Pellet Plant: Pioneer Pellet Plant, Negaunee, MI 

Began → Pioneer Pellet Plant → Became

From: 1956

Operated for: 15 years.

Owned by: Cleveland Cliffs; Marquette Iron Mining Company.

Produced: Iron Ore Pellets

Method: Took improved ore from adjacent Eagle Mills Improvement plant.

Railroad connection: LS&I off Eagle Mills yard.

Until: 1971

Lifetime Production: 

Note

The Pioneer Pellet Plant was located east off of Eagle Mills Yard, south of the Eagle Mills Pellet Plant, and north of the Eagle Mills ore improvement plant. This was the first pellet plant in the Marquette range. It was reached on a short branch off the old main line near the Eagle Mills yard office. It closed in 1971. [LSI1][LSI2]

Iron ore concentrate was railed from the Republic Concentrator at an annual rate of 800,000 tons of pellets. This plant ground the ore, pelletizing it by balling discs. A concentrator heated with the ore using coal and limestone. Pelletizing hardened on a traveling up-draft grate furnace. [IOI]

Time Line

1970. Ownership of plant was Cleveland-Cliffs Iron Co. (54%), Jones & Laughlin Steel Corp. (19%), Wheeling-Pittsburgh Steel Corporation (15%) and International Harvester Company (12%). [IOI]