Closed two years for upgrades, famed Soudan Underground Mine reopens in May

SOUDAN — Minnesota’s oldest and most famous underground mine will reopen for public tours in May after a $9.3 million restoration project kept it closed for more than two years.

The Soudan Underground Mine, now part of the Lake Vermilion/Soudan Underground Mine State Park, began operations in 1882 and produced massive amounts of high-grade iron ore until it closed in 1962.

Tours had been offered for years, but repairs were needed for the massive elevator system that takes up to 35,000 people annually down nearly a half-mile underground to the bottom level of the multi-level mine. The last tours before work began were in October 2021.

In March 2011, a fire occurred in the main shaft of the underground mine, in the lower 300 feet of the 2,400foot mine shaft. The fire burned for 48 hours before it was extinguished by 70,000 gallons of fire-fighting foam. Equipment sparks from mine shaft maintenance ignited wood debris lodged behind the existing steel shaft liner. The fire then spread into the wood shoring.

In 2012, some 300 feet of the lower section of the shaft lining was replaced in an emergency repair. A larger project was needed to replace the 85-year-old degrading structural steel and concrete lining in the lower levels of the shaft.

Inside the shaft, structural steel acts as a skeleton to support the concrete lining. It also supports the rail and rollers for safely operating the cages transporting people into and back out of the mine. The steel sheeting lining the shaft was removed, the loose rock behind it in places was removed and/or shored up with concrete, and the shaft was relined. The skeletal steel structure was replaced.

In all, 866 cubic yards of rock and debris and 40,000 square feet of concrete and corrugated steel shaft lining were removed, while 2,000-pound steel beams and tons of concrete were transported into the shaft. The construction company built a temporary concrete plant and metal fabrication plant on-site.

The mine shaft restoration was completed in December, and new interpretive exhibits are coming to the visitor center this month. Tours will begin on the Saturday of Memorial Day weekend.

“The Soudan Mine is a living memorial that honors all who immigrated to the iron ranges of Minnesota to seek a better life for themselves,” said Sarah Guy-Levar, interpretive services supervisor at the park. “We are eager to share the major improvements with our visitors and help people fully immerse themselves in the authentic experience of an underground miner.”

About the tours

The Soudan Underground Mine offers historic tours where visitors travel 2,341 feet — nearly one-half mile — underground in a refurbished cage-style elevator using authentic hoisting equipment, the same way miners got to work more than 60 years ago.

Once underground, participants board a train and ride nearly a mile to the deepest area of the mine, the last to see ore taken out in 1962. On the 90-minute tour, visitors hear true stories of the miners and learn firsthand about the working conditions that made this underground iron mine the safest of all the Iron Range mines.

Minnesota had 140 underground mines operating over the decades but mining operations eventually switched to less-expensive strip mining in open pits, especially after high-grade natural ore ran out and was replaced by taconite iron ore, which must be processed to make it usable in steelmaking.

The Soudan mine’s ore was so good, historians say, that nearly every piece of steel made by U.S. Steel between 1890 and 1940 had some Soudan ore in it.

If you go

Tours are about 90 minutes. Check in at least 15 minutes before your scheduled tour time.

The temperature of the mine is a cool, constant 51 degrees. Wear a warm jacket and sturdy boots or shoes.

There are no restrooms underground.

Claustrophobic? The 3-minute cage ride into the mine is in a dimly lit, closed, confined space. You will be kept with your family or group and always accompanied by staff.

No purses, bags, backpacks or strollers are allowed underground.

Other than the Walking Drift Tour, all mine tours are fully accessible. A powered wheelchair is available on a first-come, first-served basis. You may take photographs underground.

The mine’s surface buildings and over 7 miles of hiking trails are also available to explore. Per state park rules, rock and artifact collecting is not allowed. All artifacts must be left in the mine.

Rates

Adults, ages 13+: $15 Youth, ages 5-12: $10 Children under 5: Free, but a ticket is required Tour schedule

Mine tours run daily from the Saturday of Memorial Day weekend through the end of September and Fridays and Saturdays through the third weekend in October. In the off-season, only educational and group tours are available. Those tours must be pre-arranged.

These are popular tours and tickets often sell out. Advance reservations are highly recommended but not required. Reservations may be made in advance, up until 30 minutes before the tour. Reserve online or by calling 866-857-2757. To reserve an adult group or school tour, contact the park office at 218-300-7000 or email sarah. [email protected].