Minnesota has 1,339 records of mines listed by the United States Geological Survey (USGS).
Quick Facts
- 1,339 USGS records of mines in Minnesota.
- Iron , Manganese , Free Water , Silica , and Aluminum mines located in Minnesota. See All
Top Counties
by Total Mines
- Saint Louis (600 Total Mines)
- Itasca (379 Total Mines)
- Crow Wing (167 Total Mines)
- Fillmore (44 Total Mines)
- Cook (28 Total Mines)
- Aitkin (26 Total Mines)
- Mower (22 Total Mines)
- Lake (18 Total Mines)
- Carlton (14 Total Mines)
- Koochiching (9 Total Mines)
Minnesota Mine Locations
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© The Diggings™
Historic Mining Records (USGS)
Minnesota has 1,339 identified mines listed in The Diggings™. The most commonly listed primary commodities in Minnesota mines are Iron , Manganese , and Free Water . At the time these mines were surveyed, 59 mines in Minnesota were observed to have ore mineralization in an outcrop, shallow pit, or isolated drill hole—known as an occurance mine.1 Minnesota has 159 prospect mines.2 1,082 mines were in production at the time the data was entered into USGS records. Saint Louis, Itasca, and Crow Wing are the with the most mines.
Quick USGS Facts
- 1,339 records of mines in Minnesota.
- 159 records of prospects
- 59 records of mineral occurrences of observable ore mineralization.
- 39 records of mining plants
- 1,082 records of mineral producers
Mines By County
In Minnesota
| Total | Authorized Countiess |
|---|---|
| Saint Louis | 600 |
| Itasca | 379 |
| Crow Wing | 167 |
| Other | 193 |
Top Commodities
in Minnesota
- Iron (1,252)
- Manganese (190)
- Free Water (89)
- Silica (85)
- Aluminum (67)
- Phosphorus-Phosphates (65)
- Copper (29)
- Gold (25)
- Nickel (25)
- Titanium Metal (21)
1 Grade, tonnage, and extent of mineralization for such mines are unspecified.
2 Such mines have some degree of development such as surface trenching, adits, shafts, drill holes, geophysics, geochemistry, or geological mapping to estimate grade and tonnage.
Popular Public Lands & Regions
in Minnesota
Land TypeTotal ClaimsActive ClaimsClosed ClaimsActive AcresTotal MinesProspectsOccurrencesPlantsProducers
Superior National Forest
National Forests
0
0
0
0
69
19
29
5
16
Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness
Wilderness Areas
0
0
0
0
15
6
8
0
1
Voyageurs National Park
National Parks
0
0
0
0
4
3
1
0
0
Chippewa National Forest
National Forests
0
0
0
0
2
0
1
0
1
Grand Portage Reservation
Indian Lands
0
0
0
0
1
0
1
0
0
Leech Lake Reservation
Indian Lands
0
0
0
0
1
0
0
0
1
Top Mining Districts
in Minnesota
StateTotal ClaimsActive ClaimsClosed ClaimsActive AcresTotal MinesProspectsOccurrencesPlantsProducers
Mesabi Mining District
Minnesota
0
0
0
0
938
83
1
28
826
Cuyuna Range Mining District
Minnesota
0
0
0
0
208
33
10
1
164
Fillmore Mining District
Minnesota
0
0
0
0
71
11
0
0
60
Northern Margin Duluth Complex Mining District
Minnesota
0
0
0
0
29
6
22
0
1
Western Margin Duluth Complex Mining District
Minnesota
0
0
0
0
25
11
8
0
6
Vermilion Range Mining District
Minnesota
0
0
0
0
15
3
0
0
12
Rainy Lake Mining District
Minnesota
0
0
0
0
6
4
1
0
1
Popular Towns, Cities, Etc.
in Minnesota
CountyStateTotal ClaimsActive ClaimsClosed ClaimsActive AcresTotal MinesProspectsOccurrencesPlantsProducers
Buhl
Saint Louis
Minnesota
0
0
0
0
606
39
1
22
544
Kinney
Saint Louis
Minnesota
0
0
0
0
584
39
1
21
523
Chisholm
Saint Louis
Minnesota
0
0
0
0
580
41
0
22
517
Hibbing
Saint Louis
Minnesota
0
0
0
0
534
48
0
20
466
Keewatin
Itasca
Minnesota
0
0
0
0
533
51
0
16
466
Stevenson
Saint Louis
Minnesota
0
0
0
0
529
50
0
16
463
Mountain Iron
Saint Louis
Minnesota
0
0
0
0
527
39
1
17
470
Kelly Lake
Saint Louis
Minnesota
0
0
0
0
524
47
0
15
462
Iron Junction
Saint Louis
Minnesota
0
0
0
0
516
38
1
15
462
Leonidas
Saint Louis
Minnesota
0
0
0
0
506
35
1
14
456
Mining Claim News From The Diggings™
Learn more about the Bureau of Land Management, Public Land Survey System, and mining claims.
-
Understanding Claim Ownership
We receive lots of emails from people who find their name or a relative’s name on our site and want to know if this means they have some right to the land listed under that name.
-
Understanding BLM Administrative Areas
Whether it is filing a mine or researching one, the administering BLM office is going to be the definitive source.
-
Understanding Location Data
Mine handled by the Bureau of Land Management are not mapped by latitude and longitude, instead, these mines harken back to the Public Land Survey System.
-
Understanding Townships
A “township” can refer to two different things. Both are part of the PLSS measurement system but have different uses.
