Bruce Mine Headframe

The Bruce Mine Headframe is the last standing headframe from the earliestĀ period of underground mining on the Mesabi Range.

Located next to Highway 169 near the east entrance to Chisholm, the headframe was constructed in 1926 by International Harvester Company. This steel structure held the sheave wheels for cables that lowered and raised the cages & 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 beneath 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 workers. All grounds were seeded and streets & alleys were graded, giving theĀ 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.

Admission: No admission. Open year-round.

Bruce Mine Headframe

Hwy 169
Chisholm, MN 55719
800-422-0806