IRON MOUNTAIN

city, seat (1891) of Dickinson county, southwestern Upper Peninsula of Michigan, U.S., 52 miles (84 km) west of Escanaba. Settled in 1879 and incorporated in 1889, it was named for its proximity to a bluff heavily stratified with iron ore. In the 1930s underground mining became uneconomic, but the industry has revived with open-pit mining and the pelletizing of ore. Tourism and winter sports (based at Pine Mountain ski resort and Vulcan USA) are significant economic factors. Manufactures include wood products, chemicals, and machinery. Guided tours are given of the underground shafts of the Iron Mountain Iron Mine, which ceased production in 1945. The adjoining city of Kingsford (incorporated village, 1925; city, 1947) developed with the establishment of a Ford Motor Company plant. Pop. (1990) 8,525; (1994 est.) 8,437.