MN mining has a long history, beginning with the native peoples of Minnesota. The first European settlers to arrive in Minnesota found native people already mining the area’s iron ore.
Today, taconite mining is a major industry in Minnesota, responsible for $3 billion in annual sales and thousands of jobs. In 2016, the state of Minnesota approved a new 20-year lease for the state’s largest taconite mine, owned by Cleveland-Cliffs. However, taconite is not all that has been mined in MN.