The Missabe Road: The Duluth, Missabe and Iron Range Railway

by Frank Alexander King

In 1865, the nation's largest iron ore deposits were discovered in northern Minnesota, and life in the area was irrevocably altered as an economic boom transformed the region. In the 1880s and 1890s, two railroads, the Duluth and Iron Range Rail Road and the Duluth, Missabe and Northern Railway (which later merged), moved massive shipments of ore to the docks on Lake Superior.

The Missabe Road tells the complete story of the DM&IR: its construction, early operation, line extensions, passenger service, rolling stock, steam locomotives, and today's modern diesels. Frank King examines underground and open pit mining operations, modern-day taconite mining, the handling and transportation of ore to the docks, and the loading of boats.

"It's quite delightful to journey through the tracks of time, where one finds the development of northeastern Minnesota and its renowned iron ore mines through the fascinating history of the Duluth, Missabe & Iron Range Railway." Duluth Herald

"King's book takes the story of the Missabe Road down to the present day. But those early depots, the single tracks, the crews on the ore trains, and the pictures of the hard rock miners are the ones that arouse admiration for these adventures." St. Paul Pioneer Press

Frank A. King (1923-1985) worked for the Duluth, Missabe and Iron Range Railway for his entire career, retiring as senior industrial engineer. His articles and photographs appeared in Trains Magazine, Railroad Magazine, and other publications.

Hardcover

First published January 1, 2003

Reviews

[M.J. Rodriguez · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a concise history of the DM&IR Railway and its predecessor lines. It covers the steam and diesel locomotives, plus the ore cars and the transition from natural ore to taconite pellets. This book was originally released in 1972.

[Chris · Rating 5 out of 5]

Super cool look into the history of DM&IR. Lots of great pictures not found elsewhere.