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 28
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Early Explorers .- David T. Adams explored and mapped the Mesabi Range in the '80s; Captain LeDuc was in the neighborhood of what later was Stuntz in 1887; but probably the first of the early explorers of the Mesabi Range to take up successful work in the dis- trict known as the Township of Stuntz was E. J. Longyear, of Min- neapolis. Soon afterwards came R. M. Bennett, Frank Hibbing and John Mallman. Longyear in 1891 cut a road through from Mountain Iron West, as far as Nashwauk, in range 23.
Lumbering .- The lumber interests were the first to undertake active logging operations in the township, Wright. Davis and Com- pany owning many thousands of acres of heavily timbered lands. Explorers discovered ore on the Wright, Davis and Company lands, and on April 19, 1893, the last-named company granted leases to the Mahoning Ore Company, supplements of October 4, 1893, March 1, 1894, March 15, 1895, March 28, 1895, and April 1, 1895, bring- ing up the total acreage of the lumber company's lands leased to the Mahoning Ore Company, in township 57-21, more than a thousand acres, on a royalty basis, the greater part at 2712 cents a ton. The leases were for a term of ninety-seven years.
It is not the intention here, in this chapter, to extensively review the lumbering, mining, or agricultural developments of the Town of Stuntz; all will have extensive review in other chapters. Suffice it here to state that Wright, Davis and Company, the principals of which were Ammi A. Wright, of Alma, Michigan; Charles H. Davis and W. T. Knowlton, of Saginaw, Michigan, sold to the Pine Tree Lumber Company for $1,300,000 on July 14, 1892, four billion feet on Swan River, that sale clearing all of their holdings in that district. But they still possessed the land and more timber further north, and were gradually drifting into a state of affluent importance to the men interested in the exploitation of the vast mineral wealth of the Town- ship of Stuntz.
Mining Development in 1895 .- The "Proceedings of the Lake Superior Mining Institute," for 1895, in March of which year the members of that association met on the Mesabi Range, reviews the mining situation on the two ranges at that time. First, regarding the railway facilities in the new mining field, the review states :
"Railroads were not constructed to these mines (Mesabi) until the fall of 1892. There are not three roads running to the iron mines on the Mesabi. Only two of them, the Duluth and Iron Range and Duluth, Missabe and Northern, have hauled any ore. The Duluth, Mississippi and Northern in conjunction with the Duluth and Win- nipeg, will haul its first ore the coming season.
"The D. & I. R. R. * * extended from its main line to
* the Mesabi mines in 1892 and 1893. * * The D., M. & N. Ry. was constructed from Stony Brook Junction, on the D. & W. R. R. to the mines of the Mesabi in 1892 and 1893. Built through the efforts of the Merritt Brothers, Chase Brothers and Donald Grant, it passed in 1893 into the hands of the Lake Superior Consolidated Iron Mines, in which company the chief stockholder is John D.
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Rockefeller. This corporation also owns a number of mines on the Mesabi, and its own docks at Duluth. Its output in 1894 was nearly 600,000 tons of ore, from its own mines. In this season, the D., M. & N. Ry. carried more than 1,300,000 tons of ore to Lake Superior. The ore rate to the lake from all Mesabi mines is eighty cents per gross ton.
"The D .; M., & N. was primarily intended to be a logging road, built by Michigan lumbermen ; but the discovery of iron ore on lands belonging to these same parties (Wright, Davis and Com- pany) and on adjacent tracts induced them to construct it standard gauge and of heavy rails, suitable for ore transportation. It is tribu- tary to the D. & W. R. R., which has ore docks at Superior. The Mahoning mine at Hibbing will ship over this road, as will other mines further west when more fully developed.
"Begining at the westernmost developed properties, we shall describe the mines of the Mesabi in order of occurrence eastward." Describing the "Hibbing Group of Mines," the review continues : "Hibbing is located in the northwest quarter section 6, township 57, range 20 west. *
* Surrounded by a large amount of pine tim- ber, and adjacent to large deposits of iron ore, it is a town of great promise.
"Lake Superior Mine, situated on the southwest quarter of south- west quarter, section 31, township 58, range 20 west * *
* was discovered in 1892 by Capt. T. W. Nelson, working under the direc- tion of Mr. Frank Hibbing, of Duluth. No ore has been produced from this mine as yet. It is being developed for underground min- ing, under the direction of Mr. W. J. Olcott, for the Lake Superior Consolidated Company, who are operating it at present. The super- intendent is Mr. P. Mitchell. It will probably be on the list of shippers for 1895. It is operated on a thirty-cent lease, and the profits are divided between the Consolidated and the Lake Superior com- panies.
"Mahoning Mine. After the discovery of ore in the northeast quarter, section 3, 57-21, the Mahoning Company, last year, devel- oped one of the largest ore bodies on the range, in the north half of sections 1 and 2, 57-21. This ore is now being uncovered, or 'stripped' to prepare for shipments in 1895. The work is under the direction of Mr. W. C. Agnew. The fee to this land belongs to Saginaw lumbermen, the Mahoning Company holding a lease.
"Sellers Mine. This mine is situated just north and northeast of Hibbing. Shafts are being sunk and development work done as rapidly as possible. It is understood that this mine, like others in the Hibbing group, has an unpleasant amount of water to contend with. Mr. Chas. Munger is in charge of operations here."
The operation of the Sellers mine was on leases January 17 and April 5, 1893, from M. B. Hull to John M. Sellers, also of Chicago, calling for royalty of thirty-five cents, with a minimum of $7,000. On October 20, 1893, John M. Sellers sold his lease of January 17, 1893, to the Sellers Ore Company.
Organization of Township .- Although Hibbing was incorpo- rated as a village in 1893, it was not until 1894 that the movement which ended in the erection of the Township of Stuntz began.
On January 3, 1894, a petition praying for the organization. under the General Statutes of Minnesota Compilation, 1878, of con- gressional township fifty-seven north of range twenty west, "as the Town of Stuntz," was filed with the Board of Commissioners of
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St. Louis County. The paper was signed by Burton Hurd, Eugene Brown, George L. Robinson, T. W. Nelson, J. F. Twitchell and other residents of that township, and was before the county commissioners for their consideration in February.
They then set off township 57-20 as the Township of Stuntz and ordered first election to be held at the office of Hibbing and Trimble, south half of northwest quarter of section six on Febru- ary 27th.
The township remained with jurisdiction only over township 57-20 until 1896, when three other congressional townships were added to it, the result of a petition, to "annex to the Township of Stuntz townships fifty-seven and fifty-eight north of range twenty- one west, and fifty-eight north of range twenty," which was filed on April 7th. The paper was signed by J. D. Campbell, John Mun- ter, W. H. Day, Jas. Geary and others, and after consideration by the commissioners at the April session of that board a hearing was ordered for May 5, 1896.
Protest by Mahoning Ore Co .- It became known eventually that W. C. Agnew, general manager of the Mahoning Ore Company, wrote to the county commissioners, under date of April 6, 1896, protesting against the granting of petition to annex the three addi- tional townships and in particular regarding township 57-21, assert- ing that the petition "was not presented in our vicinity," and that "township 57-21 is very rich, if not the richest in mineral and tim- ber lands in the country." He further stated that township 57-21 "has already been included in a school district with the other town- ships mentioned," and expressed a belief that "an injustice had been done us (presumably the Mahoning Ore Company) thereby." seeing that "a large amount of money has been collected for school purposes," which apparently was a regrettable circumstance. Regard- ing the school fund, Mr. Agnew stated: "The manner in which it was expended and the fight over it is a matter of record and doos not reflect credit upon those having the matter in charge." He explained that "the Town of Hibbing is entirely in 57-20, and that the children in and around our location must walk from one to two miles to reach the schoolhouse." Therefore, he asked the commis- sioners "to ignore the request of the petition" and "allow us to make a separate township organization and receive and expend any money that we are entitled to within our own limits."
However, the protest was withdrawn by the attorney for the ore company, at the hearing before the commissioners on May 5th. and on that day the commissioners ordered the annexation of town- ships fifty-eight north of twenty and twenty-one range, and fifty-seven north of range twenty-one west, to the Township of Stuntz. Whether such action by the commissioners was taken because of the reinforce- ment of the original petition by another, filed May 5, 1896, cannot be determined, although the circulation and filing of the support- ing petition may explain the withdrawal of the protest by the Mahon- ing Ore Company. The second of the petitions of 1896 referred only to township 57-21, and prayed that it be annexed to the Township of Stuntz. Anton Eriksson was the first signer of that petition.
Enlargement of Stuntz .- In 1913 there were some important changes. Petition of Oscar Mahnquist and others then ( March, 1913) resident in the unorganized township fifty-six north of range twenty- one west requested annexation of that township to Stuntz ; and peti- tion of June 30, 1913, signed by Peter McHardy and others of town-
ONE OF THE OPEN-PIT MINES OF STUNTZ TOWNSHIP, SHOWING A PORTION OF HIBBING ON THE VERY BRIM. (HIBBING IS SURROUNDED BY SUCH PITS FROM THREE SIDES, AND, IN CONSEQUENCE IS IN PROCESS OF REMOVAL TO ANOTHER SITE, AT A COST OF MANY MILLIONS OF DOLLARS)
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ship 56-20, which was at that time part of the Township of Lavell, appealed to the commissioners to detach that congressional township from Lavell and add to Stuntz. Action was not taken until Novem- ber 6th of that year; the commissioners then increased the limits of Stuntz by those two townships (see Lavell, this chapter).
Erection of Balkan .- In 1913 came the first and only reduction of territory placed within the jurisdiction of the Town of Stuntz. In June section one to thirty, inclusive, of township 58-20 was added to the Township of Balkan, as described under that classification in this chapter. Today, the Township of Stuntz consists of townships fifty-six, fifty-seven and fifty-eight north of range twenty-one west, fifty-six and fifty-seven north of range twenty and one tier of sections (one to six, inclusive) of township fifty-eight north of range twenty west.
Valuation .- In 1894, the assessed valuation of the Township of Stuntz was only $129,625. Add the valuation of Hibbing, the only incorporated place in the township in 1893, $31,318, and the total is only $160,943. In 1919, the total assessed valuation of Stuntz, including that of Hibbing, was $117,029,409, on the realty alone. Thus, one may get an idea of the extraordinary development that has come to the township in less than thirty years. An even stronger indication of the place and importance of Stuntz in and to the County of St. Louis is conveyed in the tax figures. In 1894, the tax levy in the Township of Stuntz was $2,644.35, that covering the budget for all purposes. Add the 1893 figures for the Village of Hibbing, $963.03 and the total would be only $3,607.38. In 1919. the Township of Stuntz, including the Village of Hibbing, was called upon to con- tribute to the tax-levy in St. Louis County the enormous sum of $6,240,634.06, out of a total tax levy, for the whole county, of $20.705,- 448.24. The Township of Stuntz contributes almost twice as much to the revenue of St. Louis County as does the City of Duluth, and in wealth it dwarfs every other township of the county, probably of the state. The total taxes paid by Stuntz are even greater than the figures quoted above, although the addition of Kitzville levy is insignificant by comparison.
Population .- The whole territory was practically uninhabited until the late '80s or early '90s of last century; in 1900 the popula- tion was 3,564; in 1910 it had increased to 14,409, and in the last census, 1920, the federal tabulation showed that 19,010 people then lived in the Township of Stuntz, including 15,089 in the Village of Hibbing (which now takes second place among the incorporated places of the county), and 480 in the Village of Kitzville.
Hibbing .- Hibbing will be the subject of a special chapter, as befits its place in the history of the county. Kitzville is referred to later herein.
Schools .- For school purposes, the Township of Stuntz is included in the excellently-directed school administration known as Independent School District No. 27. Its history will be reviewed as part of that of Hibbing, in which village it centers. So there is no need to make further reference to school matters here.
Township Officials .- The township officials in 1920 were: J. B. Messner (chairman), W. G. Brown and John C. Eastman, super- visors ; Ben McDonald, clerk ; Joseph Moran. assessor; Jerry Sulli- van, treasurer. Joseph Moran. a veteran of the Civil War, has been assessor for very many years. He was a cruiser for Wright, Davis
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and Company, and came to what became Hibbing in 1891, in 1893 taking a homestead at Moran (Kelly) Lake, section 7-58-21.
Mining .- For the next hundred years, probably, the Township of Stuntz will be prominent, as the center of important iron mining. The ore not yet mined but known to be available totaling to an immense figure, the Mahoning Mines alone having more than seventy- five million tons available, notwithstanding that thirty million tons have been won from it since first opened. And there are many other mines in the township with an immense reserve of ore and probably much yet to be proved.
The prominent mines still in operation in the township, and to which references will be made elsewhere herein, are the Mahon- ing. Hull-Rust, Sellers, Buffalo-Susquehanna, Scranton, Laura, Lee- tonia. Agnew, Morris, Kerr, Stevenson, Nassau, Philbin, Longyear and Albany.
Kitzville .- The incorporated Village of Kitzville came into exist- ence in 1912 after two previous attempts to incorporate the village had been made. The first attempt was made in January, 1911, when a petition which bears the date of January 26, 1911, sought to incor- porate as a village the northeast quarter of section 5, township 57-20. represented as wholly platted into lots. The papers were deemed to be irregular by the county attorney. The second attempt was in May of that year. A petition was filed with the county auditor on May 4th, and two days later the county commissioners acted upon it, ordering election to be held "at the store of John Dimatteo, lot 4. block 3, townsite of Kitzville, on May 29, 1911. The election resulted in twenty-six voting for incorporation and twenty-nine against.
A petition, dated May 29, 1912, came before the commissioners on July 9th. Election was ordered to be held August 12, 1912, at same place. Thirty-one voted, all in favor of incorporation. There- fore, the corporate existence of Kitzville then began, with village bounds as follows: Northeast quarter, northwest quarter section 4, 57-20; northeast quarter, northeast quarter, section 5, 57-20; south- west quarter, southwest quarter, section 33, 58-20; southeast quar- ter, southeast quarter, section 32, 58-20.
The village is in School District No. 27. Present village officials are: Matt Kochevar, president ; John Meadows, Louis Marolt, James Chiodi, councilmen; Alfred Dimatteo, clerk; Marko. Marolt. treas- urer.
Assessed valuation of village is $57,376. Population, 480.
Mahoning (Village of) .- A petition was prepared in Decem- ber, 1915, and dated December 31st, seeking to bring about the incor- poration, as the Village of Mahoning, of 998.51 acres of land situ- ated in section two and three of township 57-21, and sections 35 and 34 of township 58-21. Part of the territory had already been platted and the plat filed as the "Plat of Mahoning."
The petition was signed by W. F. Pellenz, Jr., W. C. Northey. R. N. Marble, Jr., J. C. Agnew and thirty-six other residents of the 493 stated to have been the total number of inhabitants on Decem- ber 28, 1915, and it was adopted by the commissioners at their Janu- ary, 1916, session, on motion of Commissioner Swanstrom. Election was ordered to take place "at the G. N. R. Depot, section 2, town- ship 57-21," on Saturday, January 29, 1916.
No report of election was filed with the county auditor and the village has, therefore, no place among the incorporated places of the county. It is not known to present compiler whether election was
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duly held and the motion defeated, or whether the attempt to incor- porate was abandoned.
Sturgeon .- A petition, dated February 2, 1907, of Charles West and others, freeholders of township sixty-one north of range twenty west, was responsible for the organization soon afterwards of that congressional township, as the Township of Sturgeon.
The petition was filed with the county officials on February 9th, was adopted by the county commissioners on March 7th, and soon after in that year, 1907, the first town meeting was held, the voting place being the schoolhouse designated "No. 2" of School District No. 45.
The township has remained unchanged, as to boundaries, ever since. On the north, it borders on Linden Grove Township, on the east Alango, on the south Fern, and on the west Morcom Township. It is an agricultural township, with no railway facilities nearer than Angora, about ten miles to the east. The Sturgeon River passes through the township.
In 1907, its assessed valuation was $21,574. In 1919, its valua- tion was $39,772. In its first year as an organized township its total tax levy was $524.25; in 1919, it was $2,835.74. Originally, it was part of School District No. 45, but now it is served by the Unorgan- ized School District directed by the county school superintendent. The township pays a school tax of 37.1 mills.
Sturgeon Township had a population of two in 1900; in 1910 there were 135 inhabitants; and in the last census-taking the tabula- tion was 184. Its development is gradual and permanent.
The township officers in 1920 were: Frank Johnson (chair- man), Nestor Vianio and John Ketola, supervisors; Fred Goodell, clerk ; Andrew Roine, assessor; Ed. Neimi, treasurer.
Toivola .- The prosperous Township of Toivola was formed in 1911. It was formerly part of the Township of Kelsey, or rather the eastern half was.
A petition was filed with the county auditor on May 4, 1911, by freeholders of the congressional township fifty-four north of range nineteen west, at that time part of the Town of Kelsey, the petition praying that, with township 54-20, it be organized, "as the Township of Toivola," under the state laws of 1905. A reason stated for the separation of township 54-19 from Kelsey was that the roads were bad, mainly because of an unjust distribution of public funds by the officials of the Town of Kelsey, which at that time had jurisdiction over townships 54-19 and 18.
After some investigation, the commissioners formed the Town- ship of Toivola as asked by petitioners, placing township 54-20 under its administration on July 10, 1911, subject to confirmation at first election, which was ordered to be held on July 29, 1911, at the school- house No. 3, situated on the northeast quarter of section 11. of township 54-20.
They also favorably considered the request for the separation of township 54-19 from the Township of Kelsey, and after hearing remonstrances, detached it from Kelsey and attached the Township to Toivola.
It appears that the first township meeting in the Town of Toivola was held on July 17. 1911. at the residence of Tom Arkkola, town- ship 54-19; but that meeting was declared to be illegal.
The settlers in Toivola Township are mostly of Finnish origin. They are people of thrifty life, industrious and frugal. They are.
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therefore, laying the agricultural prosperity of the township upon a firm and permanent basis. Many of the homesteaders of ten years ago are now comparatively independent, having well-developed and very productive farms, the log houses giving way to modern resi- dences of up-to-date standard and large, well-built farm buildings.
There were apparently no inhabitants in the township in 1900; in 1910 there were only eighty-five; but in 1920 the population of the two congressional townships which constitute the limits of Toi- vola was found to be 427.
Toivola is part of the Unorganized School District, directed by the county school superintendent. The school tax, therefore, is 37.1 mills, probably much less than if Toivola had a separate school district.
The township is well watered ; the St. Louis River passes through, as well as tributaries that help to drain the land. The Duluth, Mis- sabe and Northern Railway passes through, with a station at Toivola, in township 54-20, and other railways pass through adjoining town- ships of Meadowlands, Kelsey and Lavell, which are situated south, east, and north, respectively. Cedar Township borders Toivola on the west.
The township officials in 1920 were: Erick Pistala (chairman), Jacob Rajawouri and Alfred Taipale, supervisors; Jacob Kero, clerk ; Henry Saari, assessor; Victor Lahti, treasurer.
Van Buren .- Unorganized township fifty-two north of range twenty west, was organized on March 5. 1909, as the Township of Van Buren, by the county commissioners.
The petition, which was signed by J. D. Moore and twenty-three others, was filed with the county auditor on the previous day and the territory having been laid off as "Van Buren," the first election of township officers was set for March 20th, the place of poling being "the schoolhouse situated on section 29, of township 52-20."
The valuation of the township has increased about one-fourth during the last decade, having now an assessed rating of $86,176. The increase in taxes levied has, however, been very much greater, being in 1919 $7,204.31, whereas in 1910 the total levy amounted to $2,732.28. The increasing cost of providing public education per- haps is the main reason for increase in taxation, but, of course, that is a necessary and well-returned expenditure. Van Buren is included in the Floodwood school district, which is known as Independent District No. 19 (see Floodwood Township, this chapter). Van Buren pays a school tax of 42.2 mills.
The township had a population of seventy-three in 1900; in 1910 there were 196 inhabitants and in 1920 the population was recorded as 305. It is a steady increase, and represents permanent agricul- tural development of the territory, which in that respect is compara- tively good land. The White Face River passes through the town- ship and several small streams or creeks help to drain the land. The Great Northern Railway almost touches the southwestern corner of Van Buren and the D., M. & N. system is in the next township to the northeast (Meadowlands), so that its products will be able to find ready access to good markets.
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The township officials in 1920 were: Fred Wain (chairman), Matt Luoma and John Simi, supervisors; F. W. Hutchinson, clerk ; J. Kivisto, assessor; John Mustonen, treasurer.
Vermilion Lake .- The Township of Vermilion Lake was formed
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of township sixty-one north of range sixteen west, in 1913, follow- ing the filing (on November 4, 1912) of a petition signed by forty- two voters of that township.
The petition asked that the congressional township in which they lived be organized and known as the Town of "Salmi," 'and the paper was given the consideration of the county commissioners at their November, 1912, session. Action was, however, deferred until the January session of the board of commissioners. Then the town- ship was set off as an organized area, to be known as "Vermilion," the commissioners ordering that notices be posted in prominent places throughout the township calling freeholders to the first town meet- ing of the "Town of Vermilion," the meeting to take place "at the Town Hall, section 26," on Tuesday, January 28, 1913. Before elec- tion, however, the commissioners advised the townspeople that the town could not be called "Vermilion," there being (in Dakota County) another township of the same name in the state. It was thereupon decided to call the newly organized township "Vermilion Lake," although only two sections border that beautiful water. The change of name was made by the commissioners at their February, 1913, session and confirmed by the freeholders:
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