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A Study Of The “Iron Ridge” Mine: An Excerpt From When Iron Was King In Dodge County, Wisconsin, George G. Frederick

Field Station Bulletins

Mining began at the Iron Ridge Mine (now commonly called Neda Mine) in 1849. The ore is relatively concentrated (nearly 55% iron by weight) and was easily mined initially because some deposits were surficial and of a loosely-cemented granular structure. In the 1850's Byron H. Kilbourn (twice mayor of Milwaukee) purchased most of the land surrounding a competitor's open pit mine, and in 1864 his own Swedes Iron Co. began underground mining. The period from 1850 to 1890 was a period of intense railroad construction in the United States, so there was a high demand for iron from this mine. …