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CHARTER COMMISSION This commission was organized on January 27, 1909, and was appointed by the district court. CURLING CLUB This was established on June 10, 1909. There was a curling rink in the Recreation Building on the corner of Adams Avenue and Garfield Street. Curling was furthered and greatly inspired by the famous Dunbars, who had many champion curling teams. Curling teams from Eveleth won the Minnesota State Championship in the Merriam Medal Curling Bonspiel thirteen times between 1924 and 1948. The present Curling Club is located on Monroe Street, above the Monroe Playground. OTHER ORGANIZATIONS There were several other clubs formed at this time. The Fayal and Eveleth City Bands were organized in 1904. The Eveleth Gun Club had a building and put up a trap set at "ball park on Gun Club Hill." In 1910, its first annual business meeting was held. The grounds opposite the Iron Range depot were secured for use by the group. Another was the Eveleth Driving (Horsemen's) Association. "Indiana Girl," owned by Mr. G. A. Whitman, won first place in one of the races on the track at St. Mary's Lake. The baseball club was organized and played
its first game on June 12, 1904 against Hibbing. Eveleth lost the game,
6-1.
MONITOR HALL Monitor Hall was built on the corner of Grant Avenue and Pierce Street. The American Legion moved into it in 1947. STREET PAVING Grant Avenue was first paved in 1910 with
granatoid. The area covered was 9,991 square yards. At once, the problem
of keeping the street clean arose, and shortly after that, the first two
"white wings" were employed and outfitted. ADDITIONS TO THE CITY A city extension election was held on April 8, 1910. The largest addition took place in 1922, when the Volcansek Addition (the southwest corner of the city) was added. This was disputed by the mining company, but the state supreme court ruled in favor of the city. Then, in 1920, the area north of Garfield and east of Grant Avenue was added as the Kingston Addition. In 1947, Welton's Morningside Addition was accepted. DETENTION HOSPITAL This three-story building near the water tank had eight rooms for patients. It was built in 1912. It was established by the health department and W. S. King was in charge of it. The building had been moved from Jackson Street. In 1924, the St. Louis County established a trachoma hospital in the same building to care for a diphtheria emergency that arose.
CEMETERY First records of a cemetery were from 1913, when J. J. Gleason was the president of the Cemetery Association. The first burial took place on August 17, 1914, when Charles Anderson was laid to rest. TRANSPORTATION AT THIS TIME A street car first ran from the Park Hotel on Adams Avenue on December 12, 1912, and it continued until 1927. In March of 1919, Virginia and Eveleth agreed
to co-operate in building and paving a road between the two cities. In 1922,
a fourth Packard bus was added to the Transit Company and it had a daily
run between Eveleth and Virginia. In 1929, the bus depot was moved from
the west side of Grant Avenue to the Rainbow Inn on the corner of Jones
Street. The Miller Trunk Road or State Highway Number 11 was formally opened
on October 14, 1922. The first train came into the Eveleth Depot on Fayal
Road in July of 1923. Mail service by bus also began this year.
A new skating and curling rink was built
and finished in 1919, on the corner of Adams Avenue and Garfield Street.
This was the famous Recreational Building. Roller skating, dancing and curling
are just a few of the many activities that went on in this building.
FLYING A Ryan four-passenger monoplane named the "Spirit of St. Louis County" began the seaplane service on Ely Lake for hunting and fishing parties. The cost to charter it was $60 per hour. It had a base on Lake Vermilion also. M. S. Kingston, who was president of the Kingston-Rhodes Airways, said, "God gave Minnesota 10,000 natural airports." The seaplane base at Sky Harbor on Ely Lake is a continuation of this interest in flying. AIRPORT In 1928, Mr. Kingston developed the idea of a municipal airport. The city bought 160 acres of land 3 miles south of the town on the Miller Trunk Highway for $19,500 from George Pappar in 1929. In 1947, contracts were let for an administration building, water line and septic tank. The runways had already been completed. In 1950, Eveleth began operating the airport jointly with Virginia. THE 1930s The depression had an effect on the people of Eveleth as it did all over the nation. During these years, numbers of citizens took part in federal projects such as the N.Y.A. and the W.P.A. Six buildings were renovated, and the hippodrome, ball park and the lake park pavilion were completed by workers from this town. Eveleth gradually recovered from this panic. BACK IN THE OLD ROUTINE After the spectacular anniversary celebration that also marked the end of the war and the soldiers' return home, life settled back into the old ways. Relief and recovery were the main thoughts after the strain of the war. Evelethians did some improving of their town. In 1948, major blacktopping, which cost about $38,000, was completed. MONROE STREET PLAYGROUND The Parent Teacher Association undertook
this project to make a playground for the children living in this part of
town. Nine white ash shade trees were taken from the old Leonidas location
and planted in the park. Swings were also put up.
NATIONAL GUARD ARMORY Company F. of the Minnesota National Guard was organized under Captain R. M. Cornwell in 1908. There were 65 men at its first inspection. The National Guard was federalized on Tuesday,
January 16, 1951, at the local city auditorium, which was then the armory
building. The staff of officers was composed of Major Michael Barberich,
Major Wallace E. Olson and Captain Lester Perry. The present Armory was
erected behind the Eveleth Hippodrome.
PARKING METERS Parking meters were first installed in 1950, and they went into use on May 15. MAIL DELIVERY Beginning on May 1, mail was delivered to residents of Eveleth only once daily. Carriers were out between 9:30 and 3:00. The 1940 census showed 6,887 people in the city and the census in 1950 recorded 5,829. OLD FAIR STORE The famous Fair Store at 105 Grant Avenue closed in 1954, after 30 years of service. It was bought by the Northland Painting Company and remodeled into one of the most up-to-date buildings in Minnesota. A grand opening was held in January, 1956. Mr. Leo Bright was the manager of the company at this time. This building is empty at the present. YOUTH CENTER The Legion Club sponsored a youth center on Tuesday nights for the younger set. Sharon Kotchevar was the president of the youth group, Tom Modec, vice president, Joanne Jacobson, secretary, and Bob Gruden, treasurer. DIAL TELEPHONES On May 20, 1956, (early Sunday morning), the dial system went into effect. The project was put into operation after 102,000 man hours of work. HIGHWAY 53 After much debate and protest, work began on Highway 53 to make it a double lane highway, bypassing Eveleth and Virginia. At present, the two lanes are complete from Virginia to Cotton. JONES STREET In 1961, the old trees on Jones Street were removed, new sidewalks and curbs were put in. BUILDING BOOM In 1961, several buildings were erected:
MAYORS OF EVELETH
Government The first village officers of Eveleth were:
The first council meeting was held on October
25, 1894 in the Townsite Company's frame building. Later meetings were held
in the back room of Sletten's Store. On April 1, 1902, Eveleth incorporated as a city. Charles Jesmore, then village president, continued as mayor until 1904, when Nehemiah B. Maxwell -Mike- was elected mayor. Then, in October of 1913, Eveleth received
a new charter for a commission form of government.
Eveleth's 50th Anniversary Eveleth was actually 55 years old in 1947,
but the celebration for its 50th birthday had been put off because of the
war. The 1947 celebration was a combination homecoming for servicemen and
a birthday anniversary. Thousands of past and present citizens were on hand
for the four days of activities. Mayor Ben P. Constantine was Honorary Chairman
of the celebration, Gilbert Finnegan and Leslie J. Tobin were co-chairmen
of the committee, A. J. Van Buskirk was executive secretary, and Sally Shea
Martin was in charge of the general headquarters. Many other people, too
numerous to mention, did an excellent job in making the event as spectacular
as it was.
1947 Celebration A Complete Success From left to right are: Mayor Ben Constantine, John E. Roy. W. Raph, Edward and Kent Fitzgerald as they landed on the Eveleth airport from their large National Lines Plane from Chicago for the celebration. In parade, they rode their first bus, (of 1918), which started the Eveleth-Leonidas run. The bus was driven by its original driver. Behind them, was a 1947 City Lines bus from Chicago. This bus had been driven from Chicago offering free rides to Eveleth for Evelethians in Chicago who wished to attend the anniversary. In 1919, the five Fitzgerald brothers started a two-bus transit line in Eveleth which extended to Virginia and then on to Duluth. It was known as the Range Rapid Transit Company. Their National City Lines was organized in 1936. Program of Highlights of the Activities Thursday, July 31 "City and County Days"
Saturday, August 2 "Civic Leaders and Governor's Day"
Sunday, August 3 Final Day of Celebration
They Clowned Their Way to Fame The famous Eveleth Clown Band was organized some time after the war. The extent of their travel is wide. In 1949, they appeared in 21 different communities. They paraded between halves of the Duluth Coffeville, Kansas football game and participated in the homecoming festivities at Menomonee, Wisconsin. In W. H. DePaul's words, "They performed at and won national honors, medals, and acclaim at the National V. F. W. Convention in Miami, Florida, and then presented their comical antics before 50,000 howling fans in the Orange Bowl." They played at conventions, sportsman shows, athletic events, historic and holiday celebrations, and tennials of all kinds. They were appreciated and applauded by hundreds of thousands of people. They topped it all off by taking the National Championship for clown bands. Sports There have definitely been some excellent
teams and players in football, track, basketball, baseball and in any other
sport in this town, but the hockey story is
undoubtedly the most outstanding sport that has come of Eveleth. The first
hockey playing in Eveleth started about the year 1903, and was played on
a skating rink
owned by an individual who charged for the use of his sheet of ice. On rare
occasions, some of these early Eveleth teams went over to play against Virginia
on Silver Lake. Even then, Eveleth and Virginia were hot competitors. The
first formal organization was formed in 1919. This became a member of the
United States Hockey League. "The men who played on those early teams, went
on to leave on the sports pages of America and the World, a record of accomplishment
that will be remembered for many years," said Gilbert Finnegan. In one of
the most severe depression years, there were 147 Eveleth boys playing hockey
on professional, semi-professional, college and amateur teams all over the
United States. Between 1926 and 1952, the Eveleth High School Hockey teams
have won 335 games and lost only 26. Since the same year, the Eveleth Junior
College team won 171 games and lost 28. The name Cliff Thompson will long
be remembered by hockey fans in Eveleth. Coach Thompson's dedication to
teaching young men how to play hockey the right way has won him respect
and admiration all over the country. In 1951, Thompson was presented with
a trophy at the Minnesota Sportsman's Show in Minneapolis. Brimsek, Lo Presti,
Karakas, Mariucci, Papike, Palazzari, Sterle, Brink, Ericksen, De-Paul,
Johnson, Jagunich, Johnson, Ahlin, Schaefer, Pleban, Finnegan, Celley, Grant,
Almquist, Prelesnik, Matchefts, Martinson, Ikola, Mayasich, Silovich, Constantine,
Suomi, McInnis, Toth, Gambucci, Deleo, Prebonich, Lampi, Rozinka, Malevich
are just a few of the stars who came from Eveleth.
Mining... How Eveleth Got Started David T. Adams first explored in this area
for a mining interest, acting for A. E. Humphreys. Following these explorations,
the first test pits were sunk on October 1, 1892. This became Adams Number
1. In this early operation, Neil McInnis was pay master and purchasing agent.
During the season of 1892-1893, 45 men were employed. With the Panic of
1893, Adams and McInnis did more testing, and the result was the opening
of the Fayal Mine. On November 1, J. H. Hearding, W. J. Olcott, and C. E.
Bailey arrived to look over the Adams Mine. Hearding was the superintendent
for the Lake Superior Consolidated Iron Mining Company. On November 2, work
began in this mine. On August 30, 1894, a railroad spur to the St. Clair
Mine was completed and the first shipment of ore from any of Eveleth's mines
was made. A total of 5,628 tons was hauled
to Two Harbors. In 1918, the Fayal and Genoa Mines were consolidated with
the Adams, and they became known as the Eveleth District.
Origin of the D. M. & I. R. The Duluth, Missabe and Iron Range Railway
really had two separate beginnings. The first was the Duluth, Missabe and
Northern Railway, organized in 1891 by the Merritt brothers. Since their
discovery of iron ore in the Mountain Iron region, they became interested
in mining. Their problem was how to transport the mined ore to ports in
Duluth. They approached the Duluth and Winnipeg Railroad for a contract.
As a result of this, the Duluth, Missabe and Northern Railway Company came
into being without too much legal difficulty on June 11, 1891. The first
company officers were: K. D. Chase, President; Leonidas Merritt, Vice President;
S. R. Payne, Secretary; C. C. Merritt, Treasurer; and Moses E. Clapp, Counsel.
The Merritts later decided to build to Duluth, and this proved to be a bigger
project than they could handle. They not only lost their railway interests,
but also their mining property. One of their last projects was the Superior
Branch from Wolf to Hibbing in 1893. During the period of the Rockefeller
ownership, the Proctor yard was completed and the Adams Branch into Eveleth
opened in 1895.
From Iron Ore to Taconite The Eveleth Taconite Company was organized as a Minnesota Corporation in 1963. It is owned jointly by Ford Motor Company (85%) and Oglebay Norton Company (15%), the Managing Agent. Late in 1965 Eveleth's taconite mining and processing project was completed at a cost of approximately $45,000,000, all of which was private capital furnished by its joint owners. The project includes the Thunderbird Mine, which, together with the coarse crusher, is situated near Eveleth, Minnesota, and the Fairlane Plant, with its fine crushing, concentrating and pelletizing facilities, located near the St. Louis River, about ten miles south of Eveleth at Forbes, Minnesota. Ford Motor Company's share of the pellet production is used in the blast furnaces of its steelmaking plant at River Rouge. Oglebay Norton's share is sold to ore consumers. During the construction period, some 900 people were employed. Most employees were Minnesota residents. Eveleth now employs more than 400 men and women on a year round basis. The company contributes more than $3,700,000
to the economy of Minnesota's Iron Range in annual payroll and taxes. Each
year more than $10,000,000 is spent by the company for equipment, machinery,
tools, goods and services, most of which is purchased from Minnesota businesses.
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