Silver Bay, MN: Cliffs Northshore/Reserve Mining

(Satellite)

Northshore Mining was owned by Cleveland-Cliffs before CC bought AM.

Reserve Mining was owned 50/50 by Armco and Republic Steel.

David Schauer posted
Here is a nice 1971 view of Reserve Mining's massive operation at Silver Bay, MN, including the company townsite. I can't read the name of the Republic Steel laker but it looks like the Thomas F. Patton. I liked those smaller river lakers Republic used (converted from a WWII C4-S-A4). The Patton was chartered to Cliffs two years later and was scrapped in 1980. Basgen Photography

James Torgeson posted
Republic Steel's 604' Thomas F. Patton (1952) loads ore pellets at the Reserve Mining Company dock in Silver Bay, MN. Reserve was owned 50-50 by Armco and Republic. It is still in operation as Northshore Mining, which is owned by Cleveland-Cliffs.
James Torgeson: Heading to the Republic Buffalo District!

David Schauer posted
A laker with Wilson stack markings loads steaming taconite pellets at Reserve Mining. Edit: s/s Ben Moreell. Silver Bay, MN - October 23, 1963 - Basgen Photography

David Schauer posted
As an add-on to the Block post from yesterday, the structure at the rear of the Block is a clamshell crane (Wellman I believe) that the plant used to unload coal for use in its furnaces and at the on-site power plant. With the advent of self-unloading vessels the crane was taken out of service and hasn't been used in decades (plus the power plant was sold to MN Power and closed a few years ago with NSM buying electricity directly from the utility). This image circa 1970s looking southwest shows the crane in action unloading coal from a laker. Look at that pellet stockpile! Basgen Photography.
[The group is public and so many of the comments are informative that I'm not going to copy any of them. it is worth following the link and reading the post directly.]

James Torgeson shared
The Reserve Mining Company ore and coal docks at Silver Bay, MN. Reserve was owned 50-50 by Armco and Republic Steel. Currently in operation as Northshore Mining, which is owned by Cleveland-Cliffs, although the coal fired power plant has been closed for some time.

I found the "Block post from yesterday."

David Schauer posted three photos of " the Joseph L. Block loading pellet chips and fines for use as sinter feed. I was surprised to see how big the piles of sinter feed are. We last shot the Block here in 2018. May 8, 2021."

1

2

3

Al Miller posted
Armco eases up to the loading dock at Reserve Mining Co. in Silver Bay in this undated photo by Basgen Photography.
David Schauer: Boy that's nice. Looks like before expansion.

James Torgeson shared
Columbia Transportation’s 647’ Str. Armco (built 1953) approaches the Reserve Mining Company ore dock on Lake Superior to load pellets. Reserve Mining was owned 50-50 by Armco and Republic Steel. It is still in operation as Northshore Mining, owned by Cleveland-Cliffs. The Armco (now the American Valor) hasn’t sailed since 2008.

Dusty Bjornstad posted
Silver bay post card i bought at dime store for probably a dime 35 years ago, Middletown up front, posting this if anyone wants to make comparisons of silver bay to daves shot of the anderson a couple weeks ago, it was reserve mining in this pic, 70s.
[The comments talk about how M/V Anderson left dock to anchor offshore and then came back to the dock. It anchored offshore to ride out a possible swell created by heavy weather.]

I found the post Dusty mentioned:

David Schauer contributed three photos with the comment: "Great Lakes Fleet steamer Arthur M. Anderson paid a rare visit to Northshore Mining at Silver Bay to load sinter feed (taconite pellet chips and fines). They loaded using a portable conveyor fed by front-end loaders. 9/28/19 "

1

2

3

A search for "silver bay" in that group produced posts of other boats being loaded. I include this one because of the insight concerning the impact on ship usage of closing or converting coal-fired power plants.

David Schauer contributed three photos with the comment: "Once dominated by smaller narrow-beam boats and ATBs that are better suited to the dock's limited two-conveyor loading system, Silver Bay has been loading many more thousand footers in recent years. One of the reasons is the dramatic reduction in western coal shipments, which has opened up capacity in the ASC/Interlake footer fleets. ASC's Walter J. McCarthy Jr arrived at Silver Bay on November 26, 2018 after waiting for winds to subside (it took 24 hours to load with the silos charged). "

1

2

3

When I first looked at the satellite image, I thought it was another industry that we had lost.

Satellite

But then I saw that there was activity just to the north.

Satellite

David Schauer posted two photos with the comment: "Over 40 years separate these two images at Silver Bay. The first aerial image was made in 1981 as the William J. DeLancey (aka Paul R. Tregurtha) loaded at the Reserve Mining dock. The other image was made yesterday as the Paul R. Tregurtha loaded at the same dock, now operated by Cliffs' Northshore Mining Company. The Tregurtha isn't a regular caller at this dock for ore, but was in years past delivering coal for the power plant from Superior (that plant shut down a few years ago).  Silver Bay, MN 1981 & 2023"

James Torgeson shared with the comment: "Reserve Mining Company was the first Mesabi Range pellet producer, using the plentiful but low grade ore called taconite. Reserve was jointly owned by Armco and Republic Steel, and closed when Republic successor LTV went bankrupt. It was operated by Cypress Minerals for a brief period until purchased by Cleveland-Cliffs, which operates it today. Unlike all of the other pellet plants, which are on the Range, Reserve’s plant was adjacent to its ore dock. This necessitated a double-track railroad to both carry Taconite to the pellet plant and later to transport the tailings to a disposal area."

Ray Belcher: Great to see it’s still operating.

James Torgeson: Ray Belcher The facility was closed for a while after the LTV bankruptcy and also briefly recently when Cliffs had a dispute with the owner of the mineral rights.

1

2

David Schauer posted
Back for another load of ore, Stewart J. Cort at Northshore Mining today. The water is a lot less clear compared to last week due to excessive runoff from very heavy rain overnight. Silver Bay, MN - June 19, 2024

John West: Great picture. So glad to see this mine loading so many ships this season