With Minnesota’s mining history, it should come as no surprise that there are more than a few mines still around. Some, like the enormous Hull-Rust-Mahoning mine, are still operating today. Others are long abandoned. Among Minnesota’s abandoned mines, there’s an iron mine on the Iron Range that you can still visit today. Hill Annex Mine is a hundred-year-old abandoned-mine-turned-state-park that you can visit to learn about the state’s mining history. Take a look:

Hill Annex Mine is a little-known mine-turned-state-park in Minnesota's Iron Range. It's about halfway between Grand Rapids and Virginia. Address: 880 Gary Street, Calumet, MN 55716.
Aaron Engelsrud/Flickr
There is much to see at the park. Wide-open picnic areas offer lovely places to have a bite to eat before starting your adventure.
Tony Webster/Flickr
The natural beauty of this area is well worth visiting in and of itself. The thick northern woods will guide your way north and greet you as you enter the park.
stpaulgirl/Flickr
But the trees aren't the only reason to visit Hill Annex Mine State Park. Like the name suggests, this was once a working mine. Operations started in 1913, and it produced millions of tones of iron ore in the decades that followed.
Minnesota Department of Natural Resources

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Since abandoned, the grounds still hold old mining equipment. The ore processing area was a busy part of the mine that now stands rusted and abandoned.
Minnesota Department of Natural Resources
Of course, the mine itself is also a sight to behold. What was once one of the largest iron ore producers in Minnesota became an open pit. Once the machines pumping out the water were shut off, the pit filled with water.
McGhiever/Wikimedia Commons
It has become a manmade mine lake that holds as much beauty as any other northern Minnesota lake. After learning its history, you'll hold greater appreciation for all the work that went on in this abandoned mine.
Shan Burkhalter/Google
Hill Annex Mine is open all year long. It's lovely no matter when you visit, so be sure to plan your visit to this fascinating abandoned mine soon.
Brett Whaley/Flickr

Have you visited Hill Annex Mine State Park? For more information about visiting, check out the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources website. And if you want to learn more about Minnesota’s mining past, check out these 12 photos that show Minnesota’s mining history like never before.

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