Movie shows how Iron Range ore helped build American

ELY- Ely’s Historic State Theater was packed with folks eager to learn some history of the Iron Range. They were also there to express heartfelt support for Ely local Pam Brunfelt, who is the genesis of the hour-long Emmy Award-winning film.
The documentary grew out of an immersive Minnesota Humanities Center education program led in part by Iron Range historian, scholar, and educator Pam Brunfelt. Pam was a history and political science instructor at Vermilion Community College in Ely for nearly 30 years.
“Iron Range: Minnesota Building America” does an excellent (Emmy worthy) job of chronologically detailing the iron mining industry from its inception in the 1800s right up to our modern time. But, more than that, it gets at the heart of why our Iron Range mining has been and continues to be a force that inspires people, nations, and the world. The story of steel derived from the Iron Range has built national rail systems, built the New York skyscrapers, is in the Golden Gate Bridge, and won two world wars. Some less obvious consequences and outcomes of the iron mining industry are detailed by many interviews with experts in material science, sociology, psychology, and economics throughout the film. Miners and their families relate first-hand experiences. Alongside electrification, iron ore from the Iron Range enabled the industrial revolution in the 20th century.
This is a film about more than ore, iron and steel – it defines a culture and lifestyle that brought our ancestors and families together in this place we now call home. In many ways it explains our heritage and where we are today with the mining industry.
Following the screening, Pam Brunfelt sat for question-and-answer time with the audience, which lasted nearly an hour. Together they reflected on the history and stories presented in the film, how the film got made, and the remarkable fact that for a century, about 200,000 people held up an entire nation built on steel.

Left: Pam Brunfelt (center) sat with staff from the Minnesota Humanities Center during a question-and-answer session after the showing of the Emmy award-winning movie in Ely on Oct. 25.
photos by C. Laine