SOUDAN — Underground mine tours at the Lake Vermilion-Soudan Mine State Park will resume Memorial Day weekend, two years after flooding closed the tours indefinitely.
The closure for flooding beginning in 2024 followed a two-year restoration project that also prevented the public from touring the underground mines.
The Soudan Underground Mine tours include traveling more than 2,000 feet down to the 27th level of the mine via a hoist, followed by an underground train ride to the Montana stope, the last working area of the mine.
“You'll travel by cage on authentic, expertly maintained hoisting equipment. Once underground, you'll board a train and ride nearly a mile to the last and deepest area that was mined,” states a tour description on the park’s website.
“Hear true stories of the miners, innovations and safety improvements, and learn firsthand about the working conditions that made this underground iron mine known as the ‘Cadillac of Mines.’”
Due to space limitations, tickets are required for everyone, including children. The Soudan mine operated from 1882 to 1962, becoming a state park in 1965.
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