The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1931-09-25
OPERATION FATAL
FOR R. B. WH|TES|DE
ONE OF ELY'S EARLIEST SETTLERS
DIES AT DULUTH HOSPITAL
FOLLOWING AN APPENDICITIS
OPERATION FROM COAIPLICA-
TONS.

TOLLOW1Nu AN arr
OPERATION FROM COMPLICA-
TIONS.
Robert B. Whiteside, national
figure in the timber, oil and mining
industries, succumbed Saturday morn
ing from complications which followed
an operation for appendicitis just a
week previous.
He seemed to be recovering from the
opration but age was against him, his
rs years not being able to withstand
the shock. Thursday he grew worse
and he sank gradually until Saturday
morning when the end came.
He came to northern Minnesota IN
1881 as a lumberman connected with
the firm of Hall and Norton IN charge
of the drive on Black River in Wis
consin as foreman with headquarters
in Duluth. In 1888 he made a trip 20
the Ely section of the Vermilion range
cruising for timber, taking along Eve
men and building homes and locating
homestead claims. His plan was 70
place homeSteaders on these claims
and while he was searching out the
most valuable timber tracts there was
another historic character, Capt. Har-
vey, who was exploring in the same
district in search of metals and
minerals. Capt. Harvey is known IN
history as the man who made the
section having located what was known
as the Pioneer mine. This mine was
on land comprised in one Of Mr.. White
sides timber claim locations.
In the early years, Mr.. WhiteSide
realized very little from the mining
resources underlying his properties on
the ranges. He owned the superficial
rights of the Chandler mine property
and sold that claim for $4,000 and re-
ceived only $500 for the Sibley mine
it is said. During his homeSteading
explorations, MIR. Whiteside and his
party walked all the distance OF more
than 100 miles from Duluth to what
now is Ely, carrying packs on their
backs. He enjoyed to the full the rug
ged experience Of such work, and IN
endurance and capacity for physical
toll he had few equals, according TO
his biographer.
During all these years he was en-
gagged in logging operations He and
his brother, John, in 1893 were aSSoci-
ated with w. C. Winton and s. G.
Knox in the organization Of the Knox
Lumber Company, with headquarters
at Winton. Mr.. WhiteSide was super
intendent of the logging department Of
this company until 1893, when he sold
out to H. F. David of Duluth While
he owned some of the choicest tracts
of Stumpage in Northern Minnesota,
Mr.. Whiteside gradually extended his
interests to other timber districts. In
1899 he acquired 1900 acres of the
big timber lands of the CalaveraS
county, Cal, and he still owns that
immense tract. The purchase included
the CalaveraS grove and the Tuolumne
grove, containing the largest trees in
the world.
with operating more drilling outfits for
the uncovering of ore deposits in the
Lake Superior region than any other
individual operator. He owned a
quarter interest in the fee of the
Zenith mine and a sixth interest in
the fee of the Pioneer mine and had
been vice president of the PreSquela
Iron Mining Company.
In recent years his operations took
still another direction. These brought
him the distinction of being the largest
investor and most successful operator
from Duluth in oil properties in the
Southwest
Mr.. Whiteside, for all his success,
remained man of quiet, democratic
tastes, and his pleasures and recre-
ations were largely furnished by his
diversity of business affairs.
Some years ago he bought Big Island
in Spirit Lake, an enlargement of the
st. Louis river, opposite the steel plant
in Duluth and had improved and made
this valuable as a farm as well as q
country retreat
Surviving are the widow, five sons,
Roger ", Francis Burton. Gordon
Douglas and Walker Lee, all of Duluth;
Walter R., Tulsa Okla; Mrs. Marion
Meining, Chicago; two brothers, James
OF Huntsville, Ont, and William, But
ternut, Wis, and two sisters, Mrs. Mar
garet Dinsmore, Huntsville, and Mrs
Mary Robinson, Duluth. The oldest
son, James E., died several years ago.
He was member of the Chamber of
Commerce, the Kitchi Gammi club, the
Northland Country Club, a life member
OF the former Duluth Boat Club and
the Curling Club. He was a Scottish
Rite Mason and Shriner. He was
married at Duluth in 1889 TO Miss
Sophia Kimberg. He was born in On
tario on March Is, 1856.
The funeral took place Tuesday
afternoon from the Masonic Temple
IN Duluth where the remains lay in
state to the hour of the funeral and
were viewed by several thousand
people. The Rev. W. j. Barr officiated
Masonic burial rites were conducted
by the Knights Templars, Rose Croix
and Blue Lodge chapters. The funeral
was one of the largest ever held in
Duluth and the floral tributes were
beautiful and numerous, showing the
esteem in which the deceased was held
Nephews of deceased acted as pail
bearers. They were W. c. Robinson,
E. E. Robinson and r. j. whiteside of
Duluth; A. L. Whiteside of Cook;
Russell Trythal of Nashwauk and G..
r. Whiteside of Severnbridge, Ont.