Pioneer Mine

On a dreary day, Erin and I visited the Pioneer Mine in Ely. I thought the mood was just right for visiting an abandoned mine.

Headframe and some main buildings.

Decrepit retaining wall.

Abandoned lockers.

A 2nd group of buildings. This one was wide open and you could walk right in (we didn't). Strange.

When the mining ended (it moved to the nearby Mesabe Iron Range), the pumps were turned off and the mines collapsed and flooded, forming this lake.