The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1931-08-07
CHRONOLOGICAL HISTORY Of THE
VERM|L|0N FROM THE EARLIEST

lie dlldCllCo ClllOlkO1Oe5ASd1 1AoOO4 y
of the Vermiion country covering Ely
and Tower was prepared by the ST.
Louis County Historical Society under
the supervision of President William
Z. Culkin. The history is subject to
correction and Mr.. Culkin will be
pleased to receive any suggestions as
TO the accuracy or errors in its COM
pilation.
The Historical Society has prepared
one of these date sheets for the Du-
luth country and is now at work on
one for the Hibbing country Later
one will be prepared for the Virginia
country. The society also suggests
Ghat these facts be embodied in a cir
cular to be distributed to tourists and
De prepared by the booster clubs. The
facts could be added to each year as
much history is being made and with
corrections be republiShed.
The facts contained in the chron-
illogical history would also be valuable
for the History classes of the schools
in their studies. The dates and facts
Tor the Vermilion are as follows:
1870
This year Charles II of England
granted a charter to Prince Rupert
and seventeen other noblemen and
gentlemen" Incorporating them as the
Governor and Company of Adven-
turers of England Trading into Hud-
sons Bay" The explorer Radisson
was the father of this promotion. In
1921 this company amalgamated with
the Northwest Company and the COM
oination continued and still continues
llnGer the name Hudson's Bay Com
pany. The original grant included the
Vermilion Lake country because its
waters flow to Hudson Bay. Blu. the
old company never established per-
manent posts at or near Lakes Yer
million or Shagawa before it's union
with the Northwest Company
DR.. John Mclaughlin, who later be-
came written of as the father of
O. ION, was at Lake Vernillon. His
de .4iption OF Lake Vermilion and
witty Is available. He was there for
the Northwest Company and Hudson's
Bay Company after they had united
tAlC A4oooSA2o ooJ SOAAA-
pany. Under the grant from Charles
II, the Hudson's Bay Company had
no rights in the waters of the Great
Lakes. These lakes were not tribu-
tary to HudSon's Bay.
1888
The Vermilion Lake country was
coded to the United States by the
Treaty of Paris, thus becoming Ameri.
can. This ceSsion followed the Rev.
dictionary War in which the American
coloniSts established their national in
dependence.
This year survey was made by the
British-American Boundary Commits
sion under the Treaty of Client of the
old route from the mouth of the ST..
Louis River and Lake Superior to
Rainy Lake River, via Vermilion, now
Pike River, and then via Vermilion
Lake and River, at the request of
Anthony Barclay, British Commits
sioner, to show that there was water
route with some portageS from the
western tip of Lake Superior to the
Lake of the Woods. His contention
was that this route was the one in
tended in the Treaty of Peace of 1888
as the international boundary. Ely
and Tower and most of the Vermilion
Range region would be Canadian to
this day. The boundary was settled
as it is now.
The Vermilion Lake Chippewas who
were the Bots Forte band, joined in the
Treaty of Fond du Lac of August 5,
1926, granting mining rights to the
United States, but no surface land
rights.
In sending the Webster Ashburton
Treaty of August 8, 1912, to the Sen
ate for its approval, President Tyler
said that the region of Lake Vermilion,
between the head of Pigeon River and
Rainy Lake was understood to be of
little value, being described as a re-.
gion of lake and water" The same
communication reported that the i'm
mediate American North Shore was O.
mineral region. President Tyler was
apparently misinformed as to the value
of the Lake Vermilion region. Miner
ais have never been found close to the
North Shore of the Lake. The Web
ster-AShburton Treaty settled the
boundary at Pigeon River as indicated
under 1925.
This year the La Pointe Treaty was
proclaimed by President Buchanan.
This treaty was made on September
80, 1854, at La Pointe on Madeline
Island, Chequamegon Bay, Wisconsin.
ratified January 10, 1855, proclaimed
January %, 1855. It refers to the
the Vernilion River and considers the
Pike River south of the Lake, and the
Vermilion River north of it as a con-
tinuous stream passing through YER
million Lake. 1t coded to the
United States all the Lake Vermilion
region east of the Pike and Vermilion
Rivers. The ceSsion carried the sites
of Tower and Ely and the region
where all the iron lands and mines OF
the Vermilion Range were as they
afterwards developed.
1865
This year was notable for the be-
ginning of the Vermilion Lake Gold
Rush, which persisted for several
years and led to the later iron ore de-
velopment. A mining camp was de-
veloped on Vermilion Lake close to
where Tower now is. No gold was
found. The gold seekers opened the
Vermilion Trail, now great highway
from the Head of the Lakes to Yer
million Lake cities. The State Geolo-
gist, Eames, started the rush by re-
port in which he said that. 1.-The re-
suit of the practical workings in the
quartz veins of Vern,ilion Lake and
its vicinity leads conclusively to the
belief that they will be found remun-
erative n the extraction of gold and
silver and will, undoubtedly, be the
means of developing other metals lin
that region"