The Duluth rip-saw. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1917-19??, 1918-06-15
BY JOHN L. MORRISON.

English company at one time offered
a large sum for the property but,
because the fee-owners refused to
grant certain conditions, the deal fell
through. Later on, the 10-stamp mill
was bought and taken TO the Olive
mine, near Mine Center, and all other
machinery and buildings disappeared
one way or another. Today, nothing
stands on the island but the Gaping
mouth of shaft Nc. 2. The old dump
of gold-bearing rock was used some
years ago to ballast the streets of In
ternational Falls.
Opinions of the Experts.
Some engineers have told me that
they thought the property had good
possibilities while others have ex-
pressed the firm opinion that it was
without merit as a gold producer.
Fred J. Bowman, who was at Rainy
Lake City during the boom and who
stuck until the owls and wolves al
most reclaimed the townsite, always
held favorable opinion of the mine,
but he was one of natures greatest
optimists.
cannot prove the real cause of
the final shutdown. Very expensive
transportation costs and extreme in
accessibility must have been an i'm
portant cause. Lack of real money
and cold feet on the part of the op-
orators must have contributed to the
abandonment. I suspect, too, that
lack Of practical experience in gold
mining was very important factor
in the failure. / also have no fig
ures as to how much bullion actually
was recovered. It is certain that one
management saved $4,000. saw
considerable amalgam in the hands
of Supt. Menges. Undoubtedly heavy
losses were due to incompetent ANAL
gamators, the lake receiving what
should have been saved and sent to
the mint.
La Tours Dock Breaks Down.
A seasons production of ore was
lost in 80 feet of water by the COL
lapse of timber dock built by Nose
LaTour.
''That dock is going to break down
and lose all that ore," editor Bow.
man one day told LaTour. -. ~
"No, dat dock she all right. I
build dat dock, mel" proudly de.
clared the noted wood butcher. But
the dock went down, just the same.
Among the pioneers at Rainy Lake
City were Ed and Bill Ward. John
H. Hill, now Of Ironton, Mimi, was
there at the height of the boom. j..
F. Tilson was over there for awhile.
Capt. Dent of West Duluth had prop
erty near Rainy Lake City. Charles
Johnson of Chicago and Ole Settler
Of Scandinavia, Wis, were pioneers
and owners of Bushyhead island that
had a tunnel clear through the GEN.
ter. W. B. Holman OF Grand Rapids,
Mimi, was interested early in the
rush. C. P. Frank acquired property
that never made him wealthy. G. O..
Baldwin, Judge G. L. Lewis, Joseph
Lloyd, ST., H. T. Abbott, Fred Smith,
the late Joseph Sattler, A. M. Beyier,
w. C. Weld and others had property
interests and many of them do yet,
near and tributary to the little Amer
lean mine and where Rainy Lake City
once stood.
Bandits Broke the Bank.
I have told about the establish
ment of bank at Rainy Lake City.
After the boom had burst and only a
handful of people remained in the
metropolis Of the Minnesota Ell Do
RADIO, w. W. Butler came rushing
into the big hotel and, in excited &C.
cents, told how two men came out
of the nearby woods, entered the
bank with drawn revolvers, cleaned
up all the cash in the bank and then
fled to the cover of the deep, dark
timber hard by. 7 remember when
cashier Butler arrived in Duluth and,
as reporter, I interviewed him and
squeezed out Of him an unwilling
narration of his terrible experience
with bank robbers. Mr.. Buffers wild
tale was taken with a grain of salt
by many and he was looked on with
considerable suspicion. There was a
belief that he saw that the end had
come for Rainy Lake City, there
fore cooked up that wild tale as a
proper foundation for closing the
bank and quitting the wilderness.
AS intimated, Rainy Lake City for
some months possessed many Wild
West features. There were plenty Of
saloons and enough strong drink to
go around. There were gamblers,
gunner and redlight ladies from far
and near. Sailed claims and sales of
worthless property were not un-
known.
Boston" O'Brien Joins Rush.
Boston" O'Brien, somewhat noted
as professional sprinter in his day,
Joined the rush. At that time, old
John Barleycorn had the under hold
on the former athlete.
While at Rainy Lake City, "Bos-
ton" O'Brien found it necessary to
make raise. Taking some rich
specimens from the Sultana mine at
Rat Portage, he sailed a vein on the
Canadian side of the line, not far
from Rainy Lake City.
A HoQsier named Martin came
along and, in careless moment, ex-
posed a certificate of deposit in the
sum of $3.50. O'Brien, with SINH
lar carelessness, exposed some of the
Sultana samples that he had not