Ramsey County History – Winter 2002: “Tubal Cain in New Brighton: The Harris Forge and Rolling Mill Company”

Tubal Cain in New Brighton: The Harris Forge and Rolling Mill Company
Author: Leo J. Harris

Abraham and Mark Harris were immigrant brothers from Russia. They founded Harris Forge and Rolling Mill, and, by 1891, it had more than 200 workers. It was one of the earliest concerns that turned scrap metal into iron ingots. The Harris brothers built their forge on land in New Brighton, Minnesota, that was called Irondale. To make their plant prosper, the brothers drilled wells to obtain the great volumes of water needed by the business. They also helped workers finance homes. Fires in 1891 and 1893 caused great financial losses to the company, and the Harris brothers decided not to rebuild afterward. The Panic of 1893, which followed soon after the second fire, was a great blow to the economy of New Brighton, and many workers were unable to find jobs.
PDF of Harris article