The Forgotten Machines That Moved an Entire Town — Because the Mine Wanted the Ground

The mine ate the town that the mine built. Hibbing, Minnesota, sat on the richest iron deposit in North America. When the Hull-Rust-Mahoning pit wanted the ground underneath, the Oliver Mining Company paid $16 million to move 200 buildings two miles south on steel wheels and log rollers pulled by horses and steam tractors at a quarter mile per hour. They cut hotels in half. Frank Hibbing had warned them to build further south. They called themselves the richest village in the world. The richness was underground. The village was in the way. #Hibbing #IronMine #IndustrialHistory #MesabiRange #ForgottenMachines