The history of Razor Ridge is, at least until the 1950’s, very much the history of the mine.

The town was established in 1803, when mining started by Alexander Montrose. The mine needed lots of timber, so a sawmill was soon built. It was a rough town, mostly inhabited by miners and lumberjacks. Accidents and casualties are frequent, even considering mining is normally a dangerous operation.

The town grows, and in 1848, the railroad arrives, and with it a wider spectrum of inhabitants. When the civil war came in 1861, the mine played a crucial role in the supplying the army with iron, making the Montrose family extremely rich.

The town gets a church, a school and a city hall. Even a small convent is established outside the town, but it was lost in a fire in 1894. Montrose builds a mansion outside the city, on the road to the mine. This mansion is expanded during the years and is an impressive building, still standing in a large, iron fenced garden.

During the civil war, few questions were asked about the casualties in the mine. After the war, however, rumours started to spread that something strange was going on in the mine. Nothing was found, however, and mining continued, the mineshafts going deeper and deeper. With plenty of cheap labour available in the form of Irish immigrants, accidents were no longer considered important.

By the turn of the century, Razor Ridge was a bustling town with plenty of business opportunities for the bold. The mine was still central to the economy of the town, but many small companies had emerged to provide services for the mine or the inhabitants of the town. The mine still had problems with casualties, larger than ever before, but mining continued.

When the First World War hit, mining production was increased even more. A lot of conscripted personnel were used in the mining, since it was critical to the war effort. The rushed mining and unskilled workers meant that the mine accidents were frequent and casualties were as high as among the soldiers. The Montrose family managed to make a lot of money using the government paid labour and their wealth grew even more.

When the war ended and labour unions grew stronger, the profit margins of the mine shrunk and when the depression hit, it was shut down. Montrose was hit badly by the depression, but was still a wealthy family. The mine remained closed until the Second World War, when iron was again a national necessity. Montrose regained most of their riches, but the cost in workers lives was horrible. Hardly a day went by without someone getting killed, maimed, lost or just disappearing. At the end of the war, convicted criminals had to be used; few other miners went down there. In 1947, the main office of the mine burned to the ground. Lost in the fire was among other things all the financial records and all maps of the mine. Shortly after, the mine was closed. It is unclear what started the fire.

It was a hard blow for the city, but the newly opened university and tourism helped the city survive. In the winter, tourism mainly focus on winter sports, in the summer it’s about hiking, fishing, hunting and relaxing in the spas of the big hotels. The city has changed character from a blue-collar industry city to a white-collar tourist resort. Logging is still important, but the timber is no longer carried by the river and the saw mill has closed down.

The Montrose family still owns the mansion and the mine, although most of their wealth is used up. The current owner was once mayor, but has now retired and no Montrose holds any significant positions in the city.

Today, Razor Ridge is a modern city of about 35 000 people, with about 5 000 more living in villages outside Razor Ridge, but still part of the county.

<< The forest | Index | Shopping mall >>
RazorRidge | Welcome to Razor Ridge? | History