The Shifting Sands of Chisholm, Minnesota
Once a week, in most weeks, the ground in Chisholm, Minnesota, trembles beneath our feet. “When they blast over here, we can feel it in town over there,” Jed Holewa, a member of the City Council, remarked as he gazed out over the expansive pit of the Hibbing Taconite mine. This machine-carved canyon, with its flint-colored earth, stretches toward the hills just southwest of town.
The low, reassuring rumble of controlled explosions is a familiar sound in an area where the livelihoods of many are closely tied to the mining industry. However, this month, the ground beneath the Iron Range is beginning to shift in a more concerning direction.
The sedimentary rock known as taconite, abundant in northern Minnesota, is vital to the United States’ iron ore supply, which is crucial for producing steel used in the American automotive industry. Thus, the seismic effects of President Trump’s announcement on March 26, regarding a 25 percent tariff on all imported cars and auto parts, are being felt across the region. This measure aims to bolster the domestic auto industry and has garnered support from labor leaders. Yet, analysts anticipate it will likely throw that industry into turmoil in the near term, with several domestic automakers experiencing stock declines following Mr. Trump’s announcement.
This tariff declaration coincides with an escalating trade conflict between the United States and Canada, sparked by Mr. Trump’s previous threats to impose sweeping tariffs on America’s northern neighbor and long-standing ally. In response, Canada has implemented its own tariffs.
Compounding the situation, Cleveland-Cliffs, the steel conglomerate that operates Hibbing Taconite and several other nearby mines, has announced plans to idle production lines and lay off over 600 mine workers in the region, citing a decreasing demand for automobiles. Mr. Holewa, a diesel mechanic at Hibbing Taconite, is among those anxiously awaiting news about his job security.
As the son and grandson of miners, Mr. Holewa is deeply familiar with the industry’s fluctuating fortunes. He reflects on both the highs and lows of a profession where substantial union wages coexist with inherent risks and uncertainties. His maternal grandfather tragically lost his life on the job, crushed beneath the weight of a haul truck. Similarly, his father faced hardships when he was laid off from a mine in Eveleth, Minnesota, during the 1980s, a period marked by significant challenges for the industry. The high points of their family’s journey were often captured in the model years of the Fords they purchased as he grew up: a 1988 Tempo, a 1994 F-150.
