Abandoned: Taconite Harbor
Taconite Harbor was established both to supply electricity to taconite processing plants inland on Minnesota's Iron Range and to simultaneously export taconite pellets. The Erie Mining Company foresaw success exporting these pellets from a mine in Hoyt Lakes, Minnesota; the train overpasses just north on MN-61 took raw pellets to the Taconite Harbor dock until the early 2000s. Large barges would dock at Taconite Harbor to unload coal to fuel the plant, and then would reload with taconite pellets at the adjacent dock bound for locations such as Gary, Indiana and Detroit, Michigan.
To accomodate new workers at both the plant and the dock, the town of Taconite Harbor was established in 1957 by the Erie Mining Company to house employees and their families. Between 20-24 houses were built (sources differ) on a now abandoned road formerly known as Brandon Drive. For just $400 down and $100 a month (equivalent to around $3700 down and $900/month today), a 3/4 bedroom house nearby the plant was a big incentive for many families. They had seen the appeal of an affordable town right on the North Shore with a good view and quickly moved in. Soon after, infrastructure such as a fire hall, a playground, a basketball court, and a community center were established. In the 1960s and 70s, the town was doing very well with nearly 75 children calling Taconite Harbor home.
Unfortunately, this did not come to last, as in the late 1970s and early 1980s some families began moving away due to the excessive noise from the plant as well as health concerns over taconite dust in the air. The final nail in the coffin was the taconite industry hitting an all-time low in 1982, forcing Erie to scale back its workforce to just 100 employees. Families were told that the town was no longer going to be supported by the company, but for just $1 they could purchase their home under the stipulation that they had to remove it from the land. Many agreed, and some of these homes still exist on private properties along MN-61 and in nearby cities such as Silver Bay. By 1988, the last resident had left, officially making Taconite Harbor a ghost town. A handful of houses still stood unoccupied until the last were removed in 1990.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0QdiJzVrMYw
In 1989, Erie Mining was purchased by LTV Steel and operations in Taconite Harbor were ended by 2001. Following LTV's bankruptcy later that year, though, Cleveland Cliffs purchased LTV's assets in 2002 to claim what was left of taconite chips and pellets from the mine. These cleanup trains ran from the Hoyt Lakes mine to the dock until 2008, and the Cliffs-Erie Railroad that you drive under on MN-61 is unlikely to see activity again.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FRTivyPCJA0
On August 31st of 2017, a truck carrying an oversized load struck the middle overpass and it ended up being scrapped as it was beyond repair and posed a danger to drivers. Due to the abandonment the railroad line has seen, it's likely to sit dismantled permanently.
https://www.duluthnewstribune.com/news/4321778-after-all-night-effort-remove-damaged-bridge-highway-61-reopens
The plant currently runs on a skeleton crew of 42 employees and is only occasionally operated. Many had predicted that the plant would have completely closed by 2020, however in late 2019 the company in current ownership of the plant, Minnesota Power, declared that the plant would be on "standby" for two years before fully shutting down in 2022.
All that remains of the town today are two long-neglected paved roads, a few signs of infrastructure (sewer caps and a few rusted street lights), a handful of home foundations now buried under vegetation, and a largely overgrown basketball court. Perhaps by 2050 the plant will have been reclaimed by nature, just like the neighborhood it had brought to life.
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This geocache is a camouflage PB jar hidden a short walk away from both parking areas. You do not need to bushwhack through thick stuff to get there! An abandoned road (more of a path now) near the southern treeline will take you almost right to GZ - there is an abandoned structure very near to the cache, so you'll know when you're close. This cache should be accessible in winter, but Northern Minnesota loves throwing surprises.
If you are driving a high clearance vehicle (SUV, truck, Jeep, etc.) you'll be able to pull right onto the abandoned street straight from the active road and park at the first waypoint, if not closer. If you don't have one (like me), you can use the second parking waypoint OR park on the side of the road (keep in mind, there is no shoulder). Please don't cut through the woods if you need to park at the second waypoint - walking back up on the road is much easier and only a bit longer.
**CAUTION** - I don't think this poses any inherent risk, but I still feel obligated to include this disclaimer:
While you're walking from the active road to GZ on the abandoned roadway, there will be a few exposed manholes on the far right side of the asphalt. They are out of the way and have foliage covering them, so I don't think they pose any risk to cachers. However, if you're bringing pets or curious kids I advise you be aware of the risk.