The discovery of Mountain Iron Mine in Mountain Iron

Mountain Iron, Minnesota

As of the census of 2000, there were 2,999 people, 1,326 households, and 847 families residing in the city. The population density was 60.7 people per square mile . There were 1,409 housing units at an average density of 28.5 per square mile...

, Minnesota

Minnesota

Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...

 in 1890 represents the beginning of the exploitation of the Mesabi Range

Mesabi Range

The Mesabi Iron Range is a vast deposit of iron ore and the largest of four major iron ranges in the region collectively known as the Iron Range of Minnesota. Discovered in 1866, it is the chief deposit of iron ore in the United States. The deposit is located in northeast Minnesota, largely in...

 iron ore in the Iron Range

Iron Range

The Iron Range is a region that makes up the northeastern section of Minnesota in the United States. "The Range", as it is known by locals, is a region with multiple distinct bands of iron ore...

 of northeast Minnesota. The Mesabi Range and nearby Vermilion Range

Vermilion Range

Vermilion Range may refer to:* Vermilion Range in Alberta, Canada* Vermilion Range in British Columbia, Canada* Vermilion Range in Minnesota, United States...

 led Minnesota to become the nation's largest producer of iron ore and the United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 to lead the world in steel

Steel

Steel is an alloy that consists mostly of iron and has a carbon content between 0.2% and 2.1% by weight, depending on the grade. Carbon is the most common alloying material for iron, but various other alloying elements are used, such as manganese, chromium, vanadium, and tungsten...

 production. This capacity is considered to have been a major factor in America's ability to contribute to World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

. It also played a major role in the financial success of Andrew Carnegie

Andrew Carnegie

Andrew Carnegie was a Scottish-American industrialist, businessman, and entrepreneur who led the enormous expansion of the American steel industry in the late 19th century...

 and U.S. Steel

U.S. Steel

The United States Steel Corporation , more commonly known as U.S. Steel, is an integrated steel producer with major production operations in the United States, Canada, and Central Europe. The company is the world's tenth largest steel producer ranked by sales...

. Carnegie returned some of his fortune to the communities by funding 2500 public Carnegie Libraries

Carnegie Library

Carnegie Library, Carnegie Public Library, Carnegie Free Library, Carnegie Free Public Library, Andrew Carnegie Library, Andrew Carnegie Free Library or Carnegie Library Building may refer to any of the following Carnegie libraries:- California :*Carnegie Library , listed on the National Register...

 across the country, including 64 in rural Minnesota.

The extraction of ore in the region also contributed to the tiny port city of Duluth

Duluth, Minnesota

Duluth is a port city in the U.S. state of Minnesota and is the county seat of Saint Louis County. The fourth largest city in Minnesota, Duluth had a total population of 86,265 in the 2010 census. Duluth is also the second largest city that is located on Lake Superior after Thunder Bay, Ontario,...

 thriving and becoming the leading port in the United States (by tonnage) in the early 20th century.

It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places and further designated as a U.S. National Historic Landmark

National Historic Landmark

A National Historic Landmark is a building, site, structure, object, or district, that is officially recognized by the United States government for its historical significance...

in 1968.