IRON RANGE VETERANS MEMORIAL

VIRGINIA, MN

Last Light at Aurora With the midwest getting a blanket of snow and frigid temperatures this weekend, it feels appropriate to flash back to my long weekend at the DMIR a year ago. These ex-UP, nee-CNW, C40-8s are mostly, if not entirely, removed from the iron range last I heard. I'm certainly glad we had a chance to shoot them. Dash 8s dominated the Iron Range sub, the former Duluth & Iron Range Railroad, on our weekend there. Had we longer, we may have explored farther along the D&IR trackage, but we certainly got our fill of these units. They look sharp in CN paint, and remarkably clean considering how the railroad treats much of its other older power. At Aurora, MN, we caught a triplet of C40-8s - 2020, 2116, 2033 - hauling empties back west. As we neared golden hour, some fine sunlight illuminated our trio. We would follow these back to Iron Junction before scurrying down to Fairlane to catch our BLE/IC/CN trio pull fresh tac out at sunset. Boy, that was a fun evening.
Last Light at Aurora Credit: Leo Blackwelder

Iron Range Veterans Memorial is a tribute to the military veterans of Minnesota's Iron Range region. The memorial is located in Olcott Park, Virginia, Minnesota, and was dedicated on Memorial Day in 1994. The centerpiece of the memorial is a bronze sculpture of a soldier in full combat gear, standing atop a granite pedestal. The soldier is depicted with his rifle in hand and his head bowed, paying homage to his fallen comrades.

The memorial is surrounded by six granite pillars, each representing one of the six branches of the U.S. Armed Forces – Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, Coast Guard, and Merchant Marines. Each pillar is adorned with the insignia of the respective branch, and a plaque with the names of local veterans who served in that branch.

The memorial also includes a brick pathway inscribed with the names of local veterans, and a granite monument dedicated to prisoners of war and those missing in action. The monument features a bronze plaque depicting the iconic image of a soldier's helmet resting on a rifle, with a pair of boots placed next to it.

The Iron Range Veterans Memorial serves as a solemn reminder of the sacrifices made by the men and women of the Iron Range who served their country in times of war and peace. It is a place of reflection and honor, and a fitting tribute to the bravery and dedication of our nation's military veterans.

IRON RANGE VETERANS MEMORIAL is a Historical Societies, Historic Preservation in VIRGINIA MN. US MID #8402700578

The museum is classed as HSC (Historical Societies, Historic Preservation). It comes under American Alliance of Museums (AAM) region: Midwest (Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Ohio, Wisconsin). Total revenue from most recent IRS 990 Form: $ 52,994 from tax period 201212 (YYYYMM).

Last Light at Aurora With the midwest getting a blanket of snow and frigid temperatures this weekend, it feels appropriate to flash back to my long weekend at the DMIR a year ago. These ex-UP, nee-CNW, C40-8s are mostly, if not entirely, removed from the iron range last I heard. I'm certainly glad we had a chance to shoot them. Dash 8s dominated the Iron Range sub, the former Duluth & Iron Range Railroad, on our weekend there. Had we longer, we may have explored farther along the D&IR trackage, but we certainly got our fill of these units. They look sharp in CN paint, and remarkably clean considering how the railroad treats much of its other older power. At Aurora, MN, we caught a triplet of C40-8s - 2020, 2116, 2033 - hauling empties back west. As we neared golden hour, some fine sunlight illuminated our trio. We would follow these back to Iron Junction before scurrying down to Fairlane to catch our BLE/IC/CN trio pull fresh tac out at sunset. Boy, that was a fun evening.
Paul Wellstone Memorial and Historic Site Eveleth, Minnesota
Smoking Sparta's Signals With this weeks forecast looking (and feeling) pretty damn hot, it's nice to look back a few months during the wintry period. When my buddy Jake and I ventured up to the ex-DMIR CN Iron Range, we were greeted with hefty amounts of snow and some fairly frigid temperatures at times. Although I'm from a state that sees its fair share of snow and low temps, I've found myself becoming pretty weak to them. Yet, as this weeks shapes up to be in the high 90s, humid, and I'll be stuck in a warehouse that only makes all that worse... I'm starting to wish for those cold temps back. For now. Back on the CN Iron Range sub, former CNW C40-8s power empty ore cars from Two Harbors to the taconite plants farther inland, and farther uphill. We'd shot all up and down the Iron Range and were getting tired of the drive, but we had the opportunity to nab a quick shot at Sparta, MN. Well, why not? A little stroke of luck - melting snow from slowly warming temperatures made a nice puddle to catch a reflection, while one of the old C40-8s started to really smoke it up. Man, they do look and sound good. It's a shame the C6Ms and GEVOs are starting to replace the power sets up there already. Man, I wish I had more time to shoot this place. And for non-extreme temperatures. Wishful thinking, I suppose.
Farewell Fairlane The wait was long, but when I remoted into ATCS and saw Fairlane start flashing green to request access south, I knew we had timed things very right. The sun was beginning to dip ever closer towards the horizon and granting us our first bit of golden light as CN U717 led by BLE909 / IC6260 / DMIR408 began to depart Fairlane. The taconite was as fresh as can be, steaming away happily as the orange leader led into golden light. Truly, how much more perfect could it get? This was our final train of the day, our first full day on the range, and we had the opportunity to do some southbound pacing thanks to the sun setting before long. That was our main goal, so a simple wedge right at the crossing outside the plant was all we got. Looking back, we certainly could have gotten a fine curve shot just a touch to our west, but we wanted to be in the position to pace quickly and didn't want to miss anything. You live and learn. I have a good chunk of range content to go, but I think I'll keep it tucked away for later. I'm hoping to return to the range this summer if I'm lucky, so maybe I can snag some more golden power and light together! Or I can get that damn white silled SD40 leading in the day. Maybe. Anyway, off to another adventure...
Human After All Upon following a loaded tac train along the Iron Range sub for a little while, we found ourselves meeting a westbound train around Biwabik. What we found was not the Dash 8 trio we expected, but the DMIR409/400 leading the MRF back to Keenan yard! Naturally, we chased them back to Iron Junction, but with earlier experience doing some pacing, we knew we could pace at Ramshaw - the diamond where the Rainy sub and Iron Range subs cross just outside of the junction. We got many waves on our trip to the range, but the MRF was definitely the best of the bunch in that regard. Plenty of waves and peace signs alike from a friendly conductor on the DMIR409, an ex-SSW SD45T-2 rebuilt as an SD40-3, but the highlight was back at the junction itself, where this train had to stop. While standing atop the snow pile created by a plow, the conductor here hopped off the locomotive and came to have a brief chat with us. Talking about the motive power up there (and how clapped all of it is), rail traffic, and even the Northshore Mining railroad (they're running again!). Of course, once a T-Bird went past, he had to return to the cab and take the train into Keenan Yard. Still, that brief five minutes or so was a nice surprise. It's always nice to have a positive interaction with railroaders in a hobby full of toxicity and a myriad of problem-people who cause trouble for the rest of us. There is often a divide between the people in the cab and those of us trackside - it is pretty weird to be taking photos of people working, in total fairness - but interactions like these are a great reminder that we are all human and not all that different. At least I think anyways. We didn't catch the name of the conductor unfortunately, but we wish we had! Would have been nice to send over a photo or two for sure. Ahh, well.
A bite of pickled herring at the Kropsu Breakfast at Laskiainen in Palo, Minnesota A haiku review: Pickled herring— a side of sea in two bites. Please attribute to Lorie Shaull if used elsewhere.
Kropsu Breakfast at Laskiainen in Palo, Minnesota A kropsu haiku review: Eggy pillow pancake— slender golden mattress. Strawberry preserves make a sweet blanket or fairy dusted sugary cinnamon. Please attribute to Lorie Shaull if used elsewhere.

Contact IRON RANGE VETERANS MEMORIAL

IRON RANGE VETERANS MEMORIAL
PO BOX 35
VIRGINIA
MN
55792-0035

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IRON RANGE VETERANS MEMORIAL Information

MID # 8402700578
Name IRON RANGE VETERANS MEMORIAL
Alternate Name
Classification Historical Societies, Historic Preservation, , Midwest
Federal Employer Identification Number (EIN) 411923951
NTEECC A80
Tax period of the latest return filed (YYYYMM) 201212
INCOME 56,073
REVENUE 52,994
LAT/LONG 47.529707, -92.542146
CODES FIPS State Code: 27
FIPS County Code: 137
US Census Tract: 013000
US Census Block: 3003