Crosby, MN

Crosby is a Crow Wing County city of 2,360 residents in the 2020 census, adjacent to Ironton in the Cuyuna Iron Range. It was built for mining, and the water-filled pits and lakes still tell that story: Foley Lake, Portsmouth Mine Pit Lake, and Serpent Lake sit around the city. On February 5, 1924, a mine tunnel blasted too close to Foley Lake; water rushed in and 41 miners died. That disaster remains part of the local geography rather than a distant footnote.

The Cuyuna landscape has since shifted from iron ore to recreation. The nearby Cuyuna Country State Recreation Area and Cuyuna Lakes State Trail use former mining land for biking, hiking, camping, diving, and paddling, while Crosby and Ironton share the area's schools and events. Crosby also keeps its mining past visible in local parks and historical interpretation. Crosby's local map is a mining city with pit lakes, a trail system, and a neighboring twin city built into the same range.