Ready to descend: A Minnesota iron miner in the underground, 1908-1913

Experiences as an underground miner on Minnesota's Iron Range. 'It was April 27, 1908, when I was lowered for the first time into the "bowels of the earth,"' Pelto writes. 'On that day I started tunneling like a mole to earn my daily bread.'" There were no labor unions and no workers compensation. But there was work, plenty of it, and company bosses with production quotas to meet at any human expense. The immigrant miners risked their lives daily and sought respite in the boarding houses, workers halls and saloons. Documenting a time when workers were useful only as long as their bodies held out. Pelto's narrative is unique in its scope and vivid detail.