The Burt-Poole and Sellers mines were the first to ship iron ore out of Minnesota’s Iron Range in the summer of 1895. In its first five years the Sellers Ore Company shipped 188,000 tons. By 1919 the figure had shot up to 8.9 million tons, according to the 1921 book Duluth and St. Louis County, Minnesota; Their Story and People by Walter Van Brunt.

Many of the oldest postcards do not have captions on the back, but the last two featured here do.

Sellers-Webb-Weggum Mine
Hibbing, Minnesota
A view across the Sellers mine showing Webb mine conveyor at left and Weggum mine (right) in distance.

Giant Electric Shovel Loading Ore into Cars, Hull Rust Sellers Open Pit Mine, Hibbing, Minn.
In the operation of the open pits, electric shovels are standard equipment for digging and loading the ore. This 350-ton shovel shown can pick up from 14 to 18 tons at a scoop.