The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1908-07-10
MANY MINES AND A BRIGHT FUTURE.
The ishpeming Iron Ore Portrays the
City of the Mesaba as Endowed

The 'shpemiag Iron Ore Portrays the
! City Of the Mesaba as Endowed
with Reseate Prospects.
The lshpeming Iron Ore, edited
by George A. Newett, contains a
write.up of the trip of the Lake
superior Mining Institute to the
Mesaba, portion of the article
dealing with the visit of the in.
stitute to this city and surrounding
mines, in which the writer says:
"Virginia's local attorney, Mr..
Osborn, gave an address of vel.
come on behalf of his enterprising
town. He cheerfully bade the men,
bers make themselves at home. He
was much pleased at the way the
town was growing and improving.
The United States government had
recently appropriated $4,000 for the
erection of a federal building, the
first to be secured by any of the
Mesaba range towns, and this was
making the inhabitants feel that
they were getting on, the envy of
other places in that neighborhood.
However, Hibbing has a base ball
team that leads the local league, so
all is not lost to the rival which
comes up for recognition as being
the leading town in the Mesaba
6Iofrirf In o11;<;o~,
Virginia has two saw mills in
operation and another is soon to be
added. A city park was being pro-
vided. The speaker was roundly
cheered.
at will not be out of place here
to say that the Mesaba range towns
have the best lot of school build
ings to be found in any place of
similar size. Virginia has a new
building costing about $4,000, Eve
leth's was valued at $4,000, and
Coleraine has a new one worth
about $4,000 and beauty.
"Ihe leading mining companies
recognize the value of education,
and insist upon large buildings, of
substantial material, and with the
greatest cOnveniences. The educat-
ing of the people in the right lines
is the very best sort of investment.
The mines pay anywhere from 20
to S5 per cent of the cost of the
h1i16inrS of
when completed.
"Virginia residents are very loyal
to their town, making the claim
that it is the banner one of the
Mesaba country. 1t has a main
street paved with creosoted blocks
and is talking Of surfaciug others
80 that they may get rid of the clay
which, in wet weather, is not alto
gether pleasant, and makes a very
poor race track, and there are many
fast young men in Virginia. BY
this we mean fleet of foot, some of
them having learned the game in
lshpe1ning, where they helped to
break records and also to wrest the
laurels from the brows of our Wis
consin schools when Ishpening
captured the Wisconsin state meet
tew years ago, at Madison. Ed.
johnson and others aided in this,
and we notice I'd. is in Virginia
helping to get better roadways and
incidentally making good record
for himself as are lot of others
from the older towns of this region,
"Virginia has many mines and
bright future. The Oliver, Frank
lin, Ohio, Lincoln, and lot of
othere are mines that help to sup
port the population. Mr.. c. T.
Fairbairn looks after the properties
of the Republic Iron & Steel COM
pany, Mr.. Elliott superintends the
Interstate group, these gentlemen
being from the old reliable Mar.
quet county, as are many of the
mining men of the Minnesota
fields.
"At Mountain Iron we found
Melville Hawkins, who used to look
after engineering problems in Ish-
pem'ng. He has charge of the
Mountain Iron and other mines.
The Mountain Iron, which was in.
epected by the institute members is
one of the big open pits, or "ore
farms" of the Mesaba. In two years
it sent out over 100000 tons of ore.
and to date has produced 16992.173
tons. 1t was taken by the Carnepie.
Oliver coalition, several years apo.
being the first to enter into this
combination, and with the Oliver
formed the foundation for the
Oliver Iron Mining company. To
reach the ores of the propertv
4,s25,OOO yards of over-burden have
been removed.
"The Mountain Iron is add;ro
new areas to its former develon< d
limits and will be great property
long into the future. 1t is operated
in the e>usual manner of these laroe
open pits, it being a railroad rather
than a mining proposition. Ore ia
shoveled from the original deposit
o'rectly into the shipping cars.
As in all these great pits, the ore ia
changeable as to quality. There
are stretches of bessemer and then
there are lunches of taconite. The
ore deposits are islands, if you will,