The Burlington Northern Ore Docks are the largest in the world, consisting of three concrete and steel structures. The longest dock is 2244 feet long, 80 feet high, and contains 374 individual pockets that can hold 100,000 long tons of ore, or seven average trains of 205 cars each. Ore is hauled 100 miles from Minnesota mines. The first dock was built of timber in 1892, and the first cargo, consisting of 2073 long tons of ore, was shipped in Whaleback Barge No. 102 on November 11, 1892. More than one billion tons of ore have been shipped through these docks, with the largest year's shipment reaching 32.3 million tons in 1953. In 1967, a conveyor belt system was installed to move taconite pellets from trains to dock pockets. In the early years, as many as 400-500 men worked on the docks; with modern equipment and reduced ore volume, fewer than 140 men are required.
