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 6
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Additions were made to the village from time to time. Hibbing and . Trimble, of Duluth, secured interest in iron lands here and nearby, and Mr. Hibbing, having full faith in the future of this end of the range. finally decided to make a town and call it Hibbing-a name good enough for anybody, or any town.
Accordingly, he selected the townsite, started a crew of surveyors at work, and the announcement of the birth of a husky robust infant was re- corded in the court house at Duluth in June, 1893.
The struggle for existence was a most fierce one, and that every man in town was not discouraged and quit the "diggings" is something to be won- dered at, as one stops to look back at the sore trials that beset the pioneers of what is now the leading village of the Northwest. Virginia was then the center of attraction of the whole range, and when Hibbing was announced it was made the laughing-stock of the whole country.
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That conditions were rigorous for the pioneers of Hibbing may be well imagined. It was almost inaccessible. The railway had not reached it in 1892, and the journey along the "tote" road from Mesaba Station, the nearest railway point, was well-nigh unbearable. The traffic, along the dirt, and in the worst spots corduroyed, mountain road to Mesaba Station in 1891 and 1892 was exceptionally heavy, there being innumerable mining camps needing supplies, with mining equipment as well as provender, and the road was at time almost im- passable. The further to the westward the mining camp lay the harder the conditions, and Hibbing at that time was almost the farthest westward. During those first years of the nineties, Captain' A. H. Stevens, who later joined Oliver in mining work, had about thirty horses employed constantly in hauling supplies westward from Mesaba Station, and to make a "round trip" between that point and Hibbing seven days were needed. Today, the distance could be covered, by auto, in a few hours at most. The freight rate from Mesaba Station to Hibbing was six cents a pound, and mining com- panies had the preference. Frank Hibbing paid $100 a ton for hay.
The hardships were made even harder in 1893 by the almost universal depression. As the year advanced, money actually was not to be had, and what work was not absolutely urgent was postponed. Where work was found, payment was usually "in kind," food being the most acceptable. Much of the exploration work was continued on "grub-stakes," and one of the modes of payment in currency was in "clearing house certificates." That state of affairs prevailed not- withstanding that, from August of 1893, the great John D. Rocke- feller, was in command, to all intents, of the mining activities of Frank Hibbing and his associates. What would have happened in Hibbing had the great financier not taken hold at that time is hard to con- jecture. It is quite certain however that at that time Hibbing, Trim- ble, and Alworth had little or no money. Atkinson quotes Conner as stating that :
The winter of 1893-94 was very dull; there was little or no work of any kind going on. The "jumping lumberjacks" were paid anywhere from $6 to $12 a month, and were compelled to accept due bills, payable the following January. The discount on this paper was from 25 to 50 per cent, and jobs were exceedingly hard to get even at that figure. Therefore, inducement was not great to work in the woods, and there was very little exploring going on. A few men were being employed by W. C. Agnew, for the Mahoning Company, and it is history that Mr. Agnew created for himself the title of "The Working Man's Friend." He employed all the men he could make room for and paid them from $40 to $60 per month. After pay-day, a Mahoning miner was looked up to with respectful awe in Hibbing, and the less fortunate ones speculated on whether he could buy a railroad, a line of steamships, or go to Europe for an extended vacation. Hibbing at that time was a mere handful of buildings on the townsite proper, but there were all kinds of shacks, pictur- esque, grotesque, and otherwise, in all directions. They were occupied for the most part by men who did not know where the next meal was coming from. In the early morning, a person might stand on the west end of Pine street (that being the only street in town) and not see another man. Between 9 and' 10 o'clock the shackers would begin to crawl out, and from that time on could be seen a continuous string of men coming in from all directions. That was the army of "shackers" who lived in the woods on all sides of Hibbing. The tract of land west of First avenue was then known as Cedar Dale.
First Business Men in Hibbing .- The first boarding house "of any note" in Hibbing was that established by Patrick Slattery, though, somewhat earlier, "a mining-camp shanty was run awhile by Joseph Stewart." "Prior to August, 1893, all there was of Hibbing" stated Mr. Atkinson, "was what was called the Hay Market, located north
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and northwest of the present power plant." Murphy Brothers, it appears, "had the first general store established in Hibbing; it was housed in a tent on the lot where later stood the saloon of Ed. LaChance." James Gandsey was the second to open business, having a grocery store. He was a grocery man in Hibbing for very many years. The first to open an "exclusive dry-goods store" was the firm of O'Leary, Bowser and Day. In 1920, Mr. Day was still conducting the same business at 208 Pine Street. Berdie also was one of the early general-store dealers of Hibbing.
Petition to Incorporate .- The petition to incorporate the platted portion, and also quite a considerable additional acreage, in all about 2,560 acres in townships 57-20 and 57-21, was circulated in June, 1893. It was signed by 89 persons, the first to sign being John Meehan. The petition stated that a census had been taken on June 6, 1893, and dis- closed that there were 326 persons then resident upon the land for which corporate powers were sought. Petition bore date of July 7, 1893, and it was filed with the county auditor at Duluth without delay. On July 11, 1893, the county commissioners approved, and ordered that election to make known the will of the majority of the inhabi- tants, be held on August 15th next, at the office of the Lake Superior Mining Company. Dennis Haley, Ed. Champion and DI. Dugan were appointed inspectors of election. Frank Hibbing was deputed to see that election notices were properly posted, and testified soon afterwards that he had posted notices in five places : at Lake Superior Iron Company's office ; at the Trumble Sawmill ; at the Lake Superior Iron Co.'s shaft house ; at Brown's hotel ; and at Bradley's store. The election was duly held, and 106 votes were cast, 105 being for in- corporation.
First Election .- The way was thus clear, and the commissioners ordered election of officers to be held on August 30, 1893, at the same place. The outcome was that J. F. Twitchell, who seems to have been unopposed, was elected president of the village, receiving 176 of 176 votes cast. The other first officials chosen were also almost unani- mously elected. They were: John McHale, J. D. Campbell, and T. N. Nelson, trustees; C. T. Robinson, recorder ; Dennis Haley, treasurer ; Ed. Champion and G. L. Robinson, justices of the peace ; John Meehan and Patrick Harrington, constables.
Regarding the first election, and the outcome, Mr. Atkinson wrote :
The first election of the new village of Hibbing was a special, held August 8, and J. F. Twitchell was elected president, without opposition. Mr. Twitchell at that time was timekeeper, storekeeper, and cashier for Granville and Sullivan, the contractors who were doing construction work on the extension of the Duluth, Missabe and Northern railway, from Wolf to Hibbing. The ticket elected however did not suit the fancy of the shackers.
The Shackers' Union .- They decided to organize a "union" for self-pro- tection. No time was lost, and the union was soon organized, with Robert F. Berdie as president, and J. B. Connor secretary. As there was not thirty cents in the whole bunch, a treasurer was deemed an unnecessary luxury. The object of the union was a most worthy one, being to fill the elective offices of the village with men who would pledge themselves to have village work done by the day, instead of by contract (some of the work was done by the year).
Second Election .- Drawing on the time of the regular election, a caucus was duly called in "Germany Hall," a small double-log cabin, in use by Mr. Sellers in exploring the land now occupied by the Sellers mine. This camp was situated near the former office of the Minnesota Iron Company, and was one of the very first buildings erected in Hibbing. The caucus was called to order, and the man who was not a member of the Shackers Union was hard
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to find * * There was no opposition to the names presented, and the following village ticket was speedily placed in nomination: R. F. Berdie, for village president; J. B. Connor, for recorder; James Geary, D. C. Young and John McHale, trustees; D. Healy, for treasurer; John F. Meehan and W. F. Dalton, for constables. The opposition ticket was: J. Fred Twitchell, for president; C. F. Robinson, for recorder; Burton Hurd, J. D. Campbell, and James Geary, for trustees: D. Healy, for treasurer; John E. Meehan and John McHale, for constables. The Shackers elected their ticket, with the exception of Mr. Berdie for president and Mr. Dalton for constable.
Mr. Twitchell, however, did not continue in office for long. His policies probably met with opposition ; at all events, he soon resigned, and James Gandsey succeeded him as president before 1894 was far spent.
Pioneer Hotels .- Continuing John B. Connor's narrative Mr. At- kinson wrote:
The winter of 1893-4 was very dull There were three hotels in the town that winter, the Coffinger, the Brown, and the Cosmopolitan, and James Dillon had a restaurant, located where the New York restaurant now stands. The Hotel Superior was commenced that winter.
The Cosmopolitan hotel was owned by Dorsey and McKinary. Dorsey was one of those freehearted fellows who could not see anyone go hungry if he could help it, and, as a result, his business partner was often taxed to the limit to keep things going. The dining room of the Cosmopolitan was about 24x40 feet, with three tables extending the full length of the room. Dorsey would throw open the door, and announce dinner as follows: "Take it"-in a voice that penetrated the depths of Cedar Vale. That was the signal; and the jam at the tables made light of the opening of an Indian reservation in
Oklahoma *
* * In less than an hour, everything eatable had vanished from sight, and Dorsey would say confidentially to his partner: "There was about half-a-dozen money guys in that bunch." It was a common occurrence to see hanging over the Cosmopolitan every Friday or Saturday the following notice, printed in large letters: "No more stiffs wanted-this place is closed." The hotel had a bar-room in connection, and Dorsey would take in enough money over the bar in a few days to buy a ham and a sack of flour, and, re- ceiving a grape-vine telegram a few days later, announcing the intended visit of a few strangers, he would promptly declare the Cosmopolitan open for business again.
Besides the hotels, however, there were eight saloons in Hibbing in 1893. They were those conducted by Churchill and Sullivan, Eugene Brown, John Munter, J. D. Campbell, Thomas Shank, John Bruce and James Geary. One incident of the earliest year is referred to by Mr. Atkinson thus :
In the "woolly" days of the town "Duff" Campbell, now of Duluth, occu- pied a tent on Pig Tail Alley, wherein he conducted a first class sample room. It is hinted that he manufactured his own hardware and varnish. * *
* As is usual in all new mining camps, there were many "hangers-on," who were no good to themselves, or anyone else. Duff had a number of these customers, and one, more aggressive than the others, pestered Mr. Campbell unrelentingly. After the usual request for "just one more, for a bracer ye know," Mr. Camp- bell handed the vagabond ten cents and told him to go and buy a rope and hang himself." He did so. "That was the first suicide in Hibbing."
Another reminiscence repeated by Mr. Atkinson is to the effect that :
W. C. Barrett was the first wholesale beer agent. The goods (of Fit- ger's celebrated stock) came overland from Mountain Iron, hotter and frothier than * * * after the long jolt. But we drank it, smacked our lips, and said it was good; probably because whisky was cheaper at that time.
And yet one more of Mr. Atkinson's reminiscences connects with "the Trade." He wrote :
There is a difference of opinion as to the first ball held in Hibbing. Sev- eral of the very old-time swell-set declare that the first dance antedated that held in the "new bank building" by several months, and that it was held in a tent, which was located near where the Center Street School building now stands. A keg of beer was on tap for refreshments *
* ', and it is
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recorded that the weather was so cold that the "snout" of the keg froze up solid, and about half the fun was spoiled.
First Franchise .- The first franchise granted by the village of Hibbing was to Messrs Hibbing and Trimble, who organized the Hibbing Light and Water Company. The ordinance under reference is No. 8, which was adopted on February 27, 1894. When it became known that Hibbing and Trimble would soon be laying water-mains, the poverty-stricken and unemployed residents of the village felt that relief was at hand, in work for the water company. But they were doomed to disappointment. The contract for the laying of the mains and erection of supply tank was placed with Fairbanks, Morse and Company, which company imported men to lay the water-mains on Pine Street and Third Avenue. As Mr. Connors described the hap- pening, to Mr. Atkinson :
A long, gimlet-eyed, red-headed, seven-foot gasbag named Hammer, from St. Paul, was brought in by the construction company to superintend the work. Mr. Hammer ignored the Shackers by bringing his own crew of workmen along with him. Hammer was up against no less than a dozen physical en- counters a day at the start, and he finally armed himself with a two-faced ax, for protection. However, the work was completed, and was the means of bringing some money to the famishing town.
First Bond Issue .- Arising out of the first franchise granted came the first bond issue. Ordinance No. 10, following resolution adopted by the village council on April 30, 1895, made provision for the issu- ance of bonds to the extent of $11,400, so that the village might pur- chase the water plant of the Hibbing Light and Water Company, for $9,700, and make certain extensions to the service at an expense of $1,700.
It was therefore not long before that valuable public utility be- came municipally owned, at little expense. As a matter of fact, Frank Hibbing had to all interests, loaned the village the sum necessary to establish the waterworks, having apparently never intended to hold the franchise for his personal profit.
Improvement in General Conditions .- Although the "Shackers" were disappointed because of their failure to get work on the water- works contract, conditions soon began to improve, even though con- ditions were "dull" throughout the whole of 1894. Mr. Atkinson wrote :
About this time (completion of the waterworks contract in 1894), Frank Hibbing advanced $3,000 to the country, for the purpose of building a road, from Hibbing to the Mahoning mine. That caused a decided flurry in the financial circles and every man boasted of the wave of prosperity that had at last struck the town. Of the construction of the Mahoning road we give the telling to Mr. Connor, who was there at the time:
"There are not many of the old-timers who worked on that road now (1902) with us, although I can name a few: Thomas McMillan, J. J. Stuart, proprietor of the Hibbing Hotel: Dan Murphy, and myself. Poor old Trucky, who had a blacksmith shop at that time also worked on the road, and carried in five picks daily to be sharpened at night, thus increasing his daily earnings to $2.00, which was 50 cents more than the rest of us made. I remember Peter McHardy, the lumber dealer, bemoaning his ill-luck, because he was laid up in bed with a fever, and could not get out to make $1.50 a day, by working on the road."
First Barber .- Hibbing was certainly improving, in general tone and prospects, and by the summer of 1894 a barber. A. C. McArthur, appeared in Hibbing, and resolved to stay. He established his shop at the spot where later stood the Crystal restaurant. He was followed by James Van Mere. Maurice Hosteller later "opened a shop in the
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Hotel Superior, and in a short time erected the building on Third Avenue" later occupied by John Orr and Company.
Some of the Original Happenings .- One of the most interesting "first" happenings, perhaps, was the tax levied, for all purposes, in the village of Hibbing for its first municipal year, 1893. The total assessed valuation of taxable property then was $31,318, and total tax was $963.03. One is able to get a quick appreciation of the enormous growth of Hibbing since that year by knowing the figures for recent years. The county "Tax Notice for the Year 1920," shows that the taxable value of Hibbing property in 1919 was $84,603,682, upon ยท which the total taxes for that year were $4,670,123, which is more than one-fifth of the total revenue of the county. Add the Stuntz township tax, $1,570,510, to that of Hibbing, and it is clear that Hib- bing district yields more than one-fourth of the revenue of the whole county. And St. Louis county is by far the largest tax-payer in the state.
Interesting other first happenings are tabulated by Mr. Atkinson. It appears that :
To Mr. and Mrs. Edw. Champion belong the honor of being the parents of the first child born in Hibbing. The child was a boy, and was named Philip. He did not, however, live.
Mrs. York was the first woman to arrive in Hibbing; she afterwards became Mrs. William Wills. (By the way, Joseph Moran claims that "Mrs. Champion, wife of James Champion, engineer, was the first white woman to reach Hibbing; that she came in on horseback, and that it was hard to state which was horse and which was rider, the mud was so thick over them).
Mrs. Charles Gourdette was the first person who died in Hibbing. There was no cemetery at that time, and the coffin was carried along a path connecting the embryo village with Leighton's lumber camps, east of town. In the woods, about forty rods off the trail, a cemetery was staked off, and the grave is yet (1902) to be seen at the east end of Superior street, Pillsbury.
The first man who died here was James Dixon; he was the father of Miss Jennie Dixon, of the telephone exchange.
The Hibbing News *
* * was the first newspaper of Hibbing.
John Bergman, later a prosperous business man of Duluth, was a mem- ber of one of the early village boards of trustees, and when a motion to install an electric lighting plant came before the board, Mr. Bergman moved that the "lection lamps be placed under the table." A motion to "adjoin" was then made and carried.
D. C. Rood was the first resident physician and surgeon.
Hibbing's first postmaster was John Murphy.
The first depot was a D. M. & N. box-car.
John E. Meehan was the first policeman.
J. Fred Twitchell was the first real-estate agent.
Murphy brothers had the first hardware store.
John Daigle had the first restaurant, and he "made considerable money." The first religious service was conducted by Reverend Mevel, who found his way in here from Cloquet.
F. E. Doucher was the first lawyer.
The first drug store was established by J. H. Carlson and J. O. Walker. Carlson later was the head of the Carlson Mercantile Company, and Walker went to the county auditor's office in Duluth.
The first man arrested in Hibbing was "Paddy, the Pig"; he stole a ham from Grocer Gandsey, and hams were worth something in those days. Ed Lehman was the first contractor and builder.
Mrs. Reynolds, now Mrs. Casey, was the first wash-woman. She made money later in real estate.
Malcolm Noble was the first miner injured in the district. A bucket fell fifty feet in the shaft at the Sellers mine, striking him on the head. The injury was a bad one, but Mr. Noble weathered it.
James Dillon was the first drayman. On his dray was a sign which read: "Pioneer Drayman." James Dillon is reputed to have moved one Hibbing family six times in one year "on an advertising contract of $1.00 per." He did well in business.
The first fire occurred on the morning of February 20, 1894, when the Coppinger Hotel was burned.
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The pioneer ball in Hibbing took place on January 24, 1894. The party was held in the "new bank building" now (1902) occupied by W. J. Ryder's furniture store. Tickets were placed on the market at $1.50 each, and it cut even the pioneer swells to dig up $1.50 in those days. But the dollar-fifties were forthcoming readily enough, when it was seen that there was no help for it, and everybody went. And everybody had a jolly time. The floor managers were J. F. Twitchell, G. G. Robinson, Dan McFadden, Mrs. J. J. Stuart, and Miss Celia Gandsey.
The first banking institution started in Hibbing was the Bank of Hibbing, which later became the Lumbermen's and Miners' Bank.
Early Mails .- It seems that the mails came in over the trail from Mountain Iron in the early days before Hibbing was a railroad town. There was no regular system of mail-carrying, but occasionally a young man would come through, and for the carrying would be paid 'for the delivery of each letter.
First Post-Office .- The first post-office was established in the store of Murphy Brothers, said store having a tent for protection against wind, rain, and yeggs. The tent was on First Avenue, but before the winter came, the store and post-office were housed in a stronger shelter, a frame building on Pine Street.
Abundance of Game .- In the hard times of the first year, 1893, it indeed was fortunate for the "shackers" that there was an abun- dance of game to be had. R. F. Berdie was responsible for the state- ment that, at that time, "it was nothing unusual to step out and in a few minutes kill, with a club, enough partridges to last a family a day or so." Mr. Berdie also told "of a monster bull moose that he saw standing in the street, near where the office of the 'Mesaba Ore' was later located."
The Coming of the Railway .- Hibbing became a railroad station in the fall of 1893, even though the first depot was only "a D. M. & N. box-car." All depended on that vital transportation connection, and had it been a normal year, instead of one in which all industry was gasping-in all parts of the country-in an endeavor to recover from the stifling effects of the world-wide money shortage there would have been great rejoicing in Hibbing when the railway actually came. There were many perplexing obstacles to overcome before the short spur of steel track, from Wolf Junction could reach Hibbing. Lack of money stopped the work for months, and with the financial diffi- culty overcome, in August, 1893, there was still an uncanny natural obstacle that for a time baffled the engineers. "Work was delayed considerably by a sink-hole just one mile east of the present depot. The sink-hole was the most stubborn ever encountered in road-build- ing in the Mesabi country. The track would be worked up to a level at night, and in the morning it would be ten feet below." However, the obstacle was finally overcome, and "Jack Dorsey, landlord of the ' Cosmopolitan Hotel, drove the last spike that connected Hibbing with the outside world."
Hibbing Fire Department .- Hibbing organized a fire department in the summer of 1894. At the outset it was not much more than "a bucket brigade," because funds with which equipment could be bought was not to be had. Frank Hibbing, to help on the village, had under- taken to bear the cost of putting in a water system, that being an urgent necessity for reasons of health. And he was approached for funds to establish the fire brigade, but could not handle that expense also, until an opportunity came, early in 1895, to acquire cheaply the fire-fighting apparatus of a decadent Mesabi place, the village of Merritt, near Biwabik. Ilose cart and hose were purchased, and to receive it a pole and tackle was erected at the corner of Pine and
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Second avenue. On the morning of July 4th, 1895, the pole was struck by lightning, "and shattered to its very foundations." R. F. Berdie was the first fire chief, and had part thus in the beginning of a municipal department of which Hibbing is most proud. In 1920, the total valuation of the Hibbing fire equipment, not including the water system, hydrants and real estate, but merely the legitimate fire- fighting equipment, was $165,449.90. Cut off the 165 and you prob- ably have the maximum figure paid to the village of Merritt for the original second-hand equipment.
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