Minnesota Iron Range
Photographic Exploration by Nancy Stalnaker Bundy
Close Range is a photographic exploration of Minnesota’s Iron Range based on stories by individuals whose families have lived and worked in mining communities for generations.
The area was once one of the world's largest iron ore mining sites, attracting 43 nationality groups from 23 countries to immigrate for work beginning in 1884.
Portraits & Stories
Close Range is a photographic exploration of Minnesota's Iron Range and the culture surrounding the mining industry. This series is based on the personal stories of individuals whose families have lived and worked on “The Range” for generations. Each digitally composited portrait is inspired by their personal story and how it relates to the mining environment and its ethnically diverse beginnings.
Mining Towns
Minnesota was once the world’s largest producer of iron ore and taconite. In the past, iron ore was mined mostly on 3 iron ranges - the Cuyuna, Mesabi and Vermilion. It was first discovered in Minnesota on the Vermilion Range in 1885, the Mesabi Range in 1890, and the Cuyuna Range in 1903. Today, only the Mesabi Range still has iron ore or taconite mining that takes place. Towns were built around the mines where the immigrants built a new life..
Mines & Artifacts
Minnesota is currently the largest producer of iron ore and taconite in the US. Even though nearly all of the high grade natural iron ore in Minnesota has already been mined, advances in technology have found a use for lower grade iron ore, called taconite. The taconite is crushed, processed into hard, marble-sized pellets, and shipped to steel mills. Minnesota currently has 7 operating taconite plants which make the pellets.
My project, Close Range, consists of photographic digital composites ranging from lyrical and poetic to abstract, often referencing the formal and historical. The broken and collaged images suggest a fractured culture of the region. Directly or indirectly related to the mining industry, the iron range communities have been divided in many ways such as in politics and mining practices and historically in terms of ethnic differences. I’m intrigued with the beauty of the region and the complexities of the stories there.
- Nancy Stalnaker Bundy
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