Ghost Towns: Taconite Harbor, MN

Ghost Towns is a relatively new category for the Rural Resurrection website. Our last posting in this category was on Lemoyne, Nebraska. There’s an old saying, “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” It is important to learn from these ghost towns to help us avoid our communities becoming one as well. However, some of the stories in this category are just interesting tales to read.

Some ghost towns actually aren’t that old. Taconite Harbor along the North Shore of Lake Superior certainly falls under this category. Originally built in the late 1950s, the town was originally constructed to house the workers at a nearby power plant. The Erie Mining Company needed power sent inland to their taconite mines and a site along the shores of Lake Superior was an ideal location as it would also power the harbor that served as the transportation hub for the taconite iron pellets to steel mills located elsewhere along the great lakes. An average of 10 to 11 million tons of taconite pellets were sent out of Taconite Harbor on an annual basis.

A Pre-Fab-ulous Community

In 1957 the mining company trucked in 24 pre-fabricated homes. These simple houses were cheaply built, apparently only taking two hours to erect once on site. But they provided affordable housing for those working in the town. For a $400 down payment and $100 a month, families could live in the three- and four-bedroom homes. A number of support facilities, including a community center and fire hall were constructed. Residents even had a number of recreational opportunities including ice skating, hockey, basketball, baseball, tennis and the wide variety of nature-related sporting opportunities that northern Minnesota and Lake Superior provided.

With affordable housing, a variety of amenities, and a short jaunt to work, this small community was off to a strong start.

Photo credit: Tony Webster on flickr; Creative Commons

The Downturn

However, by the 1970s there was a growing problem with taconite dust and noise pollution from the power plant and harbor. Many of the residents were worried about the long-term health implications of the taconite dust on their families. The close proximity to work that was originally conceived as an amenity had actually become a hinderance to keeping families interested in living in the community.

This is the point where the community planner in me starts shaking my head. Of course the Erie Mining Company didn’t consultant a planner when conceiving this town. Never underestimate the viability of your friendly neighborhood planner when planning a community from ground up!

Making things worse, the taconite industry also became tough and by the early 1980s the workforce was cut significantly.

Moving Out

In 1986, the town’s 21 remaining families were informed by Erie Mining Company (now LTV Steel Mining Co.) that they would no longer support the community. The mining company offered to sell the homes for a mere $1 to the residents who lived there. However, they were sold with the caveat that the house must be moved off the land and out of town. Many residents took LTV up on the deal and moved their newly acquired homes. Many of them relocated to Silver Bay, just over twenty miles southwest of Taconite Harbor. The last resident packed up and left town on 1988.

By 1990 most of the remaining structures of this ghost town had been moved out, leaving a smattering of foundations and other bleak reminders that a thriving community once sat there. Relatively nearby, there lies a small outdoor museum that speaks to the history of the area. It includes a sample of taconite and some of the tools used to mine and ship it.

Minnesota Power eventually bought the power plant and continued its operation until idling the plant in 2016. Full shut down of the facility was originally planned for 2020, but that timeline has been stretched until at least 2022.

Lessons Learned

Many of the communities that become ghost towns attribute their fall to natural disasters or the loss of a key transportation service. But the downturn in the demand of a product linked to a community can devastating as well. The fall of the market for taconite ended the need for Taconite Harbor as a community. There was no other industry there for the community to stick around. Also, the now-bankrupt mining company was trying (unsuccessfully) to use the area as a limestone dump area.

This goes back to the diversification of your economic base, as discussed in the recent Newton, Iowa, post. However, the town was owned by the mining company and likely didn’t have the power to pursue additional economic development.

There’s also the lesson of utilizing good planning and zoning when laying out a new community. Poor planning and zoning can have a negative impact that can be felt for decades. For this ghost town, it was also a contributing factor to its demise.

Light Post in Abandoned Taconite Harbor, by peterk17700; Creative Commons 3.0

Any Hope for this Ghost Town?

The Wikipedia site for Taconite Harbor mentions an idea for the redevelopment of Taconite Harbor. Designed to be tourism-centric, the town would serve a major stop along the Gitchi-Gami State Trail. However, the link to the study is broken as the idea likely has become as well.

It looks as though the location would be great for a tourist community. One look through the images on the Lamb’s Resort & Campground Google Maps page certainly provides a look into the picturesque scenery of the area.

Additional historic photos of Taconite Harbor can be found at the Schroeder Historical Society website.

You may know of a ghost town with an interesting history. One that may be a helpful example to other communities, don’t keep it to yourself! Let us know through our contact form.