Off-site Attractions

LONGYEAR DRILL SITE

In 1890, Edmund J. Longyear took charge of the first Iron Range drilling operation in Township 59, Range 14 near what is now the city of Hoyt Lakes, Minnesota. This was his introduction to the great iron producing area of northern Minnesota, which became home to tens of thousands of immigrants and the producer of millions of tons of iron ore. Few men, if any, contributed more to early Mesabi iron ore exploration than Edmund J. Longyear. The resulting E.J. Longyear Company expanded to become an international leader in the field of diamond core manufacturing, usage, and mineral exploration.

In 1976 the Iron Range Historical Society reconstructed Longyear’s first drill site 3.5 miles north of Hoyt Lakes on St. Louis County Road 666. Authentic diamond drilling equipment is in place. The drill site is registered as both a State and National Historic Site. A turnout and parking area is provided for visitors. There is an information booth to direct people to a wilderness nature trail leading to the exploratory drill site. In 2011 the East Range Lions Club, at the request of IRHS, refurbished the information booth. The site is now maintained by the City of Hoyt Lakes and the Hoyt Lakes Garden Club.

Preserved at the site is the beginning of a new era in mineral exploration. Longyear’s steam engine drove its diamond-bitted drill to a depth of 1,293 feet. Equipment on site includes a Sullivan Model “H” Drill, which held the diamond bits that rotated to drill and core the earth; a Cameron #3 Steam Water Pump, which was used to cool the diamond bits; a Churn Buck used to drive down the drill castings, and a Vertical Steam Boiler which delivered power to the drill. Core samples and an original diamond drill bit are held by the Iron Range Historical Society.

Eventually, Mr. Longyear directed the exploration of more than 7,100 test pit and diamond drill holes across the length of the Mesabi Range, hauling his equipment along the notorious Mesabi Trail from Babbitt to Grand Rapids. He located ore bodies for a number of mines: St. James, Stephens, Miller, Mohawk, Embarrass Lake, Pillsbury, Longyear, Webb, Kerr, Buffalo, Susquehanna, Dunwoody, Leetonia, Stevenson, Bennett, St. Paul, Alexander, Aromac, Sargent, Hawkins, Harrison, Holman, Buckeye, and Canisteo. He also platted several communities near these mines, including Aurora; Chisholm; Keewatin; Nashwauk; and Bovey.

In 2016, the Longyear Drill Site became a Poke Stop in the very popular Pokemon Go application. The drill site is also a geocache location. Anyone may access the site at 6500 County Road 666 but please be careful crossing the railroad tracks on your way to the drill site.