Manganese, Minnesota
Encyclopedia
Manganese was a small village in Minnesota
, United States
. Located in Wolford Township in Crow Wing County
, Manganese lies roughly 2 miles (3.2 km) north of Trommald, Minnesota
. Just off of County Road 34, it is perhaps best identified by its location between Coles Lake and Flynn Lake. First appearing in the 1920 census, the village was abandoned by 1960.
, the village first appeared as "Manganese Village" in the 1920 Census with a population of 183.
Over time, like most other minerals in the Cuyuna Range
, all of the ore had been extracted. As a result, no employment remained in the city, and the residents needed to relocate to find new jobs. Unlike other towns in the Cuyuna Range, rather than having its population decline by thirty or forty percent, Manganese lost its entire population. During the 1960s the city was abandoned; it became a ghost town. Nothing remained except for sidewalks, rubble, many building foundations, and various abandoned items. In the 1970s, the city amounted to nothing more than sidewalks and rubble. As time progressed into the 1980s, trees, roots, and shrubs began to uproot and crack through the concrete sidewalks. In the 1990s, a majority of the land was purchased. It is now privately owned and has a "no trespassing" sign posted on the gate of the southeastern part of the city. Presently, the area is consumed entirely by the growth of natural vegetation.
Although the grid pattern of roads remains, the roads have either disintegrated or have been completely overtaken by grass, trees, and shrubs. The sheer height of the trees expose what has become of land once occupied by numerous buildings. Manganese is a classic example of a "ghost town
."
Minnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Located in Wolford Township in Crow Wing County
Crow Wing County, Minnesota
Crow Wing County is a county located in the U.S. state of Minnesota. As of 2010, the population was 62,500. Its county seat is Brainerd.-Geography:...
, Manganese lies roughly 2 miles (3.2 km) north of Trommald, Minnesota
Trommald, Minnesota
As of the census of 2000, there were 125 people, 47 households, and 28 families residing in the village. The population density was 33.8 people per square mile . There were 52 housing units at an average density of 14.0 per square mile . The racial makeup of the village was 97.60% White, 0.80%...
. Just off of County Road 34, it is perhaps best identified by its location between Coles Lake and Flynn Lake. First appearing in the 1920 census, the village was abandoned by 1960.
History
Named after the mining of its namesakeManganese
Manganese is a chemical element, designated by the symbol Mn. It has the atomic number 25. It is found as a free element in nature , and in many minerals...
, the village first appeared as "Manganese Village" in the 1920 Census with a population of 183.
Over time, like most other minerals in the Cuyuna Range
Cuyuna Range
The Cuyuna Range is an iron range to the southwest of the Mesabi Range, largely within Crow Wing County, Minnesota. It lies along a line between Brainerd and Aitkin, although those communities are not mining towns....
, all of the ore had been extracted. As a result, no employment remained in the city, and the residents needed to relocate to find new jobs. Unlike other towns in the Cuyuna Range, rather than having its population decline by thirty or forty percent, Manganese lost its entire population. During the 1960s the city was abandoned; it became a ghost town. Nothing remained except for sidewalks, rubble, many building foundations, and various abandoned items. In the 1970s, the city amounted to nothing more than sidewalks and rubble. As time progressed into the 1980s, trees, roots, and shrubs began to uproot and crack through the concrete sidewalks. In the 1990s, a majority of the land was purchased. It is now privately owned and has a "no trespassing" sign posted on the gate of the southeastern part of the city. Presently, the area is consumed entirely by the growth of natural vegetation.
Although the grid pattern of roads remains, the roads have either disintegrated or have been completely overtaken by grass, trees, and shrubs. The sheer height of the trees expose what has become of land once occupied by numerous buildings. Manganese is a classic example of a "ghost town
Ghost town
A ghost town is an abandoned town or city. A town often becomes a ghost town because the economic activity that supported it has failed, or due to natural or human-caused disasters such as floods, government actions, uncontrolled lawlessness, war, or nuclear disasters...
."