President Edeth James’ Quote of the Day: “There is a magnet in your heart that will attract true friends. That magnet is unselfishness, thinking of others first; when you learn to live for others, they will live for you.” - Paramahansa Yogananda
Nyle Zikmund introduced James Pointer from the Lake Vermillion – Soudan Underground Mine State Park. James presented a photographic history of the Soudan Mine. The Soudan Mine was the primary U.S. source of iron ore for more than a century, but it was accidentally discovered by gold miners in the Minnesota gold rush of the 1860’s. Charlemagne Tower Sr. was the first to see the potential profit and invested heavily in the mine, railroads and harbors. The iron ore that was found had an extremely high iron content of 60-70% which was excellent for making steel but it was extremely heavy and difficult to mine. The first miners worked in open pit mines and mined the ore without any mechanized drilling equipment, but by the 1880’s steam drills were used to make the drilling easier. Eventually, the open pits were abandoned in favor of underground mining and by 1892 Soudan was completely underground. Minnesota took over the mine after it closed in 1962, and it soon became a tourist attraction, taking visitors to the deepest level of the mine, a half mile underground. Recently, the DNR has added camping, hiking and other recreational activities and renamed the area Lake Vermillion – Soudan Underground Mine State Park.
The importance of the northern Minnesota iron ore deposits cannot be over emphasized. The steel produced with this ore provided the infrastructure for the westward expansion of the United States. Railroads, bridges and buildings were made possible by the rich deposits of ore. Minnesota ore also became steel for fighting World Wars I & II. It’s estimated that 90% of U.S. steel came from northern Minnesota while the mines were in operation. Click the link above for more information or to plan a visit.
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Jeff Johnson announced that the Community Support Center’s Annual “Walk For Our Neighbors” fundraiser will be held on July 25th, from 10-2PM, at Silver View Park, Silver Lake Rd and County Rd I. NBMV Rotary will donate for each mile walked by club members. Click here for more information.
Geoff Hollimon said that the Suburban Ramsey Emergency Coalition has grant requests from Aeon and CSC under consideration. The Coalition has approximately $24,000 remaining for grants.
President Edeth made us aware that the Rotaract Club at Edeth’s alma mater, The Polytechnic Ibadan, Oyo State, Nigeria, will install a neon sign displaying the 4 Way Test and identifying our club. NBMV Rotarians interested in contributing toward the project can do so using our club’s Donorbox online portal. Donations of any amount are appreciated. (Indicate “4 way test sign” in the comments section)
We received thank you letters for our contributions to Remember Niger and Peacemaker Minnesota.
We also received a thank you card from our scholarship recipient, Kathryn Skinner.
Next Meeting: - June 29th 12:00 in-person picnic meeting featuring our Presidential transition and Garden Tour at Nyle Zikmund’s home, 2650 Fox Ridge NE, in Blaine. Lunch will be provided by Nyle and Terry, but it might be helpful if you bring a lawn chair. Spouses/Significant Others/ Favorite Mother’s-in-Law are welcome to attend.