 off the coast of Newfoundland and became one of the most powerful industries in US history. In Minnesota country, the Dakota and the Ojibwe traded in alliance with the French from the 1600s until the 1730s, when Ojibwe warriors began to drive the Dakota from their homes in the Mississippi Headwaters region. Afterward, the Dakota continued trading in the south while Montreal traders and their Ojibwe allies established a network of trading posts in the north. For the next 120 years, the fur trade dominated the region’s economy and contributed to the development of a unique multicultural society.

Incarcerated women working in laundry room

Incarcerated women working in the laundry room of the Women's State Reformatory, Shakopee, ca. 1950.

Incarcerated women sewing

Incarcerated women working in the sewing room of the Women's State Reformatory, Shakopee, ca. 1950.

Iron miner's helmet with lamp

Rimmed miner's helmet similar to World War I-era US Army military helmets. The helmet has a kerosene lamp fixture attached to the front. It was worn by Adam Shapic ca. 1910–1930s. Shapic immigrated to Minnesota from Croatia in 1910 and wore this helmet in iron mines near Virginia, Minnesota, until he was injured in a mining accident that left him paralyzed. The helmet was manufactured by Mine Safety Appliances Company in Pennsylvania.

Miners transporting ore, Chisholm

Underground scene showing miners and the motors used in transporting ore, Chisholm. Photograph taken in 1915 by Minneapolis Times staff. Part of the Minneapolis Times newspaper photographs and clippings collection.

Miners at work in an underground drift in Seller Mine

Miners at work in an underground drift in Seller Mine, Hibbing. Photograph by Underwood & Underwood Studio, 1906.

Emergence of Man Through Steel plaque

The plaque at the base of the Iron Man Memorial in Chisholm features a poem written by Veda Ponikvar that uses the monument’s formal title, “Emergence of Man Through Steel.” Photograph by David Rian, December 2020.

Names on the base of the Iron Man Memorial

Names on the base of the Iron Man Memorial, Chisholm. The names of individual Iron Range residents (many of whom were miners) as well as their family members are listed on the base of the Iron Man Memorial in Chisholm as the result of corporate and individual donations. Photograph by Suzanne Rian, October 2020.