Women at Work,

Mining

(click on images below to view larger versions)

The women in these photos were employed by the Oliver Iron Mining Company during WWII.

Reminiscent of photos of other, more masculine, Mesabi Giants, the photo above captures the massive scale of the mines where the women worked.

The collection of photos displayed on this page was donated to the Iron Range Research Center in 1994 by Lorraine Novak. The collection is titled "Women at work, mining" and is held in the Research Center Archives photo collections book 76A. These photographs are copyrighted. Those seeking permission to publish these photos should contact the Research Center.

They were engaged in the heavy work of actual mining of ore, as evidenced by the pickaxe raised in the air in the photo at the top of this page..

Most women who worked for the mining companies during the war worked in laboratories, or doing light labor.

These women, however, worked in open pit iron mines at jobs that were dirty, dangerous, difficult, and demanding. Still the images seem to portray a cheerful lot. The women are reported to have felt good about their work because many of them had sons involved in the war, and their mining efforts were supporting those men.

Although bulldozers and other heavy equipment were available for big tasks, much of the work still involved the use of a shovel.

The woman on the left is apparently paused for lunch, and trying to avoid having her picture taken. On the right, however, the photographer has seemed to find a more cooperative bunch.