BRUCE MINE HEADFRAME
The Bruce Mine Headframe is the last standing headframe from the earliest
period of underground mining on the Mesabi Range. Located next to Highway
169 near the east entrance to Chisholm, the headfrome was constructed in
1926 by International Harvester Company. The steel structure held the
sheave wheels for cables that lowered and raised the cages and skips from the
underground mining operation taking place far below the surface.
At one time, ore was raised to the surface here and loaded onto tram cars on
an oval track that ran beneathe the frame. From there, it was either
stockpiled or processed and shipped by rail to waiting ore carrier ships on
Lake Superior.
The Bruce Mine Headframe was once part of a complete mining complex
including a dry house, engine house, sintering plant and 12 two-story frame
houses with fireplaces for worers. All grounds were seeded , and streets
and alleys were graded, giving the area the complete appearance of a typical
"mining town" of the 1930s.
The headframe itself is typical of the many seen on the Mesabi Range prior
to 1940. One of only three remaining in the state, the Bruce Mine Headframe
is listed in the National Register of Historic Sites.
