USA > Minnesota > St Louis County > Duluth > Duluth and St. Louis County, Minnesota; their story and people; an authentic narrative of the past, with particular attention to the modern era in the commercial, industrial, educational, civic and social development, Volume II > Part 11
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Depression of 1893 .- The depression experienced in Virginia in 1893 was, by the way, not in the slightest degree caused by the forest fire, though such incinerating of their possessions made the hard times harder to bear. But the money stringency was a national, in- deed a world-wide, condition. The full force of it was felt about mid-summer, when the state of things, financial, in Duluth was tragic. On the range, there was even less money. Clearing House certificates were in places the only currency. In Virginia, instancing one case only, things must have been desperate. The Lerch brothers had come
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to the range, with good connections, in December, 1892, and soon had as much ore analyses to make as they could handle. But work did not bring them money. The Oliver Mining Company owed them about five hundred dollars for chemical analyses made, and had to confess itself unable to pay until "new blood was injected into the company." "Times were so hard in the winter of 1893-94" that George Lerch "accepted a position in St. Paul, making brick for the St. Paul and Duluth Railroad Company." But even that did not bring the money he thought he might be able to send to his brother in Vir- ginia, who had remained there to "hold onto" the business. Indeed, the railroad company could not pay him at all "until the following spring." However, through the winter Fred Lerch went on with the making of analyses, but when he had reached the realization that he "owed for ten weeks board, and saw no way of paying it," he be- came ashamed, took an ax, and "went batching" in the woods, staying there until he had chopped enough to barter for a bushel of potatoes.
Other men had experiences similarly precarious. Common labor brought only $1.10 at the mines-the few that were being then op- erated-and payment oftener than not was in kind.
However, as with all things, time brought a change. The national and local state purse improved, and there was soon a very visible im- provement in the village of Virginia.
First Telephone Company .- Virginia soon had advanced so far in metropolitan conveniences as to have telephone service. In 1894, Messrs. Talboys and Campbell, of Eveleth, strung a wire from their general store to the home of one of the partners. Soon afterwards, they opened a branch store in Virginia, and they wanted it con- nected with Eveleth, so a private wire was run between the two vil- lages. So many people wanted to use the wire that it occurred to some alert residents of Virginia that the franchise was worth acquir- ing. So Kinney and Griggs finally organized a telephone company, which grew and grew, until it was quite a valuable business when sold to the present company. The city of Virginia now has about sixteen hundred telephones.
Leading Hotel .- It was probably in 1894. that the McGarry Hotel was built. Fred Lerch, writing about the hotel, states :
This was a three-story frame building, located on the site of the present Lyric Theatre. P. H. McGarry, who is now a state senator, was the pro- prietor. He was a jolly landlord, and he specified, in placing an order for the main heating stove, that he wanted one that would heat a forty-acre lot, when the thermometer was forty below zero. The stove took pieces of cord- wood four feet long.
Community Building .- Mr. Lerch also makes reference to "a community building," which perhaps was the same building as that hereinbefore referred to as Hayes' Hall. The Lerch brothers arrived in Virginia on December 10, 1892, and Mr. Lerch writes:
We began business as analytical chemists on the second floor of what may be called today a community building, located in the center of the town, on the site now occupied by the First State Bank. On the first floor, which consisted of two rooms, one for office purposes and the other for sleeping quarters, were located the real estate firm of Kennedy and Gleason, the vil- lage president, and the village marshal. This room was also used on Sun- days by Reverend Raymond, Presbyterian minister, who came from Tower. These were the first church services held in Virginia.
Virginia Becomes a City .- An attempt was made in January, 1894, to annex to the village about four hundred acres of land in sec- tions 7 and 8, and election was ordered to be held "at the office of the
FIRE
SECOND RAZING OF VIRGINIA-JUNE 7, 1900
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New Virginia Hotel" on March 1, 1894. However, the election does not seem to have supported the wish of the petitioners. Possibly the election was not held.
However, in the following year the village proceeded to incor- porate as a city, under the so-called Probate Law of 1895, and in- cluded then within its limits the western half of southeast quarter of section 8. One local record reads :
In 1895, the citizens of Virginia demanded a city charter. All the steps in securing this right were now complete, with the exception of some docu- ments which had to be made out and signed by Judge Ayers, of Duluth. A committee, composed of E. S. Smith, M. C. Palmer and Dr. Stuart Bates, was then sent down to Duluth to see the judge. Mr. Ayers had been ill for some time, and asked the committee to postpone the matter, but the Virginians did not take kindly to the hint. Mr. Palmer fixed up the papers himself, and all the judge had to do was to sign them. Consequently, on the 7th of Feb- ruary, 1895, Virginia became incorporated as a city. The first city election was held on the first Tuesday in April. In this election Robert McGruer led the Citizens-Democratic party, while the Republican forces were led by Dr. Bates. The Citizens party won a complete victory. Mr. McGruer was elected mayor, by a majority of 163, Mr. J. R. James was elected treasurer, and E. S. Smith recorder. Under the city charter elections were held annually, two aldermen served each of the four wards. Each served two years, and one alderman was elected from each ward every year.
A new charter was adopted in 1902, and another mode of gov- ernment, that known as the "Home Rule" charter, took effect in June, 1909. The charter was again amended in 1914, and even once more, final readings of a new charter being made in November, 1920. "Important features of the new charter are built largely around the principle that only the mayor and the city council can legislate."
Mayoral Succession .- The chief executive of the village and city administrations from the beginning of Virginia have been: John Owens, president of village, December 6, 1892, to April 1, 1894; Stuart Bates, to April 15, 1895; Robert McGruer, first mayor of the city, to April 15, 1896; J. C. Jackson, to 1897; P. W. Scott, to 1899; M. C. Palmer, to 1901; A. N. Thompson, to April 15, 1902; Wm. H. Eaton, from April 15, 1902, to January 1, 1904; M. L. Fay, to January 1, 1906; WVm. H. Eaton, to January 1, 1908; A. Hawkinson, 1908-12; M. A. Murphy, 1912-14 ; Michael Boylan, 1914-19; and Wm. M. Empie, 1919.
Second Fire, 1900 .- Not many municipalities have to experience such complete wreck as has come twice to the city of Virginia. The second fire occurred, and was worse than the first fire, in one respect. Virginia was more valuable in in 1900 than she was in 1893, although the people of the healthy young city were probably better able in 1900 to bear the calamity than they had been in the precarious state in which all things were in 1893. The "Virginian," August, 1907, re- viewing the second fire, wrote :
From the time when Virginia became incorporated as a city, up to 1900, the city was enjoying unrivalled prosperity. New mines were constantly be- ing developed, together with the older and larger ones. Two sawmills were in operation, and many other minor industries had now gained a firm foothold in the town.
But just at this time, when Virginia's future seemed brighter than it ever had been before, a second fire destroyed the main business district of the city, June 7, 1900. Through carelessness in handling the shavings burner at the old Moon and Kerr mill, a blaze was started which in a short time had the whole sawmill in flames. The day was very hot and everything as dry as it possibly could be. This, together with a strong west wind, carried the flames directly towards the town, and when one of the many flying sparks fell on the dry shingles of a building in the very center of the city, the work of de- struction had begun. At sunset, there was nothing left of it but one vast space of smouldering ruins. It must have been hard for the citizens of Vir-
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ginia, when they walked up and down the streets of their city that evening. They were homeless, penniless, with poverty staring them in the face, but not discouraged. They had the bravery, the strength, and the spirit of '49, that carries everything before it. And almost before the smoke of the fire had cleared away the citizens had begun to rebuild a new and greater Vir- ginia upon the ruins of the old. And today, Virginia stands forth as the best built and most beautiful city in northern Minnesota.
One advantage- it perhaps may be so termed-came to Vir- ginia, as the result of the second fire. It was soon afterwards de- cided that Virginia should forever be spared a repetition of the fire, at least as far as the more important part of the city was concerned. It was resolved that nothing inflammable would be permitted to be erected on Chestnut street, all structures being required to be of brick, stone, or concrete. As a consequence, Virginia is "today one of the most substantially built cities in the state."
Lumber Industry .- The lumber industry which was the cause of the second fire at Virginia has, notwithstanding that calamity, been a boon to the city. The first sawmill of W. T. Bailey was erected in 1895, and found employment for thirty-five men. The mill was en- larged in 1907. John Owens ran the shingle mill of Moon and Kerr's mill until that was destroyed, and later he had another.
In 1902, Plummer and Ash built "an immense sawmill." Later, the property was transferred to the Virginia Lumber Company. In 1904 the company erected a large planing mill plant, which found employment for an additional hundred men. In 1907, a large new lath mill was erected by the same company. In that year the Vir- ginia Lumber Company had on its payrolls, in "Virginia and vicinity," about 1,500 men.
The company eventually was absorbed by the Virginia and Rainy Lake Company of recent years, which has been such a factor in the development of Virginia. The company was mainly responsible for giving Virginia its fourth railroad, and for the develpment of tribu- tary territory north of Virginia. The company built a logging road to the northward, which eventually passed to the Canadian Northern Railway Company. The Great Northern Railroad built into Virginia in 1902, and in that year the first surveying was done on the route of the logging road, the Duluth, Rainy Lake and Winnipeg Railroad.
The present Virginia and Rainy Lake Company is a merger of the Weyerhaueser and other large lumber interests. Its sawmills at Vir- ginia cover 300 acres, and Virginians are probably right in claim- ing that it is the "largest white pine lumber plant in the world," for its capacity is 300,000,000 feet a year. Thomas S. Whitten is the gen- eral manager, and F. H. Gillmor, superintendent of logging. Their operations are enormous, both in logging and in lumber. In sawmills at Virginia, in full operation "carry 1,500 men and women on their payrolls," and during the logging season the company finds employ- ment for another thousand or two men; in fact, it can generally find work for all the "lumberjacks" and mill hands that apply.
During the recent readjustment of the lumber market, they had to reduce operations considerably, but curtailment of operations is a very unusual happening with that company.
Church History .- The meeting place of the Reverend Raymond, pioneer Presbyterian minister, has already been referred to. It seems that the first service he held in Virginia was in April, 1893. Soon afterwards he organized a Presbyterian society in Virginia and re- mained "several years as its pastor."
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The first church meetings were held "in a small building on Wal- nut street, between Cleveland and Central avenues, which was also utilized for a time as a schoolhouse, and for holding meetings by other denominations." The "street leading to this building is described as having been almost impassable, on account of the mud, at times, and ladies and children were often in danger of getting mired on the way there."
It was not long after the fire of 1893 that the Presbyterians built a small church near their present place of worship. "This was the first building constructed expressly for religious purposes."
The First Methodist Church Society was organized in 1893, by W. H. Easton, then a student at Queens College, Kingston, Canada. (Think this should be Kingston, Ontario. There is such a college there, but I never heard of another in Montreal.) During his pastor- ate, the "old First Methodist Church building of Duluth was secured," through the influence of the Merritt family. It was removed to Vir- ginia, "and set up on the site of the present First Methodist Church, where it stood until 1907, when it burnt down." . It was soon replaced by a substantial brick church, which cost about $18,000 to erect, and at the time was "one of the most conspicuous of many fine churches in the city." It was dedicated September 27, 1908.
The Catholics were active in Virginia from the beginning of its settlement. Previous to the 1893 fire, Father Mavelle, who was then stationed at Cloquet, "began holding occasional services in Vir- ginia, the first meetings being held in private houses." In 1894, "a small church was built at the corner of Wyoming Avenue and Poplar Street, which building later formed part of the Polish Catholic Church."
In 1895, Archbishop Appleby, of the Episcopal Church, came to Virginia, and organized an Episcopal Church Society, the members gathering for the first service at the residence of W. H. Eaton.
Those were the main church activities of the early days of Vir- ginia, and laid the foundations of many of the strong church organiza. tions of Virginia of today.
In 1920, Virginia had the following strong church societies, all with places of meeting and worship, and most of them with resident pastors : The Finnish Apostolic ; the Adventist, Rev. H. Christiansen ; the Swedish Baptist, Rev. Carl Bergstrom; the Lady of Lourdes, Catholic, Rev. Father Limmer: St. John the Baptist, Catholic; St. Paul's, Episcopal, Rev. J. G. Ward ; English-German, Lutheran, Rev. Walter Melahn ; Finnish Lutheran, Rev. M. E. Merijarvi; Norwegian Lutheran, Rev. J. E. Reinertsen ; Swedish Lutheran, Rev. Samuel A. Johnson ; First Methodist Episcopal, Rev. A. H. McKee; Norwegian Methodist, Rev. J. Laurenz ; Scandinavian Mission, Rev. F. J. Hjelm : Salvation Army ; Scientist ; Jewish B'nai Abraham ; Finnish Unitarian, Rev. R. Lappalla; First Presbyterian, L. W. Gade : People's Church, Henry Clark.
The Young Men's Christian Association has also since June, 1919, maintained an establishment in Virginia, and plans to extend to other parts of the Range territory, erecting huts somewhat similar to those of the war-service plan. They also hope soon to have an adequate "city industrial building." General secretary is R. H. Risdon ; president, A. B. Coates ; vice-president, J. D. Lamont ; sec- retary, Ralph C. Pickering; treasurer. C. E. Hendrick; directors, Thomas S. Whitton and Alex. Reid.
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UPPER-TIIE MOON & KERR MILL, WHERE FIRE WIIICH DESTROYED VIRGINIA IN 1900 BEGAN. (VIRGINIA, IT IS CLAIMED, NOW HAS THE LARGEST WHITE-PINE MILL IN THE WORLD ) ; LOWER-VIRGINIA AS IT WAS, ABOUT TWO YEARS AFTER FIRE OF 1900. (VIEW LOOKING EAST, FROM SAWMILL)
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Banking History .- The First National Bank of Virginia was orig- inally organized as the Bank of Virginia, in 1892, by O. D. Kinney and E. Z. Griggs. The pioneer bank was a private banking house, and was comparatively strong when, in June, 1893, its building was de- stroyed with the other buildings of the village. Again, in 1900, the bank property was destroyed by fire, but these losses did not ma- terially affect the stability of the corporation. In 1903, however, it was decided to place the banking business under national banking laws, and with that object the First National Bank of Virginia was chartered, the original capital being $25,000. On July 25, 1905, this was increased to $50,000, its present capital. The first officers were O. D. Kinney. president ; E. Z. Griggs, vice-president ; B. F. Britts, cashier ; W. H. Cole, R. R. Bailey, E. B. Hawkins, and J. R. James,
CHESTNUT STREET, VIRGINIA, 1909. (TELEPHONE POLES HAVE SINCE BEEN REMOVED TO ALLEY)
directors. Eventually Pentecost Mitchell became president, and was still president in 1920, when the other officers were: S. R. Kirby, Dr. C. B. Lenont and B. F. Britts, vice-presidents, and A. E. Ship- ley, cashier. In 1913, the present conspicuous bank and office building was erected. It is a five-story concrete and steel fireproof building. The ground floor is devoted to banking purposes, and the upper floors rented for offices. The fine building cost about $125,000 to erect.
The State Bank of Virginia was organized in 1911, the capital being $50,000. First directors were: Douglas Greeley, F. H. Well- come, C. 11. Rogers, C. E. Hendrick, J. E. Hanson, HI. O. Johnson and C. E. Moore. There has been no change in this directorate. The first officers were: Douglas Greeley, president ; C. E. Hendrick, vice ; Peter Western, cashier. Succession of cashiers is as follows: H. V. Peterson, J. I. Frasa and H. W. Pribrow, present cashier. The cap- ital is still the same, but the surplus is $10,000, with $4,515 undi- vided profits.
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The American Exchange Bank of Virginia was incorporated in March, 1904, as a state bank. Its original capital was $25,000, but this was increased to $50,000 on July 1, 1907. At that time the di- rectorate was: W. H. Cole, president; J. D. Lamont, vice-president ; D. W. Stebbins, cashier ; C. T. Fairbairn, D. B. McDonald, A. Hawk- inson, Fred Lerch, W. J. Sincock and E. J. Bush. It will thus be seen that the bank had a strong mining and municipal support, and was thus destined to grow into the bank it became.
Another bank, the Farmers and Merchants State Bank, was or- ganized, with good prospects, and a particular field, on January 1, 1917. The bank devoted its efforts mainly to the developing of a connection among agriculturalists in the Virginia sphere, the land to the north of Virginia beyond the range, and along the Canadian Northern system, being rapidly converted into excellent agricultural properties. Farming, therefore, is becoming increasingly important. The Farmers and Merchants State Bank began with a capital of $50,- 000, and soon had a surplus of $10,000. On May 30, 1920, its deposits totalled to $400,000. Directors then were: Andrew Grande, presi- dent; B. J. Kelsey, vice-president; C. T. Eckstrand, cashier ; Joseph Christopherson and E. J. Larsen, directors.
The banks of Virginia, in August, 1920, had total deposits of $4,300,000, which gives indication of their business prosperity.
Light and Water .- The light and water utilities are now mu- nicipally owned. Originally they belonged to the Virginia Light and Water Company, which was organized by O. D. Kinney, A. E. Hum- phreys and others, in 1892. The first installation of water pipes was done in the spring of 1893, and an electric light plant installed in 1894. The plants grew with the city, and met its requirements fairly well. Just prior to the reorganization, in 1909, the officers of the com- pany were: O. D. Kinney, president; B. F. Britts, vice-president ; Geo. WV. Buck, secretary ; E. Z. Griggs, treasurer ; O. H. Griggs, man- ager. In July, 1909, the company became the Virginia Electric Power and Water Company, and proposed an issue of $70,000 bonds, to meet cost of extensive improvements planned. The officers of the new company were : O. D. Kinncy, president ; O. H. Griggs, vice-president and general manager; E. Z. Griggs, treasurer, and G. W. Buck, sec- retary.
Virginia "was one of the first towns in Northern Minnesota to adopt the policy of municipal ownership of public utilities." In 1913 the city purchased the plant of the Virginia Electric Power and Water Company, and for several years the municipal operation of the plants showed a net profit of about $80,000 a year. The plants have been considerably enlarged and include "a complete heating and extension system," constructed in 1919, at a cost of $350,000. The "Seventh Annual Report of the Water and Light Commission" of Virginia, October 1, 1920, shows that the surplus assets above liabilities of the city in these public utilities is $729,280.89.
Public Improvements .- In 1894, the "White-Way" of Virginia consisted of "some fifteen arc lamps," of which possession "the citi- zens boasted"; in 1920, Virginia had upon its streets 155 white-way standards, each having five lamps, and about 175 other street lights. Other comparisons are equally striking. In 1894 there were seventeen hydrants ; in 1920, the city owned 141. In 1894 there were four blocks of water mains ; in 1920 there must have been much more than twenty miles of water mains; its storm sewers alone extended for thirteen miles, and there were eighten miles of sanitary sewer in 1918, the
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both laid at a cost of $328.000. According to the "Minneapolis Daily News," October 19, 1918, Virginia had "the biggest sewage purifica- tion plant in the world," built at a cost of $125,000. It is, without doubt, the largest in the state. Virginia has sixteen miles of paving that cost $742,000; twenty-three miles of sidewalk, laid at a cost of $117,000; there are more than seven miles of bitulithic pavement, and a greater length of creosoted wood-block pavement, and some concrete paving. The sidewalks are of cement.
The municipal authorities, at a time when coal was scarce, es- tablished a municipal wood yard, securing "stumpage at $2.00 actual cost for wood to be cut in lengths to feed furnaces." There is a fine municipal band ; the city has seventy-five acres of park land. The only possession it really lacks, in order to be a well-balanced city of the highest grade, is an appropriate city hall.
CITY HALL, BUILT 1905
City Hall .- The Virginia City Hall was built in 1904-'05. Its site cost $600, and the building was completed in the summer of 1905. There is additional unused ground adjoining and perhaps, some day, it will be used to give the space necessary for the erection upon it and the other two lots a city hall commensurate with the standing of the city. The unused lot was acquired in 1905, at a cost of $700. It is now worth $10,000, at least. The original cost of the city hall was $15,139.16, and a like amount was spent in remodeling the structure in 1910.
Parks .- "The city owns 55 acres of part property, in Olcott and South Side parks, among the finest in the state," records the "Min- neapolis Daily News." "Its park board maintains more than 35 miles of boulevards and has planted more than 10,000 trees. Olcott Park is known as one of the play-spots of the range. . Its zoo is a feature that draws visitors from all sections. * It contains elk, deer. grizzly bear, timber wolfs and coyotes ; foxes ; water fowl,
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cavies, and everything to make a complete zoo. All the parks are equipped with playground apparatus, while a wading pool for the children is a feature at Olcott Park." Olcott Park was leased from the Great Northern Mining Company in 1910, for ten years, one of the conditions of lease being that the land was "to be used strictly for park purposes," and that no exhibitions for compensation were to be permitted. Apparently, the lease has been extended, for the original term has expired, and the city is still in possession. Olcott Park has cost the city, it is said, about $75,000. The pleasurable serv- ice it gives is well worth the expense.
Public Library .- Albert E. Bickford, in his "Financial History of Virginia," 1911, writes :
In 1905, Andrew Carnegie granted the city of Virginia the sum of $10,- 000 for the purpose of constructing a library building in his name in this city, providing that the city would purchase or provide a suitable site * * * and levy for the maintenance of the library annually a sum equal to 1 per cent of the donation * *
* The library was constructed at a cost, orginally, of the amount of the grant.
The library grew rapidly in service and requirement, and in 1911 Andrew Carnegie was asked to grant more money so that the build- ing might be enlarged, or another built. Another was built in 1912, out of it, it is said, "city funds," the new building and site costing $65,000. It gives a valued service, having about 20,000 volumes, with an annual circulation of about 90,000. There is also now a branch li- brary on the north side of Virginia. The first library building is now used as a freight office by the Canadian Northern Railway Company at Virginia.
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