Missabe Road DM&IR Railway By Frank A. King. In 1865, the nation's largest iron ore deposits were discovered in northern Minnesota, and life in the area was irrevocably altered as an economic boom transformed the region. In the 1880s and 1890s, two railroads, the Duluth and Iron Range Rail Road and the Duluth, Missabe and Northern Railway (which later merged), moved massive shipments of ore to the docks on Lake Superior. The Missabe Road tells the complete story of the DM&IR: its construction, early operation, line extensions, passenger service, rolling stock, steam locomotives, and today's modern diesels. King examines underground and open pit mining operations, modern-day taconite mining, and transportation.