MinnesotaBrown: Brown on the Air: Low cost summer fun

The Iron Range: A definition

By Aaron J. Brown

Iron Range: General term for a region in northeastern Minnesota including the Mesabi, Vermilion and Cuyuna iron ranges. Often the term implies only the Mesabi and Vermilion ranges since the Cuyuna hasn’t seen mining activity since 1984. Positioned over once rich formations of natural iron ore and taconite the Iron Range has provided the largest domestic iron ore supply for the American steel industry since the late 1800s. Because of decades of geographic isolation, large influxes of European immigrants and a strong tradition of labor and political activism, the Iron Range also represents a distinct subculture within Minnesota and the Midwest in general. This subculture values a strong work ethic, votes a socially-conservative labor-friendly brand of Democratic, and remains deeply distrustful of outsiders, especially ones who dress well and drive foreign cars. The wild fluctuations in the steel industry and dependence on mining and logging as the dominant source of reliable jobs have created a boom or bust tradition on the Iron Range that continues today. Efforts to modernize and diversify have led to mixed results, though recent developments have been positive.

The Iron Range today owns a reputation as a rough place with a volatile economy, deeply-held ethnic and social traditions, easy access to bars, churches and the Great Outdoors, a unified but ill-disciplined political network, stock car racing, and an innate cultural fascination with guns, fire and alcohol. Public schools are the largest, most ornate and prized buildings on the Iron Range. About half those who graduate from these schools leave for Duluth, the Twin Cities or elsewhere. The other half stay to raise families and work jobs that, despite modern titles, remain indirectly tied to the fortunes of natural resource industries like mining and logging.I write for both groups, those who stay and those who left, and all who join us in body or spirit.

~ Promotional release for "Overburden: Modern Life on the Iron Range" available in bookstores and online in October 2008 from Red Step Press. Copyright 2008 by Aaron J. Brown.

Disclaimer

Opinions expressed on MinnesotaBrown belong to me alone. MinnesotaBrown strives to provide a spectrum of opinions about news and politics in Northern Minnesota. That said, I am active in my Iron Range community and disclose the following conflicts of interest: Hibbing Community College (employer), Hibbing Daily Tribune and KAXE (contract work); Precinct chair and central committee director for the Itasca County DFL; political chair for State Rep. Tom Anzelc; co-chair of Dylan Days in Hibbing. This blog does not reflect the opinion of any of these organizations and I welcome comments from all points of view.

Friday, June 13, 2008

Brown on the Air: Low cost summer fun

Gas prices got you down? My weekly essay on KAXE's "Between You and Me" this Saturday features low cost summer fun. What can we do for cheap this summer? I also talk about the art of gas siphoning, so tune in.

The show airs Saturday, June 14, between 10 a.m. and noon on 91.7 FM in northern Minnesota and streaming online at www.kaxe.org. Check it out.

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My new book, "Overburden: Modern Life on the Iron Range," is out now, available in book stores on the Iron Range and in Duluth and, week by week, in other parts of the state. I'll be making media appearances and doing live events all over the region and eventually the Twin Cities. Order a copy online at Barnes and Noble.

Hibbing: Theatre Showcase
Friday, Jan. 16
7 p.m.
Reading as one of several entertainment acts at Hibbing Community College Theatre Celebration; book signing to follow (event is a fundraiser for HCC Theatre program)

Book Club: Grand Rapids Men's Club
Wednesday, Jan. 28, 2009
7 p.m.
Grand Rapids Public Library

Chisholm: Ironworld Lecture
Saturday, Feb. 7, 2009
2 p.m.
Ironworld
Chisholm, Minn.

Hibbing: Library Lecture
Wednesday, Feb. 18, 2009
6:30 p.m.
Hibbing Public Library
Hibbing, Minn.

I've already had successful signing events in Hibbing, Grand Rapids and Virginia. We've done readings or lectures at the Duluth Barnes and Noble, Gilbert Public Library, Vermilion Community College in Ely and Grand Rapids Public Library. You can pick up signed copies of the book at Howard Street Booksellers in Hibbing, Lisa's Upstairs Bookstore in Ely, the Village Bookstore in Grand Rapids, Woodward's in Virginia and the Duluth Barnes and Noble. The book is available throughout the state and online everywhere. Other events are being scheduled all the time, so check back for updates. I do lectures, workshops and speeches about the Iron Range, blogging, and other media topics. Contact me for more information.

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The Iron Range: A definition

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Friday, June 13, 2008

Brown on the Air: Low cost summer fun

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