Soudan, Minnesota facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Soudan
Census-designated place (CDP) and Unincorporated community
Soudan Location in Minnesota
Country	United States
State	Minnesota
County	Saint Louis
Township	Breitung Township
Area
• Total	0.68 sq mi (1.76 km2)
• Land	0.68 sq mi (1.76 km2)
• Water	0.00 sq mi (0.00 km2)
Elevation	1,437 ft (438 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	385
• Density	566.18/sq mi (218.61/km2)
Time zone	UTC-6 (Central (CST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-5 (CDT)
ZIP codes	55782
Area code(s)	218
GNIS feature ID	662492

Soudan is a small community in Minnesota, United States. It is located in Saint Louis County within Breitung Township. Soudan is known as an "unincorporated community" and a "census-designated place" (CDP). This means it's a specific area counted by the government for population, but it doesn't have its own city government.

As of the 2020 census, about 385 people lived in Soudan. The community is found just east of the city of Tower. You can reach it by driving on Minnesota State Highway 1 and Minnesota State Highway 169.

About Soudan

Soudan is home to McKinley Park. This park and campground is run by Breitung Township. It was named to honor William McKinley, who was a President of the United States from 1897 to 1901.

A very interesting place nearby is the Soudan Underground Mine State Park. This park has an old mine that you can visit. Inside the mine, deep underground, is the University of Minnesota's Soudan Underground Laboratory.

This lab has special detectors, like the MINOS experiment. These detectors are more than 700 meters (about 2,300 feet) below the Earth's surface. Both the mine and the underground laboratory offer tours for visitors.

Soudan also has its own post office. The ZIP code for Soudan is 55782.

History of Soudan

The village of Soudan officially started on March 3, 1885. The name "Soudan" was given by D. H. Bacon. He was the general manager of the Soudan Underground mine. Bacon chose the name Soudan because the area had very cold winters. This was a big contrast to the hot Sudan region in Africa.

Soudan had a post office that first opened in 1887 as Tower Mines. It changed its name to Soudan in 1888. Over time, Soudan became an unincorporated community again, meaning it no longer had its own village government.

The first time people looked for minerals in this area was in 1865. The very first mining in northern Minnesota happened in Soudan in 1882. A railroad, the Duluth & Iron Range Railroad, was built to reach the area.

Later, in 1886, the Minnesota Iron Company bought this railroad. This company then became part of the Federal Steel Company. Eventually, it joined the United States Steel Corporation, which was run by the Oliver Mining Company.

Around 1903, Soudan was described as being on the mining company's land. Because of this, no stores or saloons were allowed in the town. At that time, between 500 and 700 men worked in the mine.

A writer and politician named Darby Nelson (1940–2022) was born in Soudan.

Population Data

See also

In Spanish: Soudan (Minnesota) para niños