The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1910-10-07
V|RGINIA'S BUILDING POLICY
No Boom But Going Forward on Consist
eht, Progressive Lines. No inflated
Values and No Staggering
Public Debts.


Public Debts.
LAFAYETTE BLISS
Virginia's policy of consistent,
symmetrical city building ie thor
oughly and strikingly different from
the hurrah system of townlot ex-
ploitation, and this conservative
policy is having it's inevitable effect
in steady and increasing stream
of substantial investors and home
builders, and in permanent and
well-balanced development in all
business lines. This agreea BILE state
of facts ia shown by the quiet activ-
ity of the real estate men, the dill
igence of contractors. the hustling
of surveyors and architects, the
moving of ore and lumber trains,
the chorus of steam whistles about
the mines and mills, the demand
for skilled workmen, and the conf
dent calculation of merchants and
railroad operators, and by the large
amount of public improvements
already effected or bout to be be.
gun, by the city council, and local
school board. Everybody in Vir-
ginia is busy in ways worth while.
Having by pluck and persistence,
through fat years and lean, acquir-
ed the well-earned title OF "The Best
Town on the Range" Virginia has
no misgivings whatever as to the
future. There are no inflated values,
no staggering public debts, and no
large speculative schemes in our
midst. We have large assessed
valuation and low tax rate. Pop
ulation is growing rapidly. We
have immense natural resources of
iron ore and timber. We have the
raw material necessary for many
important manufacturing indus
tries, and are the natural railroad
center as a distributing point for a
large surrounding territory, which
is fast filling up with thrifty settlers.
These facts, not always fully ap-
preciated by the older residents of
our growing city, are sensed i'm
mediately by the newcomer, by the
visitor and prospector, and are fully
confirmed upon investigation. In
vestigators are uniformly delighted
with what they learn when looking
into Virginia's future prospects.
The most conspicuous develop
ment during the past year is shown
in the increased activity of the
Oliver Iron Mining Company in
this vicinity, whose shops were
moved to Virginia from Mountain
Iron last year together with good
share of that town. The Alpena
mine alone will soon be employing
about 1900 men, not to mention large
crews in the Oliver, and Higgins
The Independent Iron Mining Com
| panies are all active in the Virginia
District, and since they employ a
large number of men in under
ground work during the winter sea
son, this insures a steady pay roll
throughout the year. The big Ium.
Der mills of the Virginia and Rainy
Lake Company are running day and
night at full capacity. This com.
pany operates the largest Ium mber
plant in the world, at Virginia, EN-.
ploying about 1900 men at good
wages. The plant in all it's appoint
ments is most modern and up-to.
date. 1t cost in the neighborhood
of four million dollars, and has
recently spent on improvements
alone, more than half a million
Some of the men at the head of this
great company have built fine res.
licences in Virginia and will make
this city their future home. This is
one of the strong evidences of the
permanency of Virginia as a city
The early settlers of the town
thought of 1t as mining camp OF
saw-mill town, they built thei,
houses without foundations, mount
ed on piles driven into the ground
80 the buildings could bt cas-.
lily moved. Most people came
here in early days to make money
not intending to build up perma
nent homes here, but rather when
their pile was made to move to some
other city to spend it. Such policy
never has done much for any town
and it did not help in developing
Virginia. In more recent years a
class of people having faith in the
future prospects OF the place has
taken hold and built up permanen,
homes, erected many brick bus1ness
blocks, paved the principal streets
set out trees aud laid out parks, i'm
proved the sanitary conditions
erected commodious school build
ings and otherwise gave evidenc.
their faith in Virginia as THE cit,
of the Iron Range. All through
the city the spirit of improvement
is working wonders. The schoo
board in the past year has erected
three school buildings, one of which
the new Technical High School
costing about $200O 600, is fireproo
Estructure, and is pronounced bx ex