Undermined Landscapes: The History and Geography of Iron Mining in Republic, Michigan, 1869–1996

Today, iron is at the foundation of many of society's technological systems, yet we rarely stop to consider the mines from which iron ore was extracted. Many of these mine sites have halted extraction, rendering their surrounding environments former mining towns. Previous scholarship on mining history has challenged the notion that mines simply close because they run out of ore, instead advancing arguments that centralize the roles of market pressure, government policy, or technological shortcomings. However, this patchwork of explanations is discordant as the aforementioned list has few unifying characteristics. This project attempts to reconcile these fragmented explanations by advancing the framework of "vertical and horizontal geographies of extraction" which embraces the messy and multifaceted processes involved in the development and closure of mines. Horizontal geography studies the connection between mines and markets to primarily understand the role market pressures play in the development and closure of mines. On the other hand, vertical geography analyzes the geologic knowledge and technology central to extraction. The broad categories of horizontal and vertical geographies include all explanations for mine closure and allows for analysis of the interaction between different pressures. This project applies the geographies of extraction framework to the Republic Mine — a former iron ore mine in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan (UP). Using archival research, with an emphasis on maps, this paper tracks the development of horizontal and vertical systems at the Republic Mine, from the first plans for mining in 1869 until the mine closed for the final time in 1996. This paper finds that a combination of market pressures, geologic knowledge, and technological advancement guided the Republic Mine's development. Moreover, market pressures augmented vertical components of mine development to intensify the scale of extraction. In addition, this paper finds that the Republic Mine closed two different times for two different reasons: in 1928, the Republic Mine closed because all the ore that could be profitably extracted had been mined; and in 1981, after new technology enabled the mine to reopen, the Republic Mine indefinitely idled because it could not compete with foreign mines (the mine officially closed in 1996). In both cases, markets viewed Republic as a disposable resource. With mining complete, this project urges readers to consider this narrative to move beyond the extractive logics imposed by markets.