In a study of the mining towns of the Mesabi Iron Range in Minnesota, it was found desirable to make a distinction between cultural change and social change."Cultural change" as defined in the study was limited to the man-made tools, mores, and folkways, while "social change" was used to describe the variations in the position of the population together with the conflict, co-operation, and domination of the groups concerned. The pioneer period in the history of the mining towns was predominantly male with much disorganization. When large corporations acquired the territory, very marked changes occurred, both in the social relations and in the culture. The conclusion from this study is that culture should be limited to the resulting phenomena that succeed the social changes as defined in this study.