For 140 years, mining has been driving the economy on the Range.

Women played more of a supporting role back in the beginning, since they couldn’t even work in the Soudan Mine until it closed.

On Tuesday, a presentation at the Lake Vermilion Soudan Underground Mine State Park.

Mine interpreter Kelsey Cooke shared more about how women ran boarding houses or could be teachers.

They also helped build community, since so many immigrant groups were living and working next to eachother.

Cooke hopes to build on this effort and add more to the Women in Mining presentation.