Settlers aware of Jackson iron ore

This is how New York Iron Co., Black River Falls, appeared from Tilden's Mound in Jackson County looking south. Note pig iron stacked like cord-wood. Iron ore was found in Jackson County by settlers as early as 1840. It was loaded into box cars for shipment.

     Profitable iron mining has been discussed in Jackson County since the arrival of white settlers.
     Iron deposits were discovered in 1839 by Jacob Spaulding, founder of Black River Falls, when he came to log pine timber.
     The first recording of iron deposits was made by the Rev. Alfred Brunson, a Methodist minister, who traveled through the country from Sparta to Eau Claire in 1843.
     Bruson said he traveled too far east and lost his bearing near the present village of Millston; then traveled northeast of the "Falls", (Black River Falls) finally reaching the Black River north of the "Falls."

Reports finding mounds

     In his wanderings he discovered "several mounds from 100 to 300 feet high apparently composed entirely of iron store ore." Bronson's report was the beginning of iron ore speculation.
     Throughout the history of Black River Falls, as recorded in the early newspaper volumes of the "Jackson County Banner" and its successor the "Badger State Banner," editors painted a rosy future for the city by telling the reading world of great things iron ore was going to do, not only for the Falls but for the entire area.
      A copy of the first edition of the Jackson County Banner, August 14, 1856, reveals great expectations from he blast furnace being built north of the village on the Black River at Tilden's Mound (later known as Furnace Mound). Black River Falls was to become the Pittsburgh of the West.
     In that issue the editors quoted from the La Crosse Democrat, regarding the Democrat's editor making a trip to the blast furnace here, which was operated by the editor's friend Curts of the firm Garrett & Curts.

Editor writes account

     He reported: "They are located on the east side of the river, about one and one-fourth miles above the Falls. The company organized in 1885 and Wetzel, Haeuser, Metzgar, Weirich and Levis are the leading corporators. The stone work of their furnace is nearly completed and is of the first order.
     "About 40 hands are employed and they expect their works to be in operation the first of December next and in the mean time rolling mills, foundries, machine shops will be built on the grounds or in the vicinity making this point one of the leading ones in the state for iron manufacture.
     "The iron ore within the area of 40 acres square will prove inexhaustible for centuries to come and it is of the best quality."

Town sites planned

     Town sites were laid out on both sides of the river near Tilden's Mound, in anticipation of the big iron boom. One town was named "New Danemor" and the other "Iron Town".
     Legend says the first run of iron, in the fall of 1856, was disastrous. A large banquet was held on the day the first pig-iron was to be taken from the furnace.
     Workmen, stoking the furnace, also joined in the festivities and the fires went out, chilling the blast of iron in the furnace. It took several men, working with cold chisels and sledge hammers, months to cut away the chilled blast iron.

Geological description

     "An enterprising German Company recently erected a blast furnace, driven by water, on the east bank of the Black River one and one-half miles north of Black River Falls, at Tilden's Mound.
     "They mix the red oxide and magnetic ore, and flux with lime. They have attempted to use hearths from the Potsdam sandstone of the neighborhood, but have failed to make them work on account of the lime which they contain."
     The second run of the iron took place in July, 1857 and was done without a celebration.
     On July 9, 1857, the Banner headlines were: "Black River Iron Company - First Specimens of Iron - Glorious Results.
     "Messrs Haeuser and Wetzel, of the iron company, have this week laid upon our table such specimens of their smelted ore as to leave no doubt in the minds of the most skeptical, of their ability to produce an article equal to the best of Swedish iron.

"Resemblance of steel"

     "This iron is the result of the second smelting; is of a brilliant light or whitish color, and has much the resemblance of steel. We have submitted it to the examination of several mechanics accustomed to handling and using iron, who all unite in pronouncing it a very fine and pure article; and it is a matter of general rejoicing among us that the success of the experiments is so complete.
     "An approximate estimate of the amount of ore, at this point will be entirely safe at the following figures: west bank of the river, on land owned by Darrow and Curts, 15 million tons; east bank of the river, 28 million tons, including the iron company's location and Tilden's Mound."
     In those days the only means of transportation of the pig iron was by keel-boat or team and wagon. The keel-boats traveled down the Black River to La Crosse where the ore was loaded into steamboats and sent to markets down the Mississippi.
     Wagons carried the ore to foundries within hauling distance. Some pig iron was hauled as far away as Eau Claire over the rough, sandy Chippewa Overland stage route.
     Transportation fees proved costly and corporation funds were getting low, causing the Black River Iron Company to reorganize.
     Falls merchants and stockholders subscribed large sums of money during the re-organization of the iron company. A man named Qual, one of the officers in the company, was given the money and sent to Milwaukee where he was to buy new machinery.

Among drowning victims

     He happened to be in Milwaukee on Sept. 8, 1860, and accompanied friends on a weekend excursion to Chicago aboard the lake steamboat "Lady Elgin." On the return trip from Chicago, he was one of the 287 persons who drowned when the Lady Elgin went to the bottom of Lake Michigan in one of the noted disasters of the day.
     With the iron company's funds lying on the bottom of Lake Michigan, debts were left along with unpaid workmen. Stockholders and businessmen were ruined and the laborers were without resources.
     Attempts were made at various times for the next 20 years to make iron mining profitable, but none were successful.
     The next venture was in 1883 when James E. York of Ohio offered to build a 30-ton blast furnace at the cost of $100,000 if the citizens of the Falls would raise a $30,000 subsidy and the company would pay $70,000.

Built at 1856 site

     The new company erected their blast furnace on the site of the 1856 furnace. The brick for the several buildings was manufactured by local merchant Dudley J. Spaulding.
     Several charcoal kilns are located at the furnace site and at Merrillan, Neillsville and Millston for the manufacture of charcoal. Charcoal produced the great heat needed to make pig-iron.
     By August 1886 the first run of iron, about five tons, was made. From then regular runs of 10 to 15 tons were made three times a day. At that time there were 35 men employed in the furnace and 14 in the mines.

Build more charcoal kilns

     In September of that year the York Company erected an additional 30 charcoal kilns in order to keep up with the demand.
     Expenses ran high and troubles over litigation proved too much for the firm.
     In the April 5, 1892 issue of the Banner, Editor Frank Cooper commented: "The question as to whether iron ore in paying quantities exists here is a question everybody in this county is interested in and that was the principal point at issue in the suit last week which entitled the Jackson Iron Co. and John A. Humbird against the York Iron Co.
     "The case was given tot he jury at 4 p.m. last Saturday and a verdict rendered at 9 that same evening; giving judgment tot he Jackson County Iron Co., for $28,881.05 and to John Humbird for $7,984, against the York Iron Co.

Moved to Spring Valley

     In the fall of 1892 the furnace shut down and the company moved what was salvageable from the plant to Spring Valley.
     Profitable mining questions continued to arise at intervals through he years and in the late 1960s development of a taconite plant of Inland Steel became a reality.
     Construction of the $20 million mine and ore processing plant began in late 1967 after legislature had passed a depletion tax allowance for low grade iron ore mining in the state.
     The first shipment of taconite pellets left the Jackson County Iron Company plant in December of 1969.

250 employees at present

     The mine and processing plant, located at Iron Mound seven miles east of Black River Falls, have a work force of about 250 with an annual payroll of $2 million. The plant operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and originally planned to operate for 20 years.
     With completion of the $20 million facility, Jackson County residents thought their iron mining dream had come true, but current rumors of a cut in the depletion allowance by the state have given residents qualms about the plant closing in the near future.
     The new bill before the legislature would phase out the mineral depletion allowance and implement the net proceeds tax on extracted ore.
     Under the new proposal the state would take 50 per cent, while 25 per cent would be credited to the municipal and county shared tax account. The final 25 per cent would go into the investment and local impact fund.

-- Jean Anderson

Extracted from the Eau Claire Leader Telegram
Special Publication, Our Story 'The Chippewa Valley and Beyond', published 1976
Used with permission.