Manuscripts Collection
The Mississippi Land Company was a Weyerhaeuser Company enterprise, incorporated January 10, 1896, to hold title to mineral rights on such land tracts as showed promise of iron and other ore deposits, and to lease and develop them. The Mississippi River Lumber Company held half of its stock, while E. C. Whitney and associates held the remainder. The company owned "in fee" 2,000 acres of Minnesota’s Mesabi Iron Range. In later years as the rich iron ore gave out, the company was concerned with taconite development.
The Mississippi Land Company was never an operating company. It became a private holding company which received mineral royalties and invested some of them in stocks and bonds. It was liquidated in 1967 when the ore reserves dwindled.
The papers include maps; some correspondence, 1956-1965; annual statements, 1902-1960; royalty tax reports, 1924-1965; agreements; ore tonnage statements, 1954-1962; ad valorem taxes; Itasca County real estate taxes, 1946-1963; liquidation files, and miscellaneous papers. Main correspondents are Meyer Randleman and Donald N. Ranson.
The volumes include minute books, 1896-1965; stock certificate books, 1896-1930; stock transfer ledgers and records, 1930-1968; ledgers and journals, 1896-1967; voucher registers, 1927-1967; cash books, 1900-1966; and iron mine reports, 1901-1964.
Accession number: 11,091; 16,402
Processed by: Bonnie Palmquist, January 1975; Christopher G. Welter, January 2010
Catalog ID number: 001731898
This collection is indexed under the following headings in the catalog of the
Minnesota Historical Society. Researchers desiring materials about related topics
should
Plat of unleased mines (1896) and all mines (1954).
Loose stock certificates representing the certificates issued after 1930. All information on stocks after 1930 is contained in the two stock transfer books.
Years 1920, 1924 are lacking.
Concerns stockholders, capital gain amendment to iron ore royalties.
Includes some balance sheets.
Includes correspondence about tax refund from years 1954 through 1958.
Correspondence about depletion figures.
Agreements between Mississippi Land Company and Butler Brothers, Pacific Isle Mining Company, Hanna Mining Company, and Clement Quinn Ore Company.
These taxes were paid by the various lessees.
These working papers include information on depletion, dividends and land taxes.
Correspondence about tax discrepancies on iron ore reserves.
1) Tax list-mining properties; 2) schedule of surface real estate; 3) valuations on unleased mines and data on mining leases.
Concerns York, Arkansas, Shada and Hawkins. Includes listing of Mississippi land under lease.
Includes map of holdings.
Correspondence about Lawrence Norton's attempt to control proxies in order to elect a director.
Correspondence about valuation and sale prospects.
Correspondence about land titles involved in sale to Hanna Mining Company.
Correspondence about liquidation of assets and distribution.
Records of individual mines, giving information on lessor, lessee, royalty rate, ground rent, ore shipments, etc.
Record of final liquidation payments.