Duluth Township (part 7 of 15)

I'lind-clu-Lac is in two school districts: Independent School District No. 1 (see Proctor), and district No. 7. District No. 7 embraces most of township 49-15, and has three schoolhouses, all of frame constructif)n, the three \-.'dued at $2,500. The enrollment at these rural schools in 1919 totalled to 112 scholars. They were instructed by three female teachers, who received an average salary of $80 a month, for the schnnl year of eight months. The school levy was $1,906.10. The school hoard otVicials in 1619-20 were: H. Norman, clerk; Mrs. Anna B. Forsell. treasurer; W ]\. Nordin. chairman of directors. School District No. 1 made a school levy of 62 mills. Midway's share being on an assessed valuation of $U»,588.

The township oi'licials in 1620 were: .Aaron .^tark (chairman), Eric Johnson and John .\. .'Xnderson. supervisors; Henry Xorm.in, clerk; Fmil L. Noiin, assessor; John I\ Anderson, treasurer.

The foregoinij is only a brief, but necessary, review of Midway township for this chapter. Many other references will be found elsewhere in this volume to Fond-du-Lac, one of the most historic places of St. Louis County; in fact, of Minnesota.

Missabe Mountain. - The Township of Missabe Mountain, which is one of the wealthiest of the county, was organized in 1892. In 1892, its assessed valuation was $315,400, but mining discoveries and developments, and the rapid growth of the cities and villages within its borders - Virginia. Eveleth, Franklin and Gilbert - has increased its valuation to more than $64,000,000, and taxes amounting to almost $4,500,000 were levied on property of Missabe Mountain Township and incorporated places in 1919. In 1892, the total tax levy of Missabe Township was $5,152.87. Truly, a noteworthy development within a period of not much more than a generation.

Township Organization. - In June, 1892, a petition was circulated among the residents of congressional township 58-17. The petition, addressed to the county commissioners asked that petitioners, legal voters of the territory concerned, be granted township powers, provided by chapter 10, of the General Statutes of Minnesota, 1878, over township 58-17. J. D. Middleton swore to the accuracy of the statements made in petition, on June 3, 1892, on which da}^ it came before the county commissioners for their consideration. They approved the petition, and set oft township 58-17 as the Township of Missabe Mountain, and ordered election to be held at the Missabe Mountain Camp, situated in the western half of section 8, on June 22d.

First Officers. - Election was. then held, eighteen votes being cast, with the following result: Charles Davis, Emile Burnett and Thomas Short were elected supervisors, the last named being chairman ; A. L. Culbertson, treasurer; Noble Beatty, assessor; Greenway and C. D. Hanson, justices; John McLeod and James Gallagher, constables; Joseph Elliott, clerk.

Mining. - The mining operations within the boundaries of Missabe Mountain Township are of such extent that even the briefest review could not be made in this chapter. But in other parts of this work ample reference to that phase of the township afifairs will be made. And the establishment and growth of the cities of \^irginia and Eveleth, and of the village of Gilbert will be the subjects of special chapters.

Population. - The population of the township in 1890 was so small that it has not been recorded. In 1900 the population was 2,246; in 1910 it had increased to 5,410; and in 1920, to 5,502. These figures are exclusive of the two cities Virginia and Eveleth, but inclusive of the two villages of Gilbert and Franklin. Franklin's population, in 1920, was 807. (It was not incorporated until 1915.) Gilbert, which was incorporated in 1908, had a population of 1,700 in 1910 and 3,510 in 1920. Add Virginia 1920 population, 14,022, and that of Eveleth, 7,205, to the figures for the township, and it will be seen that Missabe Mountain Township is the most populous of the Range townships.

Education. - Missabe Mountain is in three school districts. Nos. 18, 22, and 39, Gilbert, Virginia, and Eveleth, respectively. Gilbert Independent School District No. 18 has direction and responsibility for education in part of townships 57, 58, and 59-16, and part of 58-17; Virginia Independent School District No. 22 has the administration of school afifairs in township 59-17 and part of 58-17; and Eveleth Independent School District No. 39 covers 57-17 and part of 58-17.

Franklin, The Incorporated Village of. - A petition, signed ])y George L. Noyes, G. H. Lohneis, and Joseph Hendy and others resident in the mining location known as Franklin, was circulated in January, 1915, the petition seeking to obtain consent of the county officials to the incorporation, as a village to be named "Franklin," of the "westerly 518 feet SE qr., NW qr., sec. 9, of township 58-17, platted into lots and blocks, as the Plat of Franklin" and certain adjoining territory, embracing in all about 1,320 acres. A census carefully taken, of the people living on the land for which corporate powers were sought disclosed that, between January 26th and February 2d of that year, 1915, there were 908 residents. This and other statements made in petition were sworn to, as to accuracy, by the petitioners above named. The petition was filed with the county auditor on February 5, 1915. and considered by the county commissioners on the day next following. They adopted the petition at that meeting, and ordered election to be held on March 6, 1915, at the Franklin Mine Office.

It is a well administered mining village, with many of the conveniences of larger communities. On December 17, 1917, an election was held to decide whether ordinance "providing for the erection of a waterworks for public purposes, and for private use, in the Village of Franklin * * =!= to cost not to exceed sixty thousand dollars" shall be ratified. Twenty voted, all in favor.

The Franklin Mine, which belongs to the Republic Iron and Steel Company has been worked steadily for a generation, and has yielded about 2,400.000 tons of ore. Apparently, very little is now available.

at the north end of Adams Avenue, Eveleth, was sold in 1919, or 1920, to the Masonic fraternity of Eveleth. The historic building, after considerable alteration, both to interior and exterior was opened, with appropriate ceremonies, as the Masonic Temple, in October, 1920.

Present Officials. - The officials of Missabe Mountain Township in 1920 were : Ed Coombe, chairman ; T. A. Flannigan, and J. W. Williams, supervisors; D. D. Rutherford, clerk; Roy Edmunds, assessor ; Floyd F. Murray, treasurer.

Morcom. - The Township of Morcom, the area of which is one congressional township, that of township 61 north, range 21 west, was erected in 1903. It is far from railroads, but is good agricultural territory, being bounded by French Township on the south, by Sturgeon Township on the east, by unorganized territory on the north, and by Itasca County on the west.

F. A. Thompson and fourteen other freeholders of township 61-21 signed a petition on June 1, 1903, asking the county commissioners to organize their territory as the Township of Sturgeon. (Sturgeon Lake is within a couple of miles of the southern boundary line of Morcom Township, and Sturgeon Townships, 61-20, had not then been formed.) However, the township name was altered before the petition was presented to the county officials, the second name chosen for the township being "Roosevelt."

As the Township of Roosevelt, the commissioners erected township 61-21 into organized territory, on September 3, 1903. They caused notices to be placed in public places throughout that territory notifying the legal voters of it that an election would be held on September 23, 1903. The election was held and the township came into actual administration as an organized area. The state auditor found, however, that there was another Township of Roosevelt in the state, and consequently requested the county commissioners to cause to be selected another name for the organized township 61-21.. The commissioners appear to have then themselves selected a name, that of Morcom, probably to honor the long service to the county of Commissioner Elisha Morcom, of Soudan. The name was confirmed by the residents of the township.

The federal census showed only one person as having residence in township 61-21 in 1900; in 1910, the population was stated to be 76; and in 1920, 125. They are legitimate settlers - agricultural pioneers, who are clearing wild or cut-over lands, and bringing them gradually into good farming acreages.

The present township officers are: Ole H. Johnorud, chairman; Theo. Helm and Gullik Fosso, supervisors; Ole J. Eid, clerk; L. E. Sellberg, assessor; A. A. Olson, treasurer.

The township is the area covered by School District No. 48. There are two schoolhouses, both of frame, valued in 1919 at $3,000. Apparently, however, only one schoolhouse is in use, as during the school year 1919, when the enrollment of scholars in the tov.^nship was 26, only one teacher was engaged, she being paid a salary of $95 a month, for the school year of nine months. The school levy in that year was $1,486.45. The school board is at present constituted as follows: Herman Thompson Cook, clerk; A. A. Olson, treasurer; Mrs. E. E. Pixley, chairman of directors.

Duluth And St. Louis County 711

Morse. - The Township of Morse, which embraces four congressional townships, is particularly historic. Its organization dates back to 1887, and its history to the pioneer mining days of Northern Minnesota. The City of Ely, and Village of Winton are within its borders, and some of the richest mines of the Vermilion Range. Its valuation (assessed) has increased from $41,693, in 1887, to $6,768,738 in 1919, the last figure including the City of Ely, the assessed valuation of which in 1919 was $4,767,996. The Township of Morse contributed to the taxes of St. Louis County in 1887 only $366.90. In 1919, the tax levy (including Ely and Winton) of Morse Township was $522,148.77. It will therefore be seen that Morse Township is a factor of importance to and in St. Louis County.

The township was organized by the county commissioners at their session of July 9, 1887, such action being taken in response to a petition dated June 16, 1887, said petition having the signatures of H. R. Harvey, J. H. Hopperton and others, and seeking the organization as the "Town of Morse," of congressional townships 62 and 63 north, range 12 west, "and such portions of townships 63-11 and 62-11 as are in St. Louis County."

The election, or first town meeting, was ordered by the commissioners to be held on July 28th of that year, "at the Post Office Building in the Town of Ely."

Thus, the Township of Morse came into being. There had been an earlier attempt to organize township 63-12, as the township of "Odanau," a petition to that effect having been prepared in May. 1887, signed by Thomas Ross, D. A. Ross, and others, and dated May 31st, but whether this petition came before the commissioners earlier than that dated June 16th, upon which they acted, is not clear, the record stating that the petition of Thomas Ross and others was referred back to the commissioners without recommendation by the committee appointed to examine and consider it. It came back to the commissioners at the session of July 9, 1887, and was "laid on the table," the commissioners on same day granting the Harvey-Hopperton petition.

Ely, Village of. - Ely became a village in 1888, and a city in 1891, as will be elsewhere reviewed in this work, and now has a population of 4,902.

Winton, Village of. - The Village of Winton was incorporated in 1901, a petition, dated May 22d, of that year, and signed by C. O. Bystrom and John L, Olson and others then resident in the territory concerned, sought to have incorporated all "that portion of the SE qr. of NE qr., and the NE qr. of SE qr. of section 24 of township 63-12," as the village of "Fall Lake," under authority of chapter 145 of the General Laws of Minnesota, 1885, said land having been platted, and the plat filed with the Register of Deeds, at the county offices, Duluth, on October 5. 1899. and marked : "Plat of Fall Lake."

The petition was filed in the office of the county auditor on June 1, 1901, and came before the county commissioners for their consideration and action on June 10th. They ordered a special election to be held to ascertain the will of the voters of that territory, designating the "lower room of building on lot 4, l)lock 5, of plat of Fall Lake" as the place of assembly for voting, and setting July 23d as the day of election.

The election having confirmed the petition, the commissioners ordered election to be held at same place on August 10, 1901, to bring the incorporation into operation by the election of village

The Village of Fall Lake became a separate election and assesstnent district in 1906. and continued as "Fall Lake" until 1914. Ordinance No. 21, passed and approved May 12, 1914, was authority for the change of the village name from "Fall Lake" to "Winton.*'

It is part of School District No. 12 (Ely), and the school levy in 1919 was 26.7 mills. Its population on May 22, 1901. when census was taken for the purposes of petition for incorporation, was stated in that instrument to have been 227 persons ; the federal census of 1910 showed 423 residents ; and the 1920 census credited Winton Village with 499 inhabitants, so that its growth has been healthy.

The village officials in 1920 were : Andrew Hanson, president ; George Hendrickson, John Maki, Gust Kuskila, trustees ; Oscar Larson, clerk; John A. Hurtley, assessor; Gust Johnson, treasurer.

The important mining within Morse Township will be the subject of a special chapter of this work, and need not be further written of here. The lakes of the township will also be referred to elsewhere ; they make the township one of the most beautiful in St. Louis County.

New Independence. - The Township of New Independence is one of the well-established farming townships of St. Louis County. It was set off in 1890, following a petition b}- Peter E. Schelin and others.

Duluth And St. Louis County 713

and E. S. Erickson, who filed the paper with the county authorities on February 25, 1890, and then took oath to the accuracy of the statements made in the petition, also to the regularity of its signing.

The question of organization came before the county commissioners at probably one or more meetings before that during which they granted the request, and organized the township, which they did on June 5th of that year. They named it "Independence," and the first township meeting, which was held in the log house on the northeast quarter of section 34 of that township, on June 24th, was conducted in the name of the town of "Independence." When it became "New Independence" has not been discovered by present compiler.

The Township of New Independence is bounded by the Township of Industrial on the south, by that of Grand Lake on the east, b}^ Northland, on the north, and by Alborn on the west. It has two small communities, Independence being the larger. There are a couple of lakes in the township, and the Cloquet River passes through a few sections in the southeast. It has no railway connection, but three systems pass within easy reach.

The school system is mainly under the county school superintendent, as part of the Unorganized School District, which takes over the direction of education in sparsely populated townships. Part of the township comes into School District No. ZZ (Alborn).

The present township officials are : S. T. Haakenson, (chairman) ; Charles Schelin and Walter Schwartz, supervisors; Erik J. Erikson, clerk; John Fjerem. assessor; Emil Windmiller. treasurer.

Nichols. - The Township of Nichols, the boundaries of which ai'e towaiship 58 north, range 18 west, and the southern half of township 59 north, range 8 west, might appropriately have been named the Township of Merritt, for its most important history has been that which has reference to the mining explorations and operations of the brothers Merritt, w^ho were the first to bring Mesabi iron ore onto . the market by railroad. The brothers Merritt. of Duluth. were the most active of the interests that sought in the early '90s to prove and market the ore that explorers were convinced was to be found on the Mesabi Range ; their operations were on a larger scale than th6se of any other interest on the Mesabi in the first few years of the last decade of the Nineteenth Century ; and although, in the main, the financial benefits of their initial operations passed to other capitalists, the brothers Merritt probably are entitled to the first place among the pioneer explorers and mine operators of the Mesabi Iron Range of Minnesota. They had many experienced mining men test-pitting for them in 1890-92, and their most spectacular operations were in township 58-18. where they developed the Mountain Iron Mine, from which the first trainload of ore shipped from the Mesabi Range left Mountain Iron in October. 1892. the enterprise of the Merritt comi^anies also being res])onsiblc for the tapping of the district bv a railway.

test pit crews, in charge of Capt. J. A. Nichols, of Duluth, struck ore on November 16, 1890, in NW qr., sec. 3, T. 58 N., R.18 W., just north of what is now known as the Mountain Iron Mine. Ore was next discovered by John McCaskill, an explorer, who observed ore clinging to the roots of an upturned tree on what is now the Biwabik mine. This led to the discovery of that mine, in August, 1891. Ore was quickly discovered in other places, and the rush of explorers followed."

However, as the organized township 58-18 was not named Merritt. it is fitting that it should take the name of their mine captain, J. A. Nichols.

Discovery of Ore. - Regarding the discovery of the first merchantable deposits of iron ore on the Mesabi Range, David T. Adams, in an article specially written for this historical compilation, in December, 1920, states :

'Tn, or about, the winter of 1889 and 1890, Captain Nichols started explorations for the Merritt Brothers, of Duluth, on the Mountain Iron, in the northern part of the N. half of the NW qr. of section 3, township 58, range 18, on the northerly feather edge of the deposit. The matter encountered in his first series of test pits was a red ocherous ore. About the same time. Captain Kehoe started explorations for the Merritt Brothers on the Biwabik. in the northwest corner of the NE qr. of the NE qr. of section 3, township 58, range 16. in a spot where Jack McCaskell had previously discovered yellow ocher on the roots of an upturned tree. His first work was also on the northerly feather edge of the deposit, and the material encountered in his first few pits was a brownish and a yellow ocherous ore. About the same time, I started explorations for A. E. Humphreys. George G. Atkins, and others, on the Cincinnati, in the NW corner of the SW qr. of the NW qr. of section 2, township 58, range 16, and I encountered a blue ore in my first pit, after passing through about thirty feet of surface. That was the first commercial blue ore discovered on the Mesabi Range. Captain Kehoe then moved his works to the south and started a pit almost due west of my No. 1 pit on the Cincinnati, and after passing through about thirtyfive feet of surface and brown ore, he encountered blue ore on the Biwabik. John T. Jones happened to be there at the time, and saw. the first bucket of ore hoisted out of the pit. and he rushed to Duluth and secured a sub-lease on the Biwabik, in favor of the late Peter L. Kimberly, before Kehoe had a chance to report the find to the Merritt brothers. Thereafter, Captain Nichols moved his works on the Mountain Iron further to the south, where he .eventually struck the main body of ore on that property."

Alfred Merritt's Story. - Alfred Merritt, in his autobiography written at the request of, and treasured by. the Old Settlers Society of the Head of Lake Superior, wrote, under date January 1, 1917:

"The year 1889 the first work was done on what is now the Mountain Iron Mine. I took a crew of six men in by way of Tower, on March 17. Started from Tower with three dog trains, and we were the dogs. We went in by way of Pike River, and then by way of Rice Lake, then to Mountain Iron. We dug test pits, and finally drilled. All work was done on the S. half of S. half of section 34, township 59 north of range 18 west. We found that we were too far north for ore, and on going south found the ore on section 4, directly south of our first work, the summer of 1890.

Duluth And St. Louis County 715

couragements of keeping a camp going, out so far from the base of supplies, can realize what one has to contend with. The raising of money alone was no small job, and worst of all the task of endeavoring to keep up the courage of one's partners.

"After the ore was found we then had to look for transportation. We went to the Northern Pacific Railroad, and also to the St. Paul and Duluth Railroad, they being separate at that time. Neither would do anything. Their officials did not realize the value of the Mesabi Range, and of the great traffic which was to originate from the many mines. We hardly knew what to do. We were almost discouraged. Finally, we got hold of the Duluth and Winnipeg Railroad, and they said that if we would build out to Stony Brook, they would make a traffic contract with us. We scratched around and built a line from Mountain Iron to Stony Brook, a distance of forty-five miles, with a branch off our line, from the station called Iron Junction, to Biwabik, a distance of sixteen miles. This line was completed in 1892. The year of 1893 we built into Duluth, because the Duluth and Winnipeg Railroad did not build any. St. Louis County offered us $250,000 worth of bonds if we would build into Duluth. We accepted this offer, and built into Duluth, and also built into Hibbing from our main line, from Wolf Station."

So came about the possibility of marketing the immense deposits of iron ore of the Mesabi Range. The shipments that began in township 58-18 in 1892 now have reached a yearly total of more than 30,000,000 tons. The historic Mountain Iron Mine has not been worked since 1908, but it yielded to the world prior to that more than 17,000,000 tons of ore, and still has available more than 28,000,000 tons, which, as needed, will presumably be worked by the Oliver Iron Mining Company, to which subsidiary of the United States Steel Corporation the property now belongs.

Township Organization. - The Township of Nichols was erected on May 6, 1892, the county commissioners being petitioned by R. H. Fagan and thirty-eight other residents of 58-18 township. Petitioners sought township powers, under authority of chapter 10, of the General Statutes of 1878 of the State of Minnesota.

John Helmer presented the petition to the county officials, and took oath, to the accuracy of statements made in petition, on April 30, 1892. On May 6th, the document was certified to be correct, in form and execution, by the county attorney, and the same day the territory was laid off by the commissioner, they ordering first town meeting of the new township of Nichols to be held "at Grant's office," NW. qr. of section 3, township 58-18, on May 25th. Notices to that effect were posted "at the Saw Mill, at Grant's office, and at Hotel Grant," on May 12th.

First Officials. - The first township officers were : A. P. Wood, (chairman); William Buckley and G. O. Beede. supervisors; Fred Colby, clerk; W. Stephens, treasurer; J. E. Shear, assessor; G. R. Sutherland and Charles H. Erickson, justices; W. F. Cyr and Alex Murray, constables.

On May 17, 1893, Alfred Mc-rritt, on oath, deposed that officers of the Town of Nichols had failed to hold the aimual election in 1893. He prayed the commissioners to appoint officers, recommending the following: Robert Purcell, (chairman); Captain John Gill and Chas. F. Joyce, supervisors; L. R. Clark, treasurer; C. C. Jcnnis (or Jenius), clerk ; D. J. Mead, assessor.

mining operations in the Township of Nichols have developed other important mines. The Iroquois, the fee owners of which are the Roswell Palmer estate, is situated in section 10, and shipments from it began in 1903, continuing until 1914, the years yielding a total of 1,358,412 tons of ore. It is an underground mine. The Wacoutah mine, which is operated by the Pitt Iron Mining Company, SE-SW and SW-SE, sec. 3, SE-SE of same section, and NW-NW, sec. 11, shipped its first ore in 1906. In 1919, the total yield from its first year was 972,251 tons. The Brunt mine, NE-NE and NW-NE and SW-NE and NW-SE, sec. 10, owned by the Hanna Ore Mining Co., is on the shipping list, with a total shipment of almost 1,500,000 tons between the years 1906 and 1919, and with more than twice as great a quantity available yet. The Pilot Mine, NW-SE, sec. 2. is a state mine, as is the Wacoutah in part, leased to the Hanna Ore Mining Company. The first shipment, 80,815 tons, from the Pilot was in 1919. It is not a large property. Then another state property is the Leonidas, situated in the extreme southeasterly section of the township. That is an important holding, leased to the Oliver Iron Mining Co. Almost 4,000,000 tons have come from it, to end of 1919; and there is still available about 13,000,000 tons. The Hanna Mine, (state), W. half of SW, sec. 2, and W. half of SE, sec. 3. has yielded practically 1,500,000 tons, to end. of 1919, first coming into the shipping list in 1919. Prindle Reserve, a state mine, leased to Oliver Company, situated in E. half, sec. 36, of township 59-18, has only yielded 47,487 tons, in the three years 1914-16, since which time it has been inactive, with 2,590,871 tons available.

Transportation. - Nichols Township has some good roadways, and all the land is not given over to mining. There are some good agricultural acreages being developed.

There is an electric trolley system passing through the townshij) hourly to the other centres of the Range. The Duluth Missabe and Northern Railway Company is the ore carrier.

Valuation. - The assessed valuation of Nichols Township in 1892 was $310,944. The assessed valuation of the township in 1919 was $14,727,911, including the villages of Mountain Iron and Leonidas, which villages in reality represent more than $14,000,000 of that total. The tax levy in 1892 in Nichols Township was $3,793.51. In 1919. the taxes amounted to $791,931.66, including those of the villages.

Population. - The township was practically without an inhabitant in the '80s. In the early '90s, the population had scarcely reached three figures. In 1900, the population was 930; in 1910, 1983; and in 1920, the federal census showed the township, including Mountain Iron and Leonidas villages, to have a population of 2.923. Of this number 1,546 persons were resident in Mountain Iron.

Education. - Part of Nichols Township is included in the Unorganized School District, which comes under the direct supervision of the county school administration ; but the greater part of the township is in what is known as Independent School District No. 21, which centers from Mountain Iron. The history of that school district will be reviewed in the chapter regarding Mountain Iron.

Administration. - The present officials of the township are : E. J. Kane, chairman; John Harwood and E. D. Rudd, supervisors; Ben Ericsou, clerk; Oscar Castren, assessor; A. B. Carmen, treasurer.

Village of Costin. - John Costin, Jr., one of the pioneers of Virginia, to which city he came in 1893, and where he developed a substantial real estate and insurance business during the following twelve or thirteen years, had acquired, among his other realty investments, a tract of seventy-one acres of land in township 58-18, adjacent to Mountain Iron. Upon it, he platted the townsite of Costin, and, probably was one of the prime movers in the endeavor, prosecuted in 1907, to secure corporate powers for the village. A petition was circulated in June, 1907, among the residents of about 360 acres of sections 4 and 9 of township 58-18, and signed by j. A. Beck and 26 others, praying for the incorporation of the territory under the powers of section 702 of the state Laws of 1905, as the Village of Costin. The petition represented that there were at that time resident in the territory 261 persons, and David Tonsignant, John A. Beck and John Lamminen took oath to the accuracy of census and of the petition in general.

The paper was filed with the county auditor on June 7, 1907, and came before the county commissioners at their June meeting. They granted the petition, and ordered election to be held at the residence of David Tonsignant, on July 2d. The election was held, but of the 261 inhabitants only eleven voted, all voting in favor of the incorporation.

An attempt was made in 1913 to bring about the dissolution of the village, but without success. A special election was held on September 2d, and twelve of twenty-one votes cast were against the dissolution.

Village of Leonidas. - The incorporated Village of Leonidas was formerly known as Leonidas location. As a location, it was established about eight or ten years ago. The Leonidas Mine belongs to the state, and shipments first began in 1914. It is leased by the Oliver Iron Mining Co.. and operations are regular, and substantial.

The townsite was owned by the mining company, and it was thought that an attempt would be made to bring the location into the city limits of Eveleth. Probably that was the main reason why on September 5, 1917, a petition, signed by H. E. Mitchell, R. H. Stephens, W. J. Matters, and twenty-nine other residents of Leonidas location, was presented at the county offices for the consideration of the county commissioners, said petition seeking incori)oration, as the Village of Leonidas, of the SE qr. of section 25, all of section 36, of township 58-18, and the east half of NE c|r. of section 1, township 57-18, the whole embracing 880 acres, part of the acreage having been platted as "Leonidas" and part as "Gross." The petition stated that a census taken at the time of signing of petition showed that there were then 275 persons living in the territory for which corporate powers were asked.

On motion of Commissifjner Pentilla. the petition was adopted on .Sej)tember 7, 1917, the county commissioners ordering election to be held at the town hall of the Township of Nichols, situated in the SW qr. of SE c|r. of section M), township 58-18. on ( )ctol)er 8. 1''I7. -At the election forty-six votes were cast, all in favor.

The village is growing rapidly on the south >i(le. near the school, but in reality the conimunit\ is almost as it was when a Icjcation. There is no store in the village. ;nid it is jieopled almost wholly by

Normanna. - On April 30, 1904, a petition was circulated among the inhabitants and voters of the township 52-13, then unorganized, for the purpose of securing township powers under the General Statutes, of the State of Minnesota, 1878 compilation, as amended by the General Laws of 1895. Anton Hjelm appears to have been the prime mover in the matter, and he was the first to sign. The petition bears date of April 30, 1904, and was filed with the county auditor of St. Louis County on May 2d. It came before the county commissioners for their consideration on May 5th, and met with their approval at that meeting. Consequently a town meeting to organize soon followed.

The first township officers, who were elected at the meeting held at the schoolhouse situated in the northwest corner of the northeast quarter of section 21, township 52-13, on May 24, 1904. were: Anton Hjelm, chairman; Martin Moen and J. B. Johnson, supervisors; F. B. Schumann, clerk; J. A. Bonning and Peter Flaaden, justices; Hy Kruse, treasurer; A. Olson and C. Hagen, constables; Albert Anderson, assessor.

Within a few days after the organization of township 52-13, as the Town of Normanna, the unorganized township next north of it, 53-13, was the subject of a petition by its inhabitants, who wished to have it attached to the Township of Normanna. A petition to that effect was presented to the county officials on May 28, 1904. It was signed by William Carlin and others, in sufficient numbers to influence the commissioners at their next meeting, June 7, 1904, to act upon it, and call for a hearing of remonstrances on July 11, 1904, against the petition to attach the northern congressional township to that which constituted the Township of Normanna. The matter was completed on July 11th, by the commissioners, who then added township 53-13 to the boundaries of the organized township.

The Township of Normanna has since been bounded on the south by the Township of Lakewood, on the east by Duluth Township, on the north by unorganized territory, 54-13, and on the west by Gnesen Township, which was founded in 1879. The Cloquet River passes through the western part of township 53-13, but Normanna has no railway facilities.

In 1905, its assessed valuation was $335,742; today its valuation is one-eighth less, although it has increased more than 100 per cent in tax-levy in the fifteen years.

It has always been in School District No. 32. which school district is confined to the two townships of Normanna (52 and 53-13). There are two frame schoolhouses in the district, valued in 1919 at $10,500. The enrollment in 1919 was nineteen ; two female teachers were employed at average salary of $82.50 a month, for the eight months of school. School board officials : Mrs. Mary Solem. Lakewood, R. F. D. No. 1. clerk; Mrs. Evelyn Cooke, treasurer; A. H. Carlson, chairman of directors. School levy in 1919 was $5,006.88.

The township officials are: John Bonnah, (chairman); M. H. Woldhagen and William Gray, supervisors; Adolph Solem, clerk; Albin Kanen. assessor; George H. Cooke, treasvirer.

Duluth And St. Louis County 719

as the Township of Tronther, in 1904. Peter (or Peder) Ericksson, and other residents in congressional township 53 north, of range 17 west, petitioned the county commissioners in November, 1904, to have that township organized as the "Town of Tronther." The document was filed with the county auditor on January 3, 1905, and it seems that the petition was altered during, or before, consideration by the commissioners. At all events, when the petition was acted upon by the county commissioners, at their meeting of February 9, 1905, they organized the territory as the Township of Kauppi, presumably in recognition of service to the county by Commissioner Kauppi. The commissioners ordered election to be held at the schoolhouse on March 1, 1905.

It was at that first town meeting, apparently, that the voters requested the commissioners to change the name of the township from "Kauppi" to "Northland." Such action was taken at the March session of the county board, and the township has since been known as "Northland."

Boundaries are still as when first organized. There is unorganized territory bordering Northland on the east; on the north is the Township of Cotton ; on the west is Meadowlands ; and on the south the Township of New Independence bordered it. Northland has no railway facilities, although three railway systems pass through bordering townships.

The assessed valuation of Northland in 1905 was $43,578 ; in 1919 it was $36,403. Taxes in 1905 amounted to $763.47; in 1919 they were $1,681.82, so that there does not appear to have been much advance in the township, excepting in expenditure.

Northlands is still in School District No. 34, as it was in 1905 when first organized. The school district also covers congressional township 53-16, in which there are 240 inhabitants. There are four frame schoolhouses included in the property of that school district, but seemingly only three are used, as the school board only employed three teachers during the 1919-20 school year. They were paid an average monthly salary of $75. The enrollment was thirty-two scholars. School tax, in 1919, was $2,675.49. School Board officials : Jesse F. Keener, clerk, Canyon, Minnesota; John Swanson, treasurer; Frank Anderson, chairman of directors. School propertv vahied at $4,500.

Township officials, 1920, were: Ole Berg (chairman), Alfred Peterson, supervisor; Jesse F. Keeney, clerk; E. M. Austed, assessor; Peder Ericksson, treasurer.

Owens. - John Owens, a pioneer of the ranges of St. Louis County, first president of the villages of Tower and \'irginia, and now resident of Duluth, was one of the j)ioneers of agriculture north of Virginia and the Mesabi Range. He was the first to take \\p residence in the township which now bears his name.

Organization. - The Township of Owens, wliich enil)r:ices thirty sections of congressional township sixty-two north of range eighteen west, w^as organized in 1912, and for six years prior to that was part of the Township of Field. The setting apart of Owens on .August 6, 1912. resulted from the petition of residents of sections seven to thirty-six of township 62-18. who wished that territory separated from Field. The jictition was sworn to before (V 1. Lcding. justice, on May 30. 1912, and early in June was filed :it Duluth Court House.

strances against the separation from Field, and the erection of Owens Township, was announced by the commissioners, who set August 6th as the day upon which they would hear objections to the petition. Apparently, there were no objections, for on August 6th the Township of Owens was organized, the commissioners then ordering the notices to be posted in conspicuous places throughout the township calling residents who were legal voters to gather at the Cook Schoolhouse on section 17 of township 62-18 on Saturday, August 24, 1912, to elect officers for the Township of Owens.

Valuation. - In 1912, the assessed valuation of the township was $68,516. In 1919 it became $102,332. the increase representing agricultural development. It is one of the richest agricultural townships north of the Mesabi Range, and in 1919 paid $7,597.11 in taxes, including a school tax of 37.1 mills.

Education. - For school purposes, the township is part of the Unorganized School District directed by the county school superintendent. The principal community is at Cook, a growing village, and a station on the Canadian Pacific Railway, which connects Duluth and Winnipeg. Leander, on the border line of Owens and Angora townships, is also a station on that system.

Present Township Officials. -The officials of the Township of Owens in 1920 were: Fred Anderson (chairman). Oscar Magnuson and John A. Pearson, supervisors ; .Chas. Fogelberg, clerk ; D. G. Winchel, assessor; G. J. Francis, treasurer; August Buboltz and L. F. Luthey, justices.

Village of Cook. - The Village of Cook, when August Buboltz, who now is its principal storekeeper, came to it in 1904 consisted of not much more than a tent, in which was a printing plant, upon which the "Northland Farmer" was printed, published and circulated almost to the Bear River, by its editor-owner, James A. Field. The paper olant was hauled into Cook on a sleigh, over the Vermilion Lake. '

With the clearing of timber, the land in the Township of 62-18 was seen to be good for agricultural purposes, and with the Duluth, Rainy Lake and Winnipeg Railway possibilities, the .possibilities of a farming center developing somewhere in the vicinity, attracted some who were interested in town planning. The Goodhue Investment Company of Duluth, acquired land in section 18 and a townsite was surveyed and platted for them by the Duluth Engineering Company.

The first building in Cook was that erected for August Buboltz by John B. Shaver, of Virginia. When completed, it was opened as the Little Fork Hotel, and conducted as such by Mr. Buboltz until 1909, when he went out of that business, and later took up merchandizing and other enterprises in Cook and the vicinity. He built many houses in the place.

The first school was that erected about one and a half miles east of Cook. It was built in 1905, and the first teacher is stated to have been Miss Payne.

Duluth And St. Louis County 721

There are two state banking institutions at Cook. The First State Bank of Cook, was estabhshed in 1912, by L. F. Luthey and others. L. F. Luthey was elected president; C. H. Alcock, cashier; L. M. Burghardt, vice-president; J. L. Owens and J. Whiteman, directors. The capital was $10,000 and is still the same. The institution opened for business in the building it still occupies. Present directors are : L. F. Luthey, president; L. M. Burghardt, vice; A. H. Erickson, cashier; R. C. Pickering and J. Whiteman, directors. The other bank, the Farmers and Merchants State Bank, of Cook, was established September 20, 1917. The capital was $10,000. There is now a surplus of $2,000. W. H. Benton, of Minneapolis, was the first president and Peter Burtness and August Buboltz were prominently identified with the organization of the bank. Present ofificials are : Peter Burtness, president; August Buboltz, vice-president; G. J. Francis, cashier ; Fred Anderson and Austin Lind, directors.

Cook has two newspapers, the Cook Newsboy and the Cook Journal. The "Newsboy" was established in 1915, by C. A. Knapp, who still owns and edits it. The "Journal" is a continuation of the Bear River Journal, which was established in 1906, by J. P. Hayden. It was purchased in 1911 by G. F. Peterson, of Hibbing, who moved the plant and paper to Cook in 1918. Thereafter the puldication became the Cook Journal.

There are four churches, the Swedish Baptist, Swedish Mission, Catholic and Congregational. The members are drawn from among the people of Cook, and residents of Owens Township.

At least two attempts have been made to secure corporate powers for the village. A petition dated February 26, 1915, and signed by E. W. Carey and twenty-five other residents on land "originally platted as 'Ashawa,' and later known as 'Cook,' " sought the approval of the county authorities to their wish for incorporation of the village. Included in the boundaries of the incorporated village, the projectors sought to get blocks one to sixteen, inclusive, and outlots one to five, inclusive, as platted in the southeast quarter of northwest quarter and northeast quarter of southwest quarter of section 18. township 62-18, as well as what was known as Balliet's addition to Cook, and certain other adjoining tracts. Petition asserted that census taken on February 26, 1915. showed that on that day there were resident in the district for which corporate powers were sought 220 persons.

Later, it develcjped that a clause calling for the inclusion of about one thousand acres, additional, had been inserted in the petition after it had been signed. At all events, such was the allegation made by certain of the freeholders, who filed remonstrance with the county ccjmmissioners, that paper also stating the fears of objectors "that incorporation would re-introduce saloons, which had been eliminated some years earlier." The remonstrance was signed by twenty-two of the signers of the original i)etiti()n, and was dated March 17, 1915. It delayed action by the county commissioners.

However, on March 29th of that }ear another ])etition, favoring incorporation, was j)repare(l by I .. T. Luthey. and signed by many residents, eventually reaching the office of the county auditor. ( )n April 28, 1*>15, Clias. K. .Vdams, special counsel for the County of St. Louis, advised the county commissioners that this petition was "legally sufficient in all respects." On May .^rd. however, it came to the knowledge of the commissioners that twelve of the signers of the second petition wished to withdraw their signatures. The withdrawal of these signatures made the petition "insufficient to require any action" by the commissioners. Hence, the village is still without corporate powers.

Pike. - A petition dated January 2, 1904, and signed by the majority of the inhabitants and legal voters of unorganized township sixty north of range sixteen west, asked the county commissioners to consider their wish that the township be organized under the state laws and named "Pike."

The document was filed with the county auditor on January 5, 1904, and considered by the county commissioners on the next following day. Charles Kangas took oath on January 5, 1904, to the accuracy of statements made in petition and on the sixth the commissioners decided to order election to be held in the township on January 23rd, at the schoolhouse situated on section 29. On that day township organization was perfected.

Pike has no railway facilities, but is within comparatively easy distance of two railways. There is only one community center, the small village, or hamlet, of Pike, but the increase in population shows that the township is being developed satisfactorily. Federal census statistics do not record any figures for township 60-16 in 1900; in 1910 the population w-as 340, while in 1920 the population of Pike Township was shown to have increased to 564. Nevertheless, the township may be stated to be yet in its initial stage of agricultural development.

In 1904. when Pike Township was formed, the assessed valuation of the territory (real and personal property) totaled to $37,490; in 1919, the figure was $48,045. Tax levy increased in the fifteen years from $1,154.69 in 1904 to $3,483.26 in' 1919.

At one time Pike was in School District No. Z7 , but that school district appears to have been merged in the Unorganized School District conducted direct from the county school superintendent's office. The school levy is 37.1 mills.

Township officials in 1920 were: Leander Lundstrom (chairman), John Bukkila and Jacob Anttila, supervisors; Gust Kivela, clerk; W. Matts, assessor; Arvid Jokinen, treasurer.

Organization of Buyck Township. - The few inhabitants of congressional townships 65 and 66, range 17 west, and townships 65 and 66, range 18 west, and township 66-19, sought in 1906, in which year the territory was practically wild land, to secure township powers and benefits for that territory. The petition dated September 5, 1906, was signed by Charles Buyck and fifteen other settlers, the instrument declaring that not more than fifty people lived in the five congressional townships at that time.

Petitioners asked that the proposed township be named Moose, or Deer, and the county commissioners at their September session granted the petition, on September 7, 1906, deciding that it be named "Moose," and ordering first meeting of voters to be held at the schoolhouse in township 65-17 on Saturday, September 22, 1906. It was, however, found that another township of that name pre-empted the designation, therefore, before the first meeting it was decided that the township about to be organized be called "Buyck."

Duluth And St. Louis County 723

Name Changed. - The boundaries have since 1906 remained unchanged and the territory is still in great part undeveloped. In 1919, twenty-five residents of the Township of Buyck, and representing fifty-five per cent of the votes cast at the 1918 general election, prayed the county commissioners to adopt the name of Portage in place of Buyck. The commissioners thereupon posted notices in public places throughout the territory stating that they would hear objectors to the proposed change at the Court House, Duluth, on October 6, 1919. No opposition developed and on that day the commissioners ordered the change of name.

Taxes. - In 1906. when Township of Buyck first organized, the assessed valuation was $267,315. Total taxes levied, $4,651.28. In 1919, the total valuation for the Town of Portage was $286,895, and the total taxes levied for all purposes in that year $22,747.37.

Population. - The population was stated to have been fifteen in 1900. It was 287 in 1910, and the 1920 census shows 307 residents in Buyck, which is now Portage Township.

School Statistics. - Part of the township has no school, but townships 65-18, 66-17 and one-half of 65-17 are embraced in school district 47. In that district there are four frame schoolhouses, valued at $10,000. There was an enrollment of sixty-six scholars in 1919-20, and the teaching staff consisted of one male and two female teachers, the average salary being $96 a month.

Present Township Officials. - The township officers in 1919-20 wxre: William Lipponen (chairman). Perry Fransk, Valentine Sinsta, supervisors; Carl M. Harrison, clerk; Louis Gruska, assessor; John H. Laine, treasurer.

Prairie Lake. - A petition, dated at Flopdwood, Minnesota, April 13, 1906, and signed by Andrew Korhanen and others, all legal voters of townships fifty north of ranges twenty and twenty-one west, sought the approval of the county commissioners of their wish to have those congressional townships organized and named "Prairie Lake," under the provisions of section 451, and others, of the Laws of Minnesota, 1905.

The document was filed with the county auditor on April 16th, and came before the board of commissioners on May 8, 1906, on which day they granted the petition, ordering first town meeting to be held at the schoolhouse on section 30, of township 50-20, on Saturday, May 26, 1906, when officers were elected and the township organization became effective.

Three years later, on November 27, 1909, a petition by residents in the eastern congressional township (50-20) of Prairie Lake, prosecuted an inclination on the part of voters therein to separate from Prairie Lake Townshij), and organize another, to be known as "Fine .Lakes." The division eventually was efl'ected. (See I'ine Lakes, this chapter.)

In 1906, the assessed valuation of Prairie Lake Township was $66,542, for the two congressional townshi])s; in 1919. the assessed valuation of the one township (50-21) was $68,160, Fine Lakes Township being almost as valuable.

Prairie Lake at one time was in School District Xo. 19, but now belongs to no district, (jr. to be more correct, is part of the immense Unorganized School District directed by the county school administration, that being apparently more economical.

In 1900, townships 50-21 and 50-20 had a population of fortyone; in 1910, the two townships had 199 inhabitants; and in 1920 the census-taking showed 136 in Prairie Lake, and l""ine Lakes Township was credited with 189 residents.

The officials of Prairie Lake Township, in 1920. were: C. H. Johnson (chairman), Frank Lahti and John Rostvelt. supervisors; Carl T. Johnson, clerk; R. B. Jones, assessor; Anton Heikkila, treasurer.

Rice Lake. - The Township of Rice Lake was one of the first to be established. The name appears on the county tax sheet for 1873, when the townships of St. Louis County were Duluth, Oneota, Fond du Lac, Rice Lake and Hermann. All are shown as townships, the City of Duluth and "outside lands" being the only two other divisions shown on the tax sheet of that year.

Rice Lake Township borders the limits of the Cit}^ of Duluth on the south; on the east, it adjoins Lakewood Township; on the north is Gnesen, and on the west Canosia Township. The limits of Rice Lake are those of congressional township 51-14, the two most southeasterly sections, Nos. 35 and 36 being within the city limits. The Vermilion road passes through the township, hut there are no railway facilities.

In 1873, the assessed valuation f)f the township was $62,254, and the tax-levy thirty-one mills. In 1919, the assessed valuation of real and personal property in the township was $331,597. The development has, therefore, not been substantial, although during the last two decades the population has been steadily increasing. In 1900 showed 231 persons to be resident in the township; in 1910 the population was 580; and in 1920 the census-taking recorded 916 inhabitants. The present officials of Rice Lake Township are: Thos. Wright, chairman; Emil G. Beyer and Michael Dulinski, supervisors; T. A. Rogers, clerk; Wm. B. Doig, assessor; Ed Ball, treasurer.

For educational purposes. Rice Lake Township has been divided, part of it being in School District No. 30, part in School District 55. part of the township pays a school levy to School District No. 5, and part to School District No. 71. All these school districts are referred to elsewhere, excepting No. 30. School District No. 30 has administration over the bulk of the township, however, and for its purpose has a good brick schoolhouse, valued in 1919 at $20,000. Seven female teachers constitute the school stafif, the average salary being $80.00 a month, for a school year of nine months. The enrollment in 1919 was ninety-six. School Board: B. W. K. Lindau, clerk; L. N. Young, treasurer; T. J. Bowycr, chairman of directors.

St. Louis. - The Township of St. Louis (now part of the Township of Bassett) was organized in 1900, that action being taken by the county commissioners after petition of Henry Conners and other residents, of township fifty-eight north of range thirteen west, had been presented to them, praying for the organization of that congressional township, under the name of "St. Louis."

The township was formed on December 4, 1900, and the first town meeting held, "in the office of Nolan Brothers and Laird." on December 22, 1900.

The first officers of the township were: Peter Norman (chairman), Frank Alger and Hugh Ermetinger, supervisors; Chris. O. Gavic, clerk; Mike Smith, treasurer; William Gavin, assessor; B. Airhoit and Amos Ramsey, justices; Geo. Bennison, constable. Reso-

Duluth And St. Louis County 725

A resolution was adopted by the covmty commissioners, on December 7 , 1917, legalizing the consolidation of the townships of Bassett and St. Louis, under the name of the former (see Bassett, this chapter).

Sandy. - The Township of Sandy, 60-17, was set off as such on September 8. 1916, the county commissioners then approving a petition, signed by twenty-nine of the freeholders of unorganized township sixty north of range seventeen west. The petition was sworn to on July 12th of that year, and asserted that census taken at time of circulation of petition showed that there were then forty-seven freeholders living in the township. The petitioners wished to have township organization and privileges, under the name of "Sandy," but suggested alternative names of "Britt" and "Perho."

The first town meeting was held "at the Christian Association Hall," situated in the northeast quarter of southwest quarter of section twenty-two, on September 23, 1916, as ordered by the county commissioners.

Big Rice Lake is in Sandy Township, and Lake Junction is a stopping place for trains of the Canadian Pacific Railway, which passes through the western end of the township. Unorganized territory is to the north and west, and Sandy is bounded by Pike Township on the east, and Wouri on the south. It is becoming good farming territory, although its assessed valuation is now about one-fourth less than in 1916. The township is in what is termed the Unorganized School District, an adequate system of rural schools directly supervised by the county school administration.

The present township officials are: Alex. Pursi (chairman). Nestor Wolun and Wm. Jacobson, supervisors; Otmar Jarvinen. clerk; Lars Koski. assessor; Ed Janhola, treasurer.

Congressional township 60-17, which now is Sandy, is shown in federal statistics to have had a population of sixteen in 1900, one hundred and ninety-nine in 1910, and one hundred and thirty-six in 1920.

Solway. - The Township of Solway, which is one of those of the southernmost tier of St. Louis County, was organized in 1897. prior to which it was part of the Township of Hermann.

A petition, sworn to by George J. Guerson, on April 6. 1897, and signed by twenty-eight freeholders of congressional township fifty north of range sixteen west, was presented to the county commissioners on that day. Petitioners sought separation of their township from the Township of tiermann. stating, as a justifiable reason. "the lack of roads and other facilities for traveling." which condition made it almost impossible for residents in township 50-16 to attend town meetings.

The petition was considered by the commissioners on April 6. 1897, and they set a date ui)on which they would hear objections to the proposed separation. The date set was May 4th, but the hearing was postponed until May 7th, and on that day the commissioners granted the petition, and organized the 'l\)wnshii) of Solway. calling upon voters in that district to assemble for the first town meeting on Wednesday, May 26th of that year, designating the schoolhouse which stood m>on the northeast (|uarter of northwest quarter of section 22, of lowiishi]) 50-U), as the ])oling place.

There has been no change in the territorial limits of the Township of Sohvay since its organization in 1897. Carlton County lies to the south of it, Hermann Township to the east, Grand Lake Township to the north and Industrial to the west. Sohvay has excellent railway facilities, with stations at Munger, Simar, and Carrol and it is comparatively well advanced, agriculturally. The population, which was 115 in 1900 and 332 in 1910, was shown by the 1920 census to be 522, a gratifying increase. Its assessed valuation has increased from $76,603 in 1897 to $161,297 in 1919; and of course taxes have materially increased - from $1,838.47 in 1897 to $10,468.17 in 1919.

The present township officials are: John Johnson (chairman), C. Carlson and C. Gustafson, supervisors; J. F. Gans, clerk; W. W. Watson, assessor; Albert C. C. Miller, treasurer.

all of frame construction and valued at $15,429 in 1919, when for the school year of eight months five female teachers constituted the teaching st'afif. The enrollment in that year was one hundred and four scholars. Teachers were paid an average salary of $85.00 a month. School Board: A. J. Lundquist, Munger, Minnesota, clerk; Knute Gustafson, treasurer; A. Bang, chairman of directors.

Stuntz. - The Township of Stuntz, which is the richest township of St. Louis County and contributes more than one-third of the taxes collected in the county, perpetuates the name of one of the pioneers of the county.

George R. Stuntz. - George R. Stuntz, a surveyor for the United States Government, came to the head of Lake Superior in July, 1852, "to run the land lines and subdivide certain townships." He surveyed the state road from Duluth to Vermilion Lake in 1869, and afterwards built the road. He was one of the first surveyors on either of the ranges, and knew of the presence of mineral wealth in one or both of them long before any of the pioneer explorers for iron began seriously to prospect. He was in the country at the time of the "gold rush" to Vermilion in the '60s ; accompanied Chester in the '70s, and was then on both ranges with that surveyor, who was sent to investigate mineral possibilities. George R. Stuntz undoubtedly was the best-informed of Duluth pioneers as to what was then termed "outside lands" of St. Louis County, and it is but right that his name should have important place in its history.

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 district known as the Township of Stuntz was E. J. Longyear, of Minneapolis. Soon afterwards came R. M. Bennett, Frank Hibbing and John Mailman. 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 Company 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 Companv, supplements of October 4, 1893, March 1, 1894, March 15, 1895, March 28, 1895. and April 1, 1895, bringing 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 27^/2 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 Township 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 \yere 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 Winnipeg, 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. 8z W. R. R. to the mines of the Mesabi in 1892 and 1893. Built through the efforts of the Merritt Brothers. Ch<';se Brothers and Donald Grant, it passed in 1893 into the hands of the Lake Sujierior Consolidated Iron Mines, in which company the chief stockholder is John D.

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.; j\I., & 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 Company) and on adjacent tracts induced them to construct it standard gauge and of heavy rails, suitable for ore transportation. It is tributary to the D. & \V. 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 timber, and adjacent to large deposits of iron ore, it is a town of great promise.

"Lake Superior Mine, situated on the southwest quarter of southwest quarter, section 31, township 58, range 20 west * * * was discovered in 1892 by Capt. T. W. Nelson, working under the direction of Mr. Frank Hibbing, of Duluth. No ore has been produced from this mine as yet. It is being developed for underground mining, under the direction of Mr. W. J. Olcott, for the Lake Superior Consolidated Company, who are operating it at present. The superintendent 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 companies.

"Mahoning Mine. After the discovery of ore in the northeast quarter, section 3, 57-21, the Mahoning Company, last year, developed 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 incori)orated as a village in 1893. it was not until 1894 that the movement which ended in the erection of the Township of Stuntz l)egan.

On January 3, 1894. a petition praying for the organization, under the General Statutes of Minnesota Compilation, 1878, of congressional township fifty-seven north of range twenty west, "as the Town of Stuntz." was filed with the Board of Commissioners of

Duluth And St. Louis County 729

St. Louis County. The paper was signed by Burton Hurd, Eug-ene 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 tirst election to be held at the office of Hibbing and Trimble, south half of northwest quarter of section six on February 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 twentyone west, and fifty-eight north of range twenty," which was filed on April 7th. The paper was signed by j. D. Campbell. John Munter, 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, 189*6, protesting against the granting of petition to annex the three additional townships and in particular regarding township 57-21, asserting that the petition "was not presented in our vicinity." and that "township 57-21 is very rich, if not the richest in mineral and timi)er lands in the country." He further stated that township 57-21 "has already been included in a school district with the other townships 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 foi- school purposes," which apparently was a regrettable circumstance. Regarding the school fund, Mr. Agnew stated : "The manner in which it was expended and the fight over it is a matter of record and do&s 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 commissioners "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. add on that day the commissioners ordered the annexation of townshi])s fifty-eight north of twenty and twenty-one range, and fifty-se\en north of range twenty-one west, to the Townshij) of Stuntz. Whether such action by the commissioners was taken because of the reinforcement of the original petition by another, filed May 5. 1896, cannot be determined, although the circulation and filing of the suj>porting petition may explain the withdrawal of the protest by the Mahoning Ore Company. The second of the petitions of 1896 referred only to townshi]) 57-21. and prayed that it be annexed to the Township of .Stunt/.. .Anton Friksson was the first signer of that petition.

Enlargement of Stuntz, - In l^M.^ there were some impiM-tant changes. Petition of Oscar Malnujuist and others then (March. 1913) resident in the unorganized townsliip fifty-six north of range twentyone west rec[uested annexation of that township to Stuntz ; and petition of June .^0, I'M.^. signed !)>- I'etiT McI lardy and others of town- 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 November 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. xA.n 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 contribute 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 population 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 X'illage of Hibbing (which now takes second j)lace among the incorporated places of the county), and 480 in the Village of Kitzville.

Hibbing. - Hibliing will be the subject of a special chapter, as befits its place in the history of the county. Kitz\-illc is referred to later herein.

Schools. - For school purposes, the Township of Stuntz is included in the excellently-directed school administratiun known as Independent Schocjl District Xo. 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. - 1'he township officials in 1*^20 were: I. B. Messner (chairman), W. G. Brown and John L". Eastman, supervisors; Ben McDonald, clerk; {(jsejih Moran. assessor; jerry .Sullivan, treasurer. Josej^h Moran. a xeteran of the Civil War. has been assessor for very many years. He was a cruiser for Wright, Davis

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 seventvfive 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 Mahoning. Hull-Rust. Sellers, Buffalo-Susquehanna, Scranton, Laura, Leetonia. Agnew. Morris, Kerr. Stevenson, Nassau. Philbin. Longyear and Albany.

Kitzville. - The incorporated Village of Kitzville came into existence 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 incorporate 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. Therefore, 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; southwest quarter, southwest quarter, section 33, 58-20; southeast quarter, 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. treasurer.

Mahoning (Village of). - A petition was prepared in December, 1915, and dated December 31st, seeking to bring about the incorporation, as the Village of Mahoning, of 998.51 acres of land situated 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 December 28, 1915, and it was adopted by the commissioners at their January, 1916, session, on motion of Commissioner Swanstrom. Election was ordered to take place "at the G. N. R. Depot, section 2, township 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

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 valuation 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 Unorganized 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 tabulation was 184. Its development is gradual and permanent.

The township officers in 1920 were : Frank Johnson (chairman), Nestor Vianio and John Ketola, supervisors; Fred Goodell, clerk; Andrew Roine, assessor; Ed. Neimi. treasurer.

Toivola, - The prosperous Township of Tt)ivola 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, l)y 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 Township 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 schoolhouse No. 3. situated on the northeast quarter of section 11. of township 54-20.

They also favorably considered the rccfuest 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 tlic Town of Toivola was held on |uly 17. 1911. at the residence of Tom Arkkola, township 54-19; but that meeting was declared to be illegal.

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 residences 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 Toivola 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, Missabe and Northern Railway passes through, with a station at Toivola, in township 54-20, and other railways pass through adjoining townships 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 perhaps 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 agricultural development of the territory, which in that respect is comparatively good land. The White Face River passes through the township 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.

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.

Duluth And St. Louis County 735

of township sixty-one north of range sixteen west, in 1913, following the filing (on November 4, 1912) of a petition signed by fortytwo 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 township 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 meeting of the "Town of Vermilion," the meeting to take place "at the Town Hall, section 26," on Tuesday, January 28, 1913. Before election, 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:

The township is in its initial stage of settlement, although parts of it have been well-developed during the last few years. However, its valuation has decreased one-fifth since it was organized in 1913. In natural beauty the region is particularly attractive, and the roads are comparatively good. The Duluth and Iron Range Railway passes within a mile or two of its eastern boundary and some of the settlers are making good farming homes.

There were fourteen people living in the township in 1900; in 1910 the number was 207; in 1920 it had increased to 299. It is too sparsely inhabitated to profitably, or economically, maintain a separate school district; therefore it is included in what is called the Unorganized School District, directed by the county school administration.

The township officials in 1920 were: Henry Simonson (chairman), Sam Holappa and Matt Laitinen, supervisors; Peter Peyla, clerk; Ernest .Simonson, assessor; John Johnson, treasurer.

Waasa. - Alleging failure of the Township of Embarrass to construct roads in township 60, north of range 14 west, a majority of the freeholders of that congressional township petitioned the county commissioners, in 1911, to detach that township (60-14) from the Township of Embarrass, and organize it separately as the township of "River." The petition was sworn to by August Aukrein on April 15, 1911, and filed with the county auditor on the twentieth of that month.

The petition eventually came before the board of commissioners, and was the subject of protracted discussion. Ultimately, the commissioners announced that hearing of remonstrances would be set for November 7, 1911, when they hoped to dispose of the matter. Either earlier, or on that date, bitter opposition by the residents of township 60-15, the western half of the Township of Embarrass, developed, thev being much averse to the movement to detach township 60-14.

Then they decided in favor of the petitioners, and passed a resolution that township 60-14 be detached from the Town of Embarrass, to form another organized township, to be known as "River"; and they ordered election to be held, on February 27, 1912, "at the schoolhouse, No. 5, Dist. 11. sec. 20," of township 60-14.

On February 8, 1912. the county auditor was advised by the state auditor the name "River" was that of a township in Red Lake County, and that therefore another name must be chosen. The freeholders of the newly organized town asked the commissioners to select one of three names suitable to them: Joki. Waasa, or Oulu ; therefore, on March 6th the county board selected the name of "Waasa." As that the township has since been recorded.

An attempt was made in r3ecember, 1916, to annex unorganized township 60-13 to the Township of Waasa, a petition to that effect being prepared by Jack Kero and others. The motion to annex was lost at the meeting of the board of commissioners on June 7, 1917, and it was unorganized territory until 1920.

Waasa is settled principally by agriculturists of Finnish origin, who perhaps are the pioneers best fitted to develop such territory. The population, according to the 1920 census, is 318, and the assessed valuation of the township is $34,870. It is in what is known as the Unorganized School District, that directed by the county administration, a system economical yet adequate for sparsely populated regions. There are two schoolhouses in the townshi}), one on section 20, and the other on section 11.

The township officials are: Sam Heikkila (chairman), Emanuel Isaacson and Nikolai Kari, supervisors; August Anderson, clerk; J. Rautia, assessor; Thom Koskela, treasurer..

White. - The Township of White embraces three congressional townships, 57, 58, and 59 north, of range 15 west, and it comes into history as one of the important mining townships of the county. Aurora, its chief incorporated place will be given a separate chapter, and its mining history will be reviewed elsewhere, this chapter dealing mainly with township organization records.

The Township of White was organized in 1906, a petition dated September 20, 1906, and signed by Charles R. Hill and others living in townships 57, 58, and 59 north, range 15 west, appealing to the county commissioners to set oft" that, then unorganized, territory as the organized Township of White.

The matter came before the county commissioners at their October, 1906, session, and met with their approval. They ordered the first town meeting to be held "at the Village Hall, Aurora," on October 27th, the election date being later changed to November 7, 1906. then the organization of the township was completed.

The township then had an assessed valuation of $1,120,457. , In 1919, the assessed valuation had increased to $9,797,502. And the taxes increased from $21,784.66 in 1906 to $557,908.88. in 1919. These figures are exclusive of those of the incorporated village of Aurora, the assessed valuation of which in 1919 was almost $3,000,000, upon which the tax levy was $234,845.04 in 1919. It will therefore be seen that White is one of the important townships of the county.

The federal census showed that in 1900 only seven people were resident in the township; in 1910 there were 1,036 inhabitants; and in 1920 slightly less, the census showing only 862. However, these figures are exclusive of those for the Village of Aurora, which maintains an increase in population for the township. Aurora's population in 1910 was 1,919; in 1920 it had increased to 2,809, with prospects of steady continuance in growth.

Aurora was incorporated in 1903, and is the only incorporated place in the township. However, an attempt was made, in 1913, to secure corporate powers for another place in the township. A petition was circulated among the residents of Pineville, section 6, of township 58-15, in February of that year, and was signed by many people. The document ultimately reached the county offices, but was declared to be irregular by the county attorney, who fovnid that the unplatted part of the land petitioners sought to include in the limits of the incorporated village did not adjoin the platted portion. The county commissioners considered the petition at their March session, but took no action, and before thev next met, certain signers of the petition notified the commissioners of their wish to withdraw their signatures. The commissioners ^therefore rejected the petition at the next meeting.

Among the important mining properties of the township are the St. James, Miller. Mohawk, Meadow, Fowler, Bangor, Stephens, and Perkins mines. More is written elsewhere regarding them, and mining is, of course, the chief industry of the township and will be for many years.

The officials of the Township of White in 1920 were : Erick Erickson, (chairman) ; Anton Skubic and E. T. Sandberg, supervisors; O. F. Halstrom. clerk; Victor Rebrovich, assessor; Aug. Mattson, treasurer.

Willow Valley. - Township 63 north, range 20 west, was detached from the Township of Linden Grove, in February. 1916. to form the Township of Willow Valley, which had been erected by the county commissioners on February 4th of that year, in response to petition of John Ostlund, A. P. Olson, M. Peterson, and others of that township.

The petition was filed at the county auditor's office on December 30. 1915, and was discussed by the commissioners at their January meeting. They favored the detaching of township 63-20 from Linden Grove, and called for a stating of any objections by interested persons to such action by them, fixing February 4th for a hearing of such. On that day they granted the petition, and ordered the first town meeting of the township of Willow Valley to be held on February 19, 1916, "at Schoolhouse No. 20. situated in section 15, of township 63-20."

I'^lection was apparently held on that date, and organization has since been maintained, with the same boundaries and powers. During the last few years there has been a slight increase in the valuation of the t(jwnship, and in all probability it will steadily go forward io full agricultural development. No population was reported in 1910. and in 1920 there were 180 people living in the township, the families being those of legitimate homesteaders.

its school affairs are directed by the county school staff, the township paying a scln)ol tax of 37.1 mills, and a total levy of 71.2 mills for all purposes.

Township officials. 1920: .\ug. (irund (chairman I. Esa Teppo and Wm. Carlson, supervisors; Oscar Hanson, clerk; .\. 1*. Olson, assessor; Magnus Peterson, treasurer.

The township is, apparently, just on the fringe of the rich mining area of the Mesabi Range, and had a couple of good mining properties in the extreme southern tier of sections, but its southern border adjoins what is known as the "Sliver," which name well describes the strip of unorganized territory that lies between the townships of Wuori and Missabe Mountain. One writer thus refers to the Sliver:

"Some of the early surveys were formal enough. There was the Virginia Sliver, for example, so called because whoever surveyed 58-17 neglected to hook up his lines with the boundaries of 59-17, which had been previously run on the north. It left a gap of no-man's land, five miles long east and west, and nearly a quarter of a mile wide at the western end, tapering to nothing on the east. And as that happened to contain some millions of tons of fron ore, it gave rise to one of the prettiest bits of litigation this country has seen."

The addition of the "Sliver" to Wuori would have materially increased its importance, from a mining point of view. Still, the Ordean Mine has yielded a million tons of ore, and possibly other good mines will develop when there is need of the ore.

The township was formed in 1908, following the presenting of a petition, which bears date of April 29, 1908, to the county commissioners, who considered the document at their session of May of that year. They approved the petition at that meeting, and passed resolution to organize township 59-17 as the Township of "Hill," that being the wish of the petitioners. The first town meeting was ordered to be held "at the "Homestead School House on section 10, township 59-17," on May 25th, and presumably was held.

Later, it became necessary to find another name for the new township, there being another "Hill" township in the state (in Kittson County) ; and when this became known to the commissioners they fell back upon the name first written into the petition, and named the township "Wuori," although they had earlier been of the opinion that such a name would be too unusual to be advisable.

When the township was organized in 1908, Wuori had an assessed valuation of $242,244, and in that year the taxes totalled to $3,052.27. In 1919, the valuation had become reduced to $90,362. The Ordean Mine shows practically no more ore available, and the Allan Mine has not been worked since 1914.

Nevertheless, in some respects, Wuori Township is advancing. It is gradually being settled, and there are some good farms in the township, which in 1920 was shown to have a population of 296, an increase of 74 over the 1910 census.

The Virginia school district, known as Independent School District No. 22, has jurisdiction throughout Wuori Township, which is debited a school tax of only 16.4 mills. Some rural school districts pay as high as 37 mills. The history of the Virginia school district will be reviewed with the general history of that city.

The ofificials of Wuori Township in 1920 were : Ed. Arvola (chairman), Emil Wittanen and Wm. Rekonen, supervisors; Antti Heikkila, clerk; Alex Niemi, assessor; Sam Lampi, treasurer.