The biggest operating open pit iron ore mine in the world, more than three miles long, two miles wide and 535 feet deep. This man-made "Grand Canyon of the North" was the first strip mine on the Mesabi Iron Range. The amazing view continues to grow as the Hibbing Taconite Company Mine expands its mining operations. Rotary drills, 33-cubic-yard shovels and 240-ton production trucks can been seen in action at this National Historic Site.
It's difficult to exagerate the importance of this mine. This from the HAER at the LoC.
This open pit mine of the Mesabi Range is the largest in the world. It was the immense output of this mine, as the chief producer of the Mesabi Range, that was to revolutionize the American steel industry, enabling the U.S. to become the world's largest manufacturer of steel. Developed in 1895, it was also one of the first of the world's mines to be worked by open pit or strip mining techniques.