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| Moderated by: pjb, outlandish |
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| Reflections of the day: Aug. 1, 1884 | Rate Topic |
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| Posted: 21 Nov 2010 12:41 pm |
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1st Post |
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outlandish Administrator 
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Reflections of the day: Aug. 1, 1884 By Mike Hillman Most everyone connected with the Minnesota Mine enjoyed a sense of accomplishment and relief as the sun came up the morning of Friday, Aug. 1, 1884. After months of doubt and worry about making the deadline, John Wolf delivered on his promise and the Duluth & Iron Range Railroad was Tower’s; dearly bought and fairly one. When he made his report to his boss the following day, Harold Prince wrote a detailed account of the history-making day. From it, we learned that it had been a beautiful summer day filled with a sense of excitement and history. In honor of the occasion the miners were given the day off, other than the men loading the train; everyone else was there to greet Thomas Owens as he pulled the Three Spot Engine with its small train of twenty-four ton wooden ore cars made especially for the Minnesota Mine. The cars were twice as large as any currently used in what was now called the Lake Superior Mining District. Up until then almost all of district’s iron had been mined in Michigan, but with this first shipment of iron, Minnesota was about to take its place as a major player in the American steel industry. Charlemagne Tower Jr. rode up on the train from Two Harbors and with him was his brother-in-law Richard Lee. It was all new for the younger Tower, but Richard Lee was the engineer who along with George Stuntz laid out the alternative route from Lake Superior to Lake Vermilion when a direct line to Duluth was deemed too expensive. The trip to Minnesota was a great adventure for Charlemagne Tower Jr. He was fascinated by Indians and judging by what he wrote to his family back in Pennsylvania it was the Ojibway people of Lake Vermilion who came to join in the historic celebration that held the greatest fascination for him: “They came flocking in accordingly, men and women, decked with beads and feathers, making altogether a very remarkable experience and adding to the celebration of the opening of the road in such a way to make an impression on us that none of us will ever forget. They formed a large circle, all sitting on the ground with their drum in the center, and I went close to them in order to distribute the presents. We gave them pork enough, and flour to content them and left them cooking and eating, promising to come and see us again, whenever we sent for them. I think there were more than two hundred of them.” The next day the Ojibway sent word they would be happy to come and eat and dance with their white neighbors again. There were many trains to come, but the local Ojibway were never asked to dance again. The Ojibway were happy to be left alone. They remembered the gold rush of the 1860s when they were supposed to leave Lake Vermilion and move to Nett Lake. When the gold rush proved to be a bust and the white miners left the lake late in 1868, the Bois Forte Band stayed right where they were on Sucker Bay. They had moved once in the 1850s from the north end of Lake Vermilion to their current home on the south end of the large thirty- five mile long lake, with its three hundred and sixty-five islands. It was fortunate that the iron was located far enough away from their village that there was no need to force them off their land, and people like Charlemagne Tower Jr. helped insure that they were allowed to stay right where they were. For the miners and their families the last day of July had been a cause for celebration. Elisha Morcomb had driven his men hard since they arrived at the Minnesota Mine on March 17. From the late winter until now, the miners had worked six days a week, ten hours a day. Having a day off with all the drinks bought by the company was cause for genuine celebration. They had worked hard and held up their end of the agreement. When the long anticipated train arrived with its whistle blowing and the crowd cheering, there was plenty of iron on hand to carry the mine to the end of the shipping season that was just a few months away. The only person who seemed concerned about the return trip to Two Harbors was Thomas Owens the engineer. On the ride back down the line, Owens was very careful to take his time and keep his speed down on the downgrade, and to make sure to keep on the brakes. Owens was driving a brand new Baldwin (2-8-0) Consolidation Engine. The large 24-ton wooden ore cars had no air brakes, and Owens was sure each of the ten cars was over- loaded. He was also unsure of the stability of the rail bed. The coal- burning train stopped at every river crossing for water, but in the end Owens brought the train into Two Harbors without incident. It was a great satisfaction for him to stand next to Tower and Lee as they watched the first train of Minnesota iron loaded. The steamer Hecla and the schooner Ironton took on 1,400 tons each. All in all, the general consensus was that July 31, 1884, had been a great day for Minnesota. credit: http://www.timberjay.com/
____________________ Outlandish™ Polaris Sportsman 500HO Aurora Rocks Radio. |
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| Posted: 14 Dec 2011 03:01 pm |
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2nd Post |
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Robert Member 
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MDN used to have a column where they would reprint a selection of stories from 25,50 and 100 years prior, be nice to see something like that again instead of orchirds and onions/ Waaaah, someone looked at me funny.
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