Calumet, MN

About Calumet

U.S. Census population estimate was 325 in 2023.

Top Attractions

Hill Annex Mine State Park, 880 Gary St., Calumet, MN 55716. North on Gary Street from Hwy. 169. Check DNR web site for seasonal hours and updates.

History

Following the final retreat of glaciers from northeastern Minnesota approximately 10,000 years ago, native peoples migrated north and west. The Dakota people historically occupied the area. Lake Superior Chippewa (Ojibwe/Anishinaabe), the most populous tribe in North America, migrated westward and the Dakota moved west of the Mississippi in the seventeenth century. There were periods of peace and conflict between the two tribes, but the stream of European American settlers into their territories resulted in conflict. The U.S. Government ultimately removed both tribes from their native territories and put them on reservations.

Fur trading between native peoples and French explorers flourished from the 1660’s onward. The first major industry was the wholesale logging of the entire northeastern (‘arrowhead’) portion of the state. Mining followed logging. Calumet’s main street was originally a logging road.

In anticipation of mining, businesses opened in 1907 and city lots began selling on July 27, 1908. The city was incorporated in 1909. The name comes from the French, colonial era word for a Native American reed-stemmed ceremonial pipe. Settlers rapidly moved in and the population quickly grew.

The Oliver Iron Mining Company drilled at Hill Annex between 1901 and 1907. Oliver did not retain their holdings and the lease holder, Arthur Iron Mining Company started developing an open pit in 1912. Inter-State Iron Company took over in 1913 and ore began shipping in 1914. At one point, the mine was the largest producer of royalty ore for the State of Minnesota. In 1978, mining ceased due to market conditions and the remaining ore being of low grade. The Hill Annex Mine buildings and equipment were sold to the State for $1 in 1978 to become a recreation area and mining museum.