Editing Mesabi Range (section)

{{Short description|Mining district in northeastern Minnesota}}
{{Coord|47|30|N|93|4|W|region:US-MN|display=title}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2015}}
[[File:Iron Ranges.jpg|thumb|300px|Lake Superior Iron Ranges]]
[[Image:Map of Minnesota NA.jpg|right| thumb|300px| The '''Mesabi Range''' (upper center) is west of [[Lake Superior]], north of [[Duluth, Minnesota]], and far north of [[Minneapolis, MN|Minneapolis]]-[[St. Paul, MN|St. Paul]].  Nearby towns include [[Grand Rapids, Minnesota|Grand Rapids]], [[Hibbing, Minnesota|Hibbing]] and [[Virginia, Minnesota|Virginia]].]]
[[File:Mesabi Trail 2010 023.jpg|thumb|[[Hull–Rust–Mahoning Open Pit Iron Mine]], Mesabi Range, 2010]]

The '''Mesabi Iron Range''' is a mining district and mountain range in northeastern [[Minnesota]] following an elongate trend containing large deposits of [[iron ore]]. It is the largest of four major iron ranges in the region collectively known as the [[Iron Range]] of Minnesota. First described in 1866, it is the chief iron ore mining district in the United States. The district is located largely in [[Itasca County, Minnesota|Itasca]] and [[St. Louis County, Minnesota|Saint Louis]] counties. It has been extensively worked since 1892, and has seen a transition from high-grade direct shipping ores through gravity concentrates to the current industry exclusively producing iron ore ([[taconite]]) pellets. Production has been dominantly controlled by vertically integrated steelmakers since 1901, and therefore is dictated largely by US ironmaking capacity and demand.