Minnesota Discovery Center

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Minnesota Discovery Center
Minnesota Discovery Center-logo.jpg
Minnesota Discovery Center summer entrance detail.jpg
The Minnesota Discovery Center summer entrance
Minnesota Discovery Center
Location1005 Discovery Drive
Chisholm, Minnesota, USA
Coordinates 47°28′41″N92°53′46″W / 47.47806°N 92.89611°W / 47.47806; -92.89611
TypeHistory, industry
Website www.mndiscoverycenter.com

The Minnesota Discovery Center, formerly known as Ironworld Discovery Center and originally as the Iron Range Interpretive Center, opened in the 1977 outside Chisholm, Minnesota, United States. [1] [2] It showcases northeastern Minnesota's "history and future" and includes a museum, entertainment venue, research center and library, and a park. [3] The site offers various community programs and events [3] including Polka fests, [4] concerts, and fairs. The property includes a memorial to Rudy Perpich and holds historical documents and artifacts related to mining in the Iron Range.

Contents

History

The 660-acre (270 ha) museum complex opened in 1977 as the Iron Range Interpretive Center with 34 exhibits and was renamed in 1984 as Ironworld USA. [3] In 2009 it became the Minnesota Discovery Center. [3] The Minnesota Discovery Center is operated by a non-profit organization called the Ironworld Development Corporation (IDC). The organization was established in 2003 to manage the facility and transition from being a state-run entity. The transition was completed in 2007. [5] [6]

It was built to celebrate the immigrants who built Minnesota's Iron Range mining region, including Italians, Finns, and Yugoslavs. It was supposed to draw tourists from around the state and other parts of the U.S., but in the late 1990s was struggling to live up to attendance expectations. [7]

Due to shifting ground on the property with mine shafts beneath it, the tourist attraction faced a $2 million to $7 million cost in 2004 for filling and shoring up its foundation or to do complete reconstruction. It is located on the old Glen Mine property where there are abandoned mine shafts. [8] [9]

The Center include a 1920s trolley that travels along a "picturesque" 2.4-mile (3.9 km) railway that winds around the Pillsbury mine pit and Glen mine disembarking at Wilpen Train Depot. There is a renovated 1905 Hill's Finn Boarding House. There is also the Pellet Pete 19 hole mini-golf course. The museum has two floors of "exhibits about labor history, geology, mining, immigration and other aspects of the industrial and cultural history of the region," including the taconite mining process and the evolution of the industry on the Iron Range. [10]

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References

  1. ↑ "Ironworld Gets New Name". June 14, 2009. Archived from the original on 2009-06-17. Retrieved 2009-10-28.
  2. ↑ St. Paul Pioneer Press December 30, 2002
  3. 1 2 3 4 "The Future of Ironworld Discovery Center". Duluth News-Tribune. December 29, 2002. Archived from the original on 2012-10-20.
  4. ↑ "Ironworld Announces Polkafest Winners". Polish-American Journal. September 30, 2001. Archived from the original on 2012-11-02.
  5. ↑ Chisholm, Minnesota Discovery Center 1005 Discovery Drive; Book, MN 55719 Phone:254-7959 + add to Address. "History". Minnesota Discovery Center. Retrieved 2024-03-26.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  6. ↑ Mining Tax Guide: Iron Range Resources (PDF) (Report). Minnesota Legislative Reference Library: Minnesota Revenue. November 2010. Retrieved March 26, 2024.
  7. ↑ "At Age 20, Ironworld Falls Short of Many Expectations//Identity Crises, Poor Attendance Plague Facility". 5B Metro St. Paul Pioneer Press (MN). May 19, 1997. Archived from the original on 2012-10-20.
  8. ↑ "Ironworld's Future is on Shaky Ground". Duluth News-Tribune (MN). December 12, 2004. p. 01C. Archived from the original on 2012-10-20.
  9. ↑ "Ironworld History Museum May Remain Closed, Iron Range Tourism: Second Engineering Study Finds Additional Problems with Structure's Stability". Duluth News-Tribune. March 30, 2005. Archived from the original on 2012-10-20.
  10. ↑ Henrylito D. Tacio Chisholm: Mining at its best [ permanent dead link ] August 5, 2006. Sun Star (Davao)

See also

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