The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1902-11-01

| where was what was known as the Pet,
! Armstrong claim, and which has sine.
been explored for ore under the name OF
tho Armstrong mine. This is about six
miles from the main finds. In November
with sixty pounds Of iron ore knocked OF
with sledges, the party took its way pacA
to civilization, reaching Superior after g
lang tramp. The rivers had: all frozen
and a canoe could not be forced down
They shouldered their supplies and the
bag Of samples and tramped 1t for sixty
miles through unbroken primeval forest
a trip, of no small proportions, dangers and
difficulties. r...E .--s-j.,s 5s1-s.-4 'tl.r -
u Specimens for Smithsonian. ~.
Museum specimens Of beautiful specular
hematite were In the possession OF and
distributed by the Smithsonian Institution
as early as 1857 They had come from
Minnesota, but it has not been known
how these were brought out. They were
the sixty pounds Of ore packed on their
backs by the Stuntz party in November,
1866. The year before they had been sent
by the institution to the Paris exhibition.
where they created much interest on ac-
count Of their remarkable purity and
beauty. ~%E.Sr. -. 4 4. -. 81 4 !: ~.
There was then. by the way, gold ex-
element in that. region, and Stuntz. in
going north in the fall Of 1865. passed sew
eral prospectors bound for Vermillion lake
and looking for gold. Among these was
the then state geologist, II. H. Eames, now
dead; Henry Mayhem, now living on the
north shore Of Lake Superior, at Grand
Marais, and J.. j. Hubbard, now resident
Of Duluth. The. following year Stunt7
went again to the lake.. partly for gold
partly to interest capitalists In the Iron
he had found. But all efforts to SO in.
terest them were futile, as they consid.
cred the distance too great and the cost o,
building railways to be overwhelming, a!
! it was. j" Stssi lg3I Ssf.
l4f5E #3sss: Others Interested. 0.
! Nothing was done in the matter Of these
| iron ores until 1875 when Stuntz sue.
ceeded In interesting W. w. Spalding
then Of Ontonagon, later Of Duluth, and
now dead, and George G.. Stone, then 8
Duluth banker. These men took with then
Professor A. H. Chester, the first com.
petent geologist who had ever visited thai
country in search Of iron. He was profess
sor Of geology in Hamilton college, and IL
still an honored member Of the profession
These men went In primarily to examine
what had been reported to Spalding as i'm
mense iron ore deposits south and easi
Of vermillion lake, In what are now town
ships 60-12 and 80-13. It may be noted
in passing that this was the first examina-
/ ton for iron ore ever made: upon the
Mesaba range, and the fact that 1t was
made upon q part Of that range that has
so far proved OF no economic value does
not initiate against the enterprise Of these
early .discoverers. Stuntz endeavored t
lead Chesterfto his former finds upon Yer.
| million lake, but the latter was skeptical
He did, however, furnish Stuntz two In.
dams and a ,keg Of powder, and agreed
that II they could bring out as good
i specimens as Stuntz claimed and talxer
within 1900 feet of his original locations
he would visit the lake. Stuntz took Johr
4 Mailman, still an explorer at Duluth, and
went down Pike river to Vermillion lake
and his former finds.
First Drilling by Stuntz.
They had a, few tools and some supplies
Stuntz soon found ore at the required dis.
lance and commenced drilling. He had q