Iron Ore Alliance presents 2026 ‘Hard Rock Miners’ award to Lee Bloomquist
Annual award honors an individual’s contributions to Minnesota’s iron mining industry
Saint Paul, Minn. – The Iron Ore Alliance today announced Minnesota journalist Lee Bloomquist as the recipient of its fifth-annual “Hard Rock Miners” award in recognition of his outstanding commitment and contributions to Minnesota’s taconite industry. Members of the Iron Ore Alliance presented the award to Bloomquist at the organization’s annual dinner on Monday evening. Click here to download photos of Lee Bloomquist with his award.
“For over 50 years, Lee has lived and breathed what it means to be an Iron Ranger, telling award-winning stories and giving a voice to miners and our community,” said John Arbogast, staff representative for United Steelworkers District 11 and co-chair of the Iron Ore Alliance. “From his time as a Minntac laborer, technician and foreman to his decades covering mining across Northern Minnesota publications, we’re proud to honor his legacy in the industry.”
Bloomquist has been connected to mining his entire life. His childhood home east of Chisholm sat near the edge of the Sherman Mine, and his father worked as an accountant for former U. S. Steel division Oliver Iron Mining Company. After paying his way through college thanks to summer work as a clerk with U. S. Steel, Bloomquist’s career has included nine years at U. S. Steel’s Minntac, ten years with the Iron Range Resources and Rehabilitation Board, and 32 years and counting reporting on the Iron Range as a journalist across four publications.
“Lee has lived through and reported on decades of the highs and lows of life on the Iron Range throughout his impressive career,” said Mike Bakk, senior director of mining operations at U. S. Steel and co-chair of the Iron Ore Alliance. “His lived experience always informs his reporting, which centers the stories of real people and our way of life and continues to leave an immeasurable impact.”
The Iron Ore Alliance, a unique collaboration between the United Steelworkers and U. S. Steel, constructs the annual award out of taconite from U. S. Steel’s Minntac facility in Mountain Iron. Bloomquist is the fifth recipient of the award, following Senator David Tomassoni (2022), Bob Bratulich (2023), Chris Masciantonio (2024) and Senator Tom Bakk (2025).
“It means a lot to be named with these folks,” Bloomquist said. “It’s been an honor to cover an industry that means so much to the people, the communities and the schools. Taconite mining is everything to the range.”
About the Iron Ore Alliance
The Iron Ore Alliance is a joint initiative of United States Steel Corporation and the United Steelworkers to help educate Minnesotans about the importance of U. S. Steel’s iron ore business. U. S. Steel’s Minnesota Ore Operations, with its Minntac and Keetac facilities located in northeastern Minnesota, is a critical part of U. S. Steel’s North American operations. Minntac, located in Mountain Iron, is the single largest iron ore pelletizing operation in the United States. For more information, please visit ironorealliance.com.