Tower Train Museum

Tower Train Museum (HM20TH)

Location: Tower, MN 55790 St. Louis County
Buy Minnesota State flags at Flagstore.com!
Country: United States of America
Buy United States of America flags at Flagstore.com!

N 47° 48.278', W 92° 16.769'

  • 0 likes
  • 0 check ins
  • 0 favorites
  • 464 views
Inscription
When iron ore was discovered on the Vermilion Range, Charlemagne Tower, Sr., George Stone, Charlemagne Tower, Jr., and George Stuntz formed the Minnesota Iron Company and acquired the Duluth and Iron Range Railway (D&IR). In 1883, they constructed a railroad between Vermilion Range operations and Two Harbors so ore could be shipped to steel mills via the Great Lakes. To meet the completion deadline, 14,000 men toiled around the clock.

On July 31, 1884, ten wooden rail cars of iron ore hauled by a coal-burning engine, left the Soudan Mine bound for Two Harbors. The historic 68-mile rail trip took seven hours. After the city was granted a charter, the railroad was extended into Tower in 1886.

That same year, the Illinois Steel Company, representing H.H. Porter, Cyrus McCormick, Marshall Field, and John D. Rockefeller, acquired a rich ore deposit near Ely, and bought the Minnesota Iron Company holdings, including the D&IR. In 1901, this company became the United States Steel Corporation.

The steam locomotive pictured was built in 1910 for the D&IR by the Baldwin Locomotive Works. It was typical of those used to haul iron ore and passengers until 1953, when diesel locomotives were put into service.
Details
HM NumberHM20TH
Tags
Marker ConditionNo reports yet
Date Added Wednesday, August 16th, 2017 at 7:03am PDT -07:00
Pictures
Sorry, but we don't have a picture of this historical marker yet. If you have a picture, please share it with us. It's simple to do. 1) Become a member. 2) Adopt this historical marker listing. 3) Upload the picture.
Locationbig map
UTM (WGS84 Datum)15T E 553949 N 5294837
Decimal Degrees47.80463333, -92.27948333
Degrees and Decimal MinutesN 47° 48.278', W 92° 16.769'
Degrees, Minutes and Seconds47° 48' 16.68" N, 92° 16' 46.14" W
Driving DirectionsGoogle Maps
Area Code(s)218
Closest Postal AddressAt or near Poirier Rd, Tower MN 55790, US
Alternative Maps Google Maps, MapQuest, Bing Maps, Yahoo Maps, MSR Maps, OpenCycleMap, MyTopo Maps, OpenStreetMap

Is this marker missing? Are the coordinates wrong? Do you have additional information that you would like to share with us? If so, check in.

Nearby Markersshow on map
Check Ins  check in   |    all

Have you seen this marker? If so, check in and tell us about it.

Comments 0 comments

Maintenance Issues
  1. Is this marker part of a series?
  2. What historical period does the marker represent?
  3. What historical place does the marker represent?
  4. What type of marker is it?
  5. What class is the marker?
  6. What style is the marker?
  7. Does the marker have a number?
  8. What year was the marker erected?
  9. Who or what organization placed the marker?
  10. This marker needs at least one picture.
  11. Can this marker be seen from the road?
  12. Is the marker in the median?