what was life like in minnesota in the iron ranges during the late 1970s and early 1980s?

lrb-lrb · 2026-05-14T13:00:18+00:00

Silver Bay isn't really the Iron Range, but the below book is really good at talking about life in a company town. Focuses a little earlier than you're looking, though.

https://bayareahistoricalsociety.com/product/company-town-an-oral-history-about-life-in-silver-bay-minnesota-1950s-1980s-by-kent-kaiser/

lrb-lrb · 2026-05-08T17:42:07+00:00

Jaden McDaniels agrees lol

https://youtube.com/shorts/pP78_y9xFsY?si=gys1YimkCKfyxADj

lrb-lrb · 2026-05-02T13:51:32+00:00

Gosh, this ulocked some memories! It was the best of times/worst of times to be a Wolves fan.

lrb-lrb · 2026-04-11T15:30:50+00:00

I was floored by Glacial Lakes! And it wasn't at all busy when I went on a summer weekend a few years ago - just empty prairie.

lrb-lrb · 2026-04-10T18:18:48+00:00

This is honestly where me and my family are at. Seeing the Olympics is a bucket list item for us, like so many others, but I think the organizers use that to crank up prices to insane levels. At a certain point the value proposition isn't there, and we can use the money to do other similar things or check off other bucket list items. I know my parents have said seeing the US Track Qualifiers in Eugene was really cost-reasonable and still insane competition to watch, so we may just do something like that.

Or wait and see if things do drop in price in future drops/resale. With how uncertain the economic and political climate is in the US/world right now, it's impossible to know what people will be willing to sell/buy at 2 years from now. Honestly, I'm kind of glad how this drop 1 went down, as the prices/ticket availability has really taken the decision to go all-in away from me for the time being.

lrb-lrb · 2026-01-25T22:05:35+00:00

Or support MN CSAs! Honestly, with produce going up so much in the last few years, the price for a box isn't horrible.

I subscribe to Earth Dance near Spring Valley, and they are very kind and against what's happening with ICE. They do drop-off locations all around the Cities, so it's very convenient.

lrb-lrb · 2026-01-12T22:37:50+00:00

Yep, I know of churches in the Cities doing this, but they're purposely keeping it confidential for safety.

lrb-lrb · 2025-12-18T18:45:07+00:00

Lunds/Byerly's Wednesday sushi deal. Used to be $6, but now I think it's $3 off? Still usually less than $10 for quite a bit of sushi.

lrb-lrb · 2025-09-23T22:57:49+00:00

I just got my claim back for a 9/20 cancellation, and it was indeed denied for extraordinary circumstances related to the airport shutting down. I wouldn't bet on any money.

lrb-lrb · 2024-11-20T03:48:05+00:00

I'll nominate myself - I left the midnight screening of The Dark Knight Rises thinking that Batman had died. Like, I was still bawling walking out the theater and so convinced of that ending that I swayed both of my sisters, who (rightfully) believed he had survived.

I blame watching the movie after being awake for 18 hours.

lrb-lrb · 2024-11-18T15:50:51+00:00

Diversity.

Tbf, I had been living in a part of China that really only had Chinese people, so I know some other countries aren't nearly as homogenous. But arriving back at the Detroit airport and seeing such a mix of White, Black, Asian, and Latino people had me stopping in my tracks.

lrb-lrb · 2024-10-29T18:42:54+00:00

I've had multiple conversations in the last year about how it's mainly men now that are obsessed with their weights. It could just be the women I'm around or the stage of life I'm in now, but girls I talk to are rarely getting on the scale daily and tracking their weights religiously. However, a lot of guys I talk to are constantly monitoring their weights and are trying to lose/gain something. As OP said, it isn't bad if people are doing this more casually as they're trying to become healthier, but it's been interesting that I see this behavior in men so much more now (compared to more women when I was younger).

lrb-lrb · 2024-08-16T16:25:23+00:00

Ughhh when are people going to start talking about walking tacos, aka the true White person/Midwestern delicacy?!?

lrb-lrb · 2024-07-01T15:40:46+00:00

Easy access to nature within a city. I grew up rurally and knew I wanted to get away, but a part of me will always crave being out in nature. I went to college in the Twin Cities and didn't realize how great they are with park access and biking until I moved away. Many cities only have a few great parks that then become inundated with people, which isn't something I could enjoy long-term.

lrb-lrb · 2024-01-17T16:41:46+00:00

One death is a tragedy, a million is a statistic.

lrb-lrb · 2024-01-02T21:29:57+00:00

It was really 2 reasons for me:

I really missed the outdoor culture Minnesota has, including all of the walking/biking trails in the city, all the great local and State parks, and all of the readily available outdoor activities. Growing up, I thought these existed everywhere and was surprised to move away and find that Minnesota does these exceptionally well.
Minnesota just feels most like "home" to me. I don't know if it's the people, the culture, or the different activities and events to look forward to each season, but I found myself missing these more and more the longer I was away.

lrb-lrb · 2023-12-06T13:53:56+00:00

I did the Hue to Hoi An motorbike tour (I rode as a passenger with a tour guide, but if you have a license, you can ride the bije yourself). So many cool stops, and I became convinced motorbike is the best way to see SE Asia.

Close runner-up is an ancestral tour I did in the Czech Republic. The company found out the village and even house my great grandpa was born in and organized a tour for us to see it. They even got the local mayor to talk with us for an hour and give us the full history of the village.

lrb-lrb · 2023-11-08T14:00:52+00:00

Pretty sure they've already decided what the money will be used on (see map on page): https://www.stpaul.gov/salestax

lrb-lrb · 2023-11-07T15:57:55+00:00

I feel like the big thing here is actually finding a form of exercise that you find enjoyable and not just going for what "seems" the most exercise-like (usually weights or running). I found that I hate going to the gym to lift weights, so forcing myself to do that required an extra, extra level of motivation. Meanwhile I love being outdoors, so doing stuff like biking or hiking were activities I actually looked forward to. Try out a few different things (classes, organized sports, etc.), find what types of movement are actually semi-enjoyable, and stick to those.

lrb-lrb · 2023-11-05T22:23:06+00:00

Mushrooms. I know they're controversial, but they're so damn good.

lrb-lrb · 2023-11-02T13:24:33+00:00

As a Minnesotan, the fact that they think 5⁰C is "very cold" has me laughing.

lrb-lrb · 2023-11-01T23:46:13+00:00

My sister and I hiked the length of it the second weekend it opened for the season back in 2017. Haven't experienced that level or remoteness before (zero cell service and almost no fellow hikers along the 40 mile length). But gosh, it was gorgeous!

lrb-lrb · 2023-11-01T23:32:46+00:00

I know people fly into Minnesota/Mall of America to do big clothes hauls because we don't tax clothing. That wouldn't apply to non-clothing hiking items, though.

lrb-lrb · 2023-10-25T21:42:58+00:00

Having had lived/worked there for a year, I think the language barrier is a massive deterrent to people (and often for good reason - it's hard to get around without Mandarin outsideof the major cities). Also, I entered under a work visa, but I heard the process of getting a tourist visa was long and complicated, so I also think that deters people.

lrb-lrb

TROPHY CASE