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 19
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John Oscar Wuori is listed with the men from Duluth, but he lived in Gilbert for some time prior to enlistment. He was a Finn, born at Pomarkku, Finland, March 9, 1888. He reported for duty on August 8, 1918, and was sent to Camp Dodge, Iowa, where he was assigned to Company Thirty, One Hundred and Sixty-third Depot Brigade. He died of pneumonia in that camp on October 8, 1918.
As will be appreciated from a reading of the foregoing some of these men had wide accomplishments and definite capability, some were worthy tillers of the soil and some were industrious workers in commercial affairs of St. Louis County. But all were patriots ; and the names of all who have been inscribed on the great national Roll of Honor, there to remain for as long as the great republic lasts. And for as long as there is a County of St. Louis, Minnesota, for so long will these of her sons be willingly and deservedly accorded the place of honor in any comprehensive review of the County's part in the Great World War.
CHAPTER XXVII
HISTORY OF THE TOWNSHIPS OF ST. LOUIS COUNTY
Unorganized .- A glance at the map of St. Louis County will show that it is now well organized, only a small part of its terri- tory being now outside of the jurisdiction of some organized town- ship. And while the unorganized townships are, in the main, only sparsely populated, it would be erroneous to suppose that because a township has no organized township administration it is neces- sarily undeveloped, or uninhabited, territory. Several of the unor- ganized areas adjoin townships of old establishment, and in many cases the unorganized townships exceed in population those exer- cising organized township privileges.
While it is not possible to go much into detailed review of the unorganized spaces of St. Louis County, it might be appropriate in this township chapter to briefly record the census statistics of those unnamed parts of the county. Beginning in the south, unorgan- ized township 50-18 is part of the Fond du Lac Indian Reservation. The population in 1910 was 105, and in 1920, 203. Township 50-19 is a continuation of the Indian Reservation. Only six persons were recorded as living in it in 1900; 67 in 1910, and 146 in 1920. Town- ship 51-19 continues on between Floodwood and Culver townships. Its population was thirteen in 1900; fifty-seven in 1910, and 120 in 1920. Township 52-19 completes that chain of unorganized territory. It had six inhabitants in 1900; twenty-seven in 1910, and seventy- four in 1920. Township 52-21 is crossed, from southeast to north- west by the Great Northern Railway and on section 16 is a station, named "Island," one version stating that the station was so named because "this was about the only dry spot between Floodwood and Wawima, at the time of the building of the railway. Drainage, how- ever, has now converted swamps into fertile fields. Township 52-21 had four inhabitants in 1900; in 1910 it had sixty-nine, and in 1920 there were 123 people living in it. Township 53-15 recorded twenty- seven inhabitants in 1910, but made no report in 1920. Township 53-16 had sixteen inhabitants in 1910, and 240 in 1920. Township 54-13 had a population of 14, in 1910 and 61, in 1920. Township 54-15 had 169 residents in 1910 and only twenty-three in 1920. Town- ship 55-14 had no recorded population in 1910, but the 1920 census gives it a population of 300 then. Township 55-15 had fourteen in
1910, and seventy-three in 1920. Township 55-18 had thirty-one inhabitants in 1910, and 130 in 1920. Township 55-21 had sixty-nine in 1910, and seventy in 1920. Township 56-14 had two residents in 1900, none in 1910, and 264 when last census was taken. Township 56-16 had a population of 196 in 1910, and 340 in 1920. The next township west, 56-17, had three inhabitants in 1900, sixty-nine in 1910, and 157 in 1920. Township 57-14 had 27, in 1900, none in 1910, and 125 in 1920. Township 57-16 had ninety-five residents in 1910, and 126 in 1920. Township 57-19 had seventy-nine residents in 1910, and 279 in 1920. Township 58-14 is prominent chiefly because it is the railway junction between the Mesabi and Vermilion range towns. It had thirty-seven inhabitants in 1900, sixty-two in 1910, and 100 in 1920. Township 59-12 had two inhabitants in 1900, none in 1910, and no report was made in 1920. Adjoining town-
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ships, however, have recently become active, with the impending exploitation of low-grade ores. Township 59-16 has shown no popu- lation in the last three census-takings. Only the northern half of township 59-18 is unorganized, the southern half being included in Nichols township. No population was recorded in the unorgan- ized portion in 1920, although there were sixty-two residents in the township in 1910. Township 59-21 had fourteen inhabitants in 1910, and eighty-four in 1920. Township 60-18 recorded nine inhabitants in 1900, forty-three in 1910, but no report was made in 1920. Town- ship 60-19 had 122 in 1910, and ninety-two in 1920. One tier of sec- tions of this township was added to Great Scott Township and per- haps explains the decrease in population. Township 61-12 had fifty- six people in it in 1910, and thirty-eight in 1920. Township 61-13 had five inhabitants in 1910 and twenty-six in 1920. Township 61-17 recorded one inhabitant in 1900, none in 1910 and fifty-six in 1920.
A. J. FILIATRAULT'S ORIGINAL HOME NEAR THE MUDHEN RIVER, T. 56-16. (IT IS TYPICAL OF THE LOG HOUSE OF TWENTY YEARS AGO, IN OUTLYING PARTS OF ST. LOUIS COUNTY; THE HOMESTEADER OF TODAY, HOWEVER, FAVORS THE TAR- PAPERED SHACK, FOR THE FIRST YEAR OR TWO OF PIONEER EFFORT)
Township 62-16 had twenty-two residents in 1900, 198 in 1910, and 112 in 1920. Township 62-17 had thirty-seven inhabitants in 1900, twelve in 1910, and 116 in 1920. Township 62-21 had 197 in 1910 and 237 in 1920. Township 63-14 had fourteen residents in 1910, and only eight in 1920. Township 63-15 has been recorded as uninhabited during last three census-takings. Township 63-16 was credited with fifty-eight inhabitants in 1900, none in 1910, and twenty in 1920. Township 63-17 had forty in 1900, fourteen in 1910, and eighteen in 1920. In 63-19 there were eighty-nine people in 1910, and 116 in 1920. In township 63-21 there were 270 inhabitants in 1910, and 282 in 1920. Only three townships of sixty-four north have organ- ized administration, the unorganized divisions being those of 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17 and 21 west; and out of a total population, in 1920, of 307 persons, 185 lives in township 64-21, part of which is allotted to the Bois Fort Indian Reservation. Townships of sixty-five north not yet organized are those of lange 12, 13, 14, 15, 16 and 21 west. . As is in the case in sixty-four north, the bulk of the population of sixty-
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five north is found to be in range 21, that township having in 1920, 194 of 353 inhabitants. The Indian Reservation extends into and beyond sixty-five north, range 21 west, and includes the western half of each township. It seems, however, that the census tabulation given above is- of white settlers only, as the federal announcement of population, for 1920, gives no figures for the Bois Fort or Vermilion Lake Indian reservations, although the former was shown to have 210 residents in 1910, and the both reservations 881 inhabitants in 1900. Seven townships of sixty-six north are unorganized, Portage (formerly Buyck) township embracing the other three townships, range 17, 18 and 19, west. Four townships had no population in 1920, ranges 12, 13, 14 and 15. Logging operations probably are responsible for the presence of 283 persons in township 66-16 in 1920. Then there were fifty-four in 66-20 and twenty persons in 66-21. Fractional townships of sixty-seven north, ranges 13, 14, 15 and 16 are uninhabited; township 67-17, in 1920, had eleven inhabitants, 67-18 had 123, 67-19 had ninety-eight, 67-20 had 261, and 67-21 had twenty-three. Fractional townships sixty-eight north, ranges 14 and 15 and townships sixty-eight north, ranges 18 and 19, had no popula- tion in last census, township 68-17 had four persons, 68-20 had 235, and 68-21 had ninety. No figures were reported from townships sixty-nine north, and only from one of 70 and 71 north, fractional township 70-18, recording 145 residents in 1920.
The northern townships are mostly in virgin state and logging operations will continue in them probably for another fifteen or twenty years. Some of them have mineral possibilities.
The unorganized lands of St. Louis County figure in the tax sheet to an appreciable extent. In 1919, the assessed valuation of these areas was $2,364,023, and the taxes $163,117.59. The logging companies probably are the principal taxpayers in the northern terri- tory, but some good farming acreages are opening. It is still possible to homestead in the county, and some of the state lands, without mineral rights, can also be bought almost as cheaply ås from the federal authorities.
The total assessed valuation of St. Louis County in 1877 was $1,339,121.68. In the intervening forty-two years to 1919 the seem- ingly infinitesimal efforts of the individual toiler within its limits have brought an aggregate increase in the assessable wealth of the county to $357,787,544. The total taxes levied in 1877 were $29,034.41; in 1919 the taxes were $20,705,448.24.
St. Louis County is not only the largest of the state of Minnesota ; it is also the wealthiest. The total value of taxable property in the State of Minnesota in 1919 was $1,777,153,420. St. Louis County's part of that total was $357,787,544, roughly one-fifth. From its mines come more than half the yearly United States output of iron ore, and from the operation of its mines chiefly comes the about three million dollars it has of late years contributed to the maintenance of the state administration ($2,894,650 out of a total requirement of $14,373,427 in 1919). The result from a region which Proctor Knott, in his historie ridiculing speech in 1870, as referred to "cold enough, for at least nine months of the year, to freeze the smokestack off a locomotive."
Review of the history of the organized townships of St. Louis County follow, in alphabetical order.
Alango .- The township of Alango was organized February 8, 1910, under section 451 of the Revised Laws of Minnesota. 1905. Its
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extent is one congressional township, that of township sixty-one north, range nineteen west.
Elias Matson was the man most active in prosecuting the matter of organization. He took oath, when presenting petition to county officials that the legal voters in the township at the time petition was signed did not exceed thirty-five.
Commissioners at their February, 1910, session granted the peti- tion, and to bring the new township into organization and operation, election was held at No. 3 schoolhouse, in the township on Saturday, February 26, 1910.
In 1910 the assessed valuation of Alango was $16,709. Total tax levy was $800.36. In 1919, the township valuation was $25,081, and the total tax levy $2,021.53.
The population of the township in 1910 was 335 persons, accord- ing to federal statistics; and in 1920 the census showed 511 residents. The township is gradually becoming a well developed agricultural section.
Alango and Angora townships were served by School District No. 42.
The township officials are: E. Mattson, chairman; F. Leinonen and J. Kustor, supervisors ; F. Saari, clerk ; R. F. Saari, assessor ; Nels Nukala, treasurer.
Alborn .- On August 1, 1900, S. G. Johnson and twenty-six others signed a petition, praying the county commissioners to organize con- gressional township 52 north, range 18 west, under chapter 10, Statutes of Minnesota, 1894, as a township to be known as Burg. This was a shortening of the name first written into the petition, Gothenburg having been first proposed.
The commissioners, in session at Duluth on August 10, 1900, con- sidered the petition, and granted same ordering election to be held at the schoolhouse situated in section 12 of township 52-18, on Friday, August 30, 1900.
Election was accordingly held, and the first officers elected to serve the township were: F. A. Trolander, chairman; Matt Perry and Alfred Nordling, supervisors; G. W. Mell, clerk; L. B. Ash- jornson, treasurer; S. G. Johnson, assessor; John Mell and Gust Benson, justices ; Otto Dahl, constable.
At the first township meeting it was decided to plan the levy · for the first year:
Road and Bridge Fund $200.00
General Fund 150.00
It was also resolved to seek to change the name of the town- ship to "Alborn," such being the name of the postoffice within the township. Authority to change name was given by county commis- sioners on September 5, 1900.
The assessed valuation of real and personal property of Alborn Township in 1919 was $75,614. Tax levy, $6,593.54. The popula- tion of the township in 1900 was 62 persons ; in 1910, 266; in 1920, 257.
The township officers in 1920 were: H. Blom, chairman; A. Hoiem and Sivert Holten, supervisors; G. A. Truman, clerk; S. Holten, assessor ; F. A. Trolander, treasurer.
Alborn township is served by School District No. 33, which em- braces townships 52, 18 and 19. There are three frame schoolhouses in the district, the three valued at $10,000. The enrollment for the school year 1919-20 was 98, and staff of four female teachers, who received an average pay of $77.00 monthly. School Board: L. B.
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Marvin, chairman ; Peter Fooness, J. M. Andrews and G. A. Truman, directors ; Roy A. Wiles, clerk; B. L. Hill, treasurer.
Alden .- The Township of Alden is of very recent establishment. It was organized on September 8, 1920, and consists of two congres- sional townships formerly part of the Township of Duluth, town- ships 53 and 54 north, range 12 west.
The first officials were: Don D. Driscoll, chairman; A. J. Nappa and Henry Kontola, supervisors; E. A. Driscoll, clerk; F. X. Span- felner, assessor; Mike Hakkila, treasurer; Louis Rossini, justice; Henry Lampala, constable.
With the exception of the Duluth and Iron Range Railway, which passes through the extreme northeastern corner of township 54-12, Alden has no railway facilities. Neither are the roads good. However, proximity to Duluth should bring it good development, eventually.
Allen .- The Township of Allen was erected in 1899. A petition which bears date of September 23, 1899, seeking the organization of congressional township 61 north, range 14 west, was signed by W. P. Jockam, J. P. Brown, L. Pennington, S. J. P. Lackie, H. Eno, L. Kniers, Julius Dahl, Alec Cameron, John Hickey, M. Lawlor, R. E. Heath, James Villars, John Mirandy, K. Nilsen, Peter Mustad, J. Antuli, August Buboltz, George Donohue, and Levi S. Wilson.
Election was held at the office of the Tower Logging Company, at Bear Head Lake, on Saturday, December 23, 1899, following the granting of petition by County Commissioners E. Morcom, J. Wil- liams, Fred W. Kugler, Charles Kauppi and Ole A. Berg. At the election, or first town meeting, William Allen was elected "moder- ator" by the assembled electors, and Charles Underhill clerk of the meeting. Albert Graetz and Charles Lund were appointed judges of election, and they eventually declared the balloting to have resulted in the election of the following: William Allen, chairman ; D. Willen- berg and Martin Lawler, supervisors; Charles Underhill, clerk; J. Cuculi, treasurer ; L. A. Johnson, assessor; August Buboltz, justice; Patrick Murphy and Elijah Pennington, constables; and William Gustafson, overseer. Each man elected received twenty-seven votes.
In 1900, the population of Allen Township was 179 persons; no report was made to the Federal Census Bureau in 1910, and in the 1920 census only one person was found to be resident in it.
The land is apparently held by people who do not live in the township as the 1919 tax levy upon property in that township totalled to $2,856.46.
Allen Township, for educational purposes, is in School District No. 9, which centers at Tower.
Angora .- The Township of Angora was organized in 1905, its boundaries being the congressional township 61 north, and range eighteen west, formerly unorganized and undeveloped territory.
Petition bears date September 9, 1905; first signature, Carl L. Nord; total signatures, twenty-five. Carl L. Nord took oath on September 9th that when petition was circulated there not less than forty or more than fifty voters in the township proposed.
Commissioners granted prayer of petitioners, and on September 12, 1905, ordered election to be held, at the residence of Carl L. Nord, in the southeast quarter of the southeast quarter of section 9, town- ship 61-18, on September 30, 1905.
An interesting paper is that dated March 15, 1909, upon which W. H. Bristol, clerk of the township of Angora, certified that at the
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annual town meeting held on the 15th of that month the question of granting a license for the sale of intoxicating liquors within the township was put to the public vote, and, of twenty-one votes cast, nineteen were against and two in favor of the granting of the said license.
The assessed valuation of real and personal property in the township in 1905 was $63,375. Taxes levied in that year, $1,438.61. In 1919 the total valuation was $54,819; and the taxes levied $4,511.60 in that year.
The township officers in 1920 were: L. M. Burghardt, chair- man ; John Metser and Henry Rombeck, supervisors; C. H. Sherman, clerk; James Sherman, assessor ; Walter Olson, treasurer.
Angora Township had a population of 255 persons in 1910; in 1920 its population had become 392.
Argo .- The Township of Argo was organized on December 7, 1920, and consists mainly of congressional townships 60-12, 59-13 and 60-13, the northern boundary of the organized township extending a little into township 61-12-to the southern border of Birch Lake.
The men primarily and chiefly active in the developments which led to the organization of the Township of Argo were D. C. Jackling, of San Francisco, a mining engineer and executive of international reputation, and his associates of the banking firm of Hayden, Stone & Co., of New York and Boston; and Messrs. W. G. Swart and Dwight E. Woodbridge, mining engineers of Duluth. Mr. Jackling's force, far-sightedness, enthusiasm and high standing carried the new and questioned enterprise past the many obstacles that it naturally encountered, and the whole souled support of his eastern associates solved the financial problems upon which so many untried and costly experiments are wrecked.
The first township election was held on December 22, 1920, and the original administration is constituted as follows: W. G. Swart, chairman; Wm. Mudge and O. C. Burrell, supervisors; Mrs. Jas. R. Mitten, clerk; Clyde M. Pearce, assessor ; Dr. P. D. McCarty, treas- urer; T. B. Counselman and Wm. J. Baumgrass, justices; Oscar Birkness and Al Johnson, constables.
The township organization is the natural outcome of the growth of the population of that region, which, prior to the forming of Argo was unorganized territory. The important mining enterprise begun at Babbitt in the spring of 1920 made it certain that organized municipal and town administration would soon follow.
Treating the Low-Grade Ore of Eastern Mesabi .- On the eastern part of the Mesabi range lies an immense deposit of magnetic iron ore, or taconite. Early explorers were well aware of it, but had to pass it by because of the low grade of the ore, which seemed to have no commercial value. Dwight E. Woodbridge, however, gave the matter of treating the ore considerable thought, study, and experi- mentation, carrying his research even to Europe. In 1909, he visited northern Europe where there were somewhat similar deposits, and where plants for the magnetic separation of ore had been established. He visited Sweden, Norway, and Lapland, and spent much time at the Actieselskabet Sydvaranger plant, at Sydvaranger, Lapland. And he pursued the matter until he had succeeded in interesting the men -perhaps the only men in America-likely to carry the experiment through to success, that is Mr. Jackling and Hayden, Stone & Co. When organized for an intensive trial of the project, W. G. Swart, an accomplished metallurgist and skillful executive was made general
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manager, and on the organization of the Mesabi Iron Co. and the beginning of construction of its works at Babbitt, in Argo Township, Mr. Swart became its vice president, Mr. Jackling being president.
Village of Babbitt .- The village of Babbitt is situated in the northeast part of section 18-60-12, with its mills in section 7. It is about sixteen miles from the village of Mesaba. There was a time when Mesaba grew from nothing to a centre of trading and outfitting. In 1890-91, after the discovery of marketable ore on the Mesabi range to the westward, Mesaba, the nearest point on the Duluth and Iron Range Railway, grew, it seemed, to a place of fifteen "hotels" and many stores "in a few days." Most of the expeditions to the westward outfitted at Mesaba, and for a year or so returned to that station for supplies. Now, with the new mining developments to the estward it would seem that Mesaba is again coming into a degree of temporary importance. It was necessary to build a wagon road from Mesaba to Babbitt, and in that work the mining company employed a number of men. For some part of the distance of six- teen miles the route lay over the trail cut by George R. Stuntz in the '60s, after the "gold rush" first brought the Vermilion Lake into public notice. And it was probably over this trail that George R. Stuntz led Professor Chester in 1875, for the latter avers that his un- favorable report on Mesabi ore was of "only the lean magnetic belt of the Mesabi range, in towns 59-14 and 60-13," which is the grade of ore now being treated by the Mesabi Iron Company. The village of Babbitt began to take shape in the spring of 1920, when the Mesabi Iron Company began to erect its ore-treating plant in the vicinity. The village rapidly grew in population to approximately 400 persons, and while Babbitt will probably never become one of the large villages of the Range, it is expected to at least maintain its present importance for many years-indefinitely, one might say. The reason why the village will not expand as have other villages of the Mesabi range is that it is dependent upon enterprises such as that of the Mesabi Iron Company, and although the plant now being brought into opera- tion is but the first of the mills the Mesabi Iron Company plans to build near Babbitt, if conditions are favorable, the chances of benefit coming to that village from similar, but independent, mining enter- prises is remote, as the Mesabi Iron Company owns outright, or has leased, or has the option of much of the mineral land within a radius of ten miles of Babbitt, which for long is likely to maintain the status of "a one-company town." Corporate powers for it may not be sought for some time, but its affairs appear to be well adminis- tered, and the town-planning has been good. The townsite was platted off the ore body, so that the heavy ultimate removal expense incurred by other mining villages will be avoided at Babbitt. The buildings erected by the mining company for the housing of the population are models of utility, the large barrack-like buildings being of what is known as "the unit plan," an arrangement whereby. when necessary, the long buildings may be divided, section by section, and with very little additional expense converted into detached one- family cottages. A hospital has been built, and is under the direction of Dr. P. J. McCarthy. There are also many individual dwellings. There has been no independent building in the village; indeed, there is no outside enterprise. Neither is there likely to be for some time, the policy of the company being to discourage speculation in real estate. And as almost every man in the village is in the employ of the company, the accommodation provided and the general mode of
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living bears to that of the communal order, most of the employees relying mainly upon the company for eating and sleeping quarters. In course of time, as more married men come in with their families, the general plan of domiciliation will probably change.
Babbitt takes its name from Judge K. R. Babbitt, who for many years has been chief legal advisor for the firm of Hayden, Stone & Co., and who died at the time a name was under consideration. Judge Babbitt was formerly a resident of Denver, and his wife was a sister of Thos. Cullyford, who for many years operated the St. Louis Hotel, at Duluth.
It is not proper here to enter to any extent into a technical description of the Mesabi Iron Company's plant, but it may be stated that there is every probability that St. Louis County will benefit largely from the exploitation of its deposits of low-grade ore by the Mesabi Iron Company. That company entered upon its present venture very carefully. It spent $750,000 in experiments before deciding to embark upon the heavy outlay the Babbitt plant represents. It has cost the company more than $3,000,000 to establish the plant there and bring it into operation. Yet its capacity is only 3,000 tons a day, which fact gives one an indication of how enormous will be the enterprise if the plans of the directors are carried through to the full. It has been stated that eventually the company expects to treat 100,000 tons of ore daily at mills in the vicinity of Babbitt.
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