Minnesota Discovery Center

About Us

We are all about the land, the mines, the people and the work of the Iron Range region of northern Minnesota.
Minnesota Discovery Center is a nonprofit institution and the state's largest museum complex outside of the Twin Cities metro area.

Comprised of a Museum, Research Center, and Park and encompassing 660 acres, Minnesota Discovery Center tells the story of the Iron Range - ''The Land, The Mines, The People and The Work'' - through exhibits, interpretation, programming and research materials. The Center highlights the story of the predominantly European immigrants who migrated to this region at the turn of the 20th century to find work in the burgeoning iron ore industry.

Minnesota Discovery Center’s Museum is a 33,000-square-foot facility that houses artifacts, examines mining methods, explores regional geology, and hosts traveling exhibits that help illuminate the spirit and sensibilities of Iron Range pioneers and their descendants. A special area of the museum is dedicated to the life and work of Minnesota Governor Rudy Perpich, a Hibbing native.

Minnesota Discovery Center’s Iron Range Research Center is a 14,000-square-foot facility that includes a special library and archives that collects historically significant written, oral and visual records of Minnesota’s Iron Ranges and the Taconite Assistance Area. The 7,000 volume library focuses on the regional and local history of northeastern Minnesota. Over the past 20 years it has become a premiere destination for those seeking regional genealogical data. As a sanctioned government records repository, the archives contains more than 4,000 collections, including: records from local and regional units of government, personal and family papers, organizational and corporate records, topographic and mining maps, photographs, and regional oral histories.