Soo Line Depot/Cuyuna Range History Museum

02/24/2026

Main Street in Crosby in the 1930's.

02/05/2026

On February 5, 1924, water from Foley Lake burst into the Milford Mine, killing 41 miners in what remains Minnesota’s deadliest mining disaster. Only seven miners managed to climb out and survive.

Originally opened for manganese mining in 1917, the Milford Mine had reached a depth of about 200 feet by 1924 under owner George H. Crosby. That same year, about 70,000 tons of manganese ore—used in steel production—were mined and shipped from the site to Duluth, then transported to steel plants in cities such as Detroit and Cleveland.

Recovery efforts after the disaster were slow and hazardous. The mine was packed with mud and debris, and workers constantly feared additional cave-ins. It took several months to recover all of the victims, with the final body brought out on November 9. The mine resumed operations shortly afterward, but by 1932, declining demand for steel during the Great Depression led to the mine’s closure.

Pictured is Main Street of the Milford Mining Company in Crosby in 1924.

Photo courtesy of Minnesota Historical Society

09/05/2025

This project started in 1995. It has turned to be successful and continues. The story is featured in Volume II of Cuyuna Country: A Peoples' History and Lakeland TV
https://lptv.org/crosby-pasties-bring-community-together/

08/13/2025