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Springs of Health and Pits of Wealth
Buhl (1,500 alt., 1,600 pop.), one of the
progressive smaller mining communities of the western Mesabi,
might well have been a Town Pump, for it boasts the "best
drinking water in the United States," and, from reports of
visitors, it is undoubtedly justified. Although mining operations had begun on the
western Mesabi in 1890, the iron-ore fever did not reach the
vicinity of Buhl until some time later. Logging operations began
in 1898, and in 1900 timber cruisers and loggers still were
working in the region's stands of white and Norway pine. As they
cleared the way, iron-ore prospectors appeared, and, in March,
1900, the Sharon Ore Company platted the 40-acre town site that
was recorded as the "Plat of Buhl," in honor of Frank H. Buhl, a
former president of the company. The new town was given
encouragement when the Great Northern Railroad extended its line
from Swan River. In 1901, Buhl was incorporated as a village.
Mining forged ahead as the chief industry. Men
from many countries came to work in the mines, and today ten
nationalities are represented. Of the foreign-born, Yugoslays,
Scandinavians, and Italians predominate. There are eight mines,
most of them open pits. Only one, the Grant Mine, is operating
at present. The largest mine, the Wabigon (inactive),
holds a record of low-cost operation. In three seasons, it was
stripped of the overburden and 500,000 tons of ore by electric
drag lines, with an average daily crew of five men, each
handling approximately 250 tons per day. This was the first open
pit on the Mesabi to be electrified, and its shovel, with a
dipper capacity of 14 tons, was the largest ever used in an open
pit. In recent years, many of the miners have begun
to farm, and much dairying is carried on in the surrounding
area. With the money derived from its mineral
wealth, Buhl has erected modern municipal buildings and
installed excellent public utilities. The Martin Hughes High
School (cor. Jones Ave. and Wanless St.) is an imposing
structure. The central part was constructed in 1911, and the two
wings in 1918; the total cost was $1,750,000. The Martin Hughes
High School is under the jurisdiction of School District 35,
which includes Kinney (see Kinney), employs 40 teachers, and has
an enrollment of 900.
The Fire Hall (cor. Johns Ave. and Forest
St.), of brick and tile, one of the least expensive—it cost only
$32,000—but most attractive public buildings in Buhl, also
serves as a community center and provides public rest rooms,
American Legion club quarters, Boy Scout rooms, and an
auditorium. The Public Library (Jones Ave. bet. Franz and
Sharon Sts.) was built in 1917 of tapestry brick with terra
cotta trimmings. The interior, finished in silver-gray oak, is
decorated with two murals by Charles Rosenkranz. The library
owns 14,850 volumes and receives 85 periodicals, and, in a
district with a population of but 2,000, it has approximately
1,300 registered borrowers.
The Municipal Power Plant (cor. Jones Ave. and
Mine St.) furnishes water and light and heats about 80 per cent
of the buildings. Its pure, cold water, pumped from a 7oo-foot
well, is free from the iron taste that is characteristic of most
range water. St. Louis County Dispensary No. 2 (Jones Ave. bet.
Sharon and Grant Sts.), built by Dr. A. W. Shaw and later bought
by the county, distributes medical aid to the needy, but only
emergency operations are performed. Rose Tentoni, a soprano with the Metropolitan
Opera Company, is native of Buhl. The WPA Guide to the Minnesota Arrowhead
Country, 1941 |
