The Search For Iron

Originally Aired: April 6, 1938 Cavalcade of America #129, "The Search For Iron," chronicles the remarkable journey of Hepsibeth Merritt and her family as they venture into the untamed wilderness of northern Minnesota in 1857. Accompanying her husband Lewis, a restless sawmill man, Hepsibeth brings five of her seven sons to the wild shores of Lake Superior aboard a precarious side-wheel steamboat captained by Big Mouth Charlie. Despite the harsh, desolate landscape that others consider uninhabitable, Hepsibeth proves herself a woman of extraordinary courage, establishing a home in log cabin country surrounded by Ojibway Indians and making do with nothing but determination and faith in her husband's vision. As the years pass and the Merritt boys grow into capable woodsmen and professionals, Lewis calls a family meeting with an exciting announcement. Having explored the mysterious Masaba hills where compasses spin wildly, he believes he has discovered something more valuable than the gold others seek. Lewis is convinced these strange hills contain vast deposits of iron, potentially an entire mountain range of the precious ore stretching to Grand Rapids, setting the stage for a discovery that will transform the region forever.