The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1940-05-09
Sheridan Honors Father OF
Original Plat; Harvey
Mining Captain.

NAAS SUFsAs
How did Ely streets receive their
names? There is an interesting little
story back of every one, a story that
is rich in history of the days when
the city was staked out in virgin
forest of towering white pines.
James Sheridan, one of the three
men who fathered the original plat of
Ely, had the principal thoroughfare
named in his honor. Fred James, who
took an active part in the birth of the
new city as a member of the crew that
surveyed the townsite, has a street
bearing his name.
Ore in the Chandler had been I'M
covered and other bodies were being
explored. The Soudan mine had been
worked for three years already giving
up the first ore yield on the Minnesota
ranges. Even before it was christened
Ely was foreseen by her parents as an
important cog in the industrial gears
of the nation.
1t was in April 1887, that Captain
H. R. Harvey, who was in charge of
exploration on both the Pioneer and
Zenith mines, kindly consented to pro-
vide crew to survey the townsite, MIR.
James, nephew of the captain, relates.
Back of the movement to establish a
full-fledged community were Mr.. Sheri-
dan and John G.. Brown and George
Greenwood of Duluth.
Captain Harvey, who contributed ire
mendous service to the eastern end of
the Vermilion range is commemorated
by the street that bears his name.
The original plat covered but frac-
ton of what is now included within
the city limits. It was bounded on the
north by Camp street, named after Asa
Camp, friend of Mr. Sheridan's and
owner of the Lucky Boy mine in the
early 80's, on the east by Third avenue
east, and on the south by Conan street,
which bears the name of DR.. Conan
Milwaukee physician, who was one of
the fee owners of the Pioneer. The
western boundary cut through the
center of the block just west of Central
avenue.
Mr. James, who first set foot in Ely
on March IL, 1886, worked beneath the
majestic pines with his uncle's men
as they staked out the site. Many OF
those trees went into the buildings that
were put up as the settlers came in
The industrious mining captain was
one of the fee owners of the Zenith
and the property is still leased in the
name of the Harvey Mining company
Chapman street, which is rapidly
becoming one of the main business Sec
lions of the city today, got its name
from Mr. Chapman of Duluth, about
whom Mr.. James knew little.
Coming here in an early day as 6
cruiser for Michigan lumber interests
James White provided the title fol
White street. He was the father of L
j. White, at one time cashier of the
First National Bank. Pattison street
received it's name from Martin Pattison
fee owner of the Chandler mine, the
original open pit mine in the state Of
Minnesota, Mr.. James stated. Wher
the Chandler was put into production
wasn't until the slope of the ore weir
indicated that these methods coulc
not be continued that shafts were sunk
Boundary street, which marks the
end of the plated and beginning of the
uplatted lands, created its own name
A dozen or more plats have beer
added to the original one, practically
all of them being named after the
persons who plated them.
One of them, Spaulding's addition
was the first townsite staked out in
this territory by it's original land pro-
moter, F. j. Kinney of Duluth. Mr.
Kinney also circulated the initial pub
licity on the wilderness attractions OF
this area in an attempt to sell property
to fishermen and hunters His adver-
Using covered almost the entire country
but it never developed into the land
boom that he had anticipated, and
even today, ironically enough, is un-
settled, small tribute indeed to a man
with great idea. He plated it in
1884,
Bob Whiteside plated the first adj
dition to the city. An early day cruiser
and mining man, Mr.. Whiteside dom
ated the park which bears his name to
the city. Fortier's addition was plated
by Cyrille Fortier, ST., resident of Ely
for So years and connected with the
numbering industry here for over half
| a century. L. j. White, the bank
cashier, plated Robins Gardens. Will
liam Desjardin, early day logger, added
the addition to the city that bears his
name.
Other sections added to the city in
clude the auditors plat of the Chand-
Ter addition plated by the Vermilion
Realty company, headed by George
Brozich, cashier of the First State
Bank; John Zaverl's addition; the Pr
oneer and Zenith additions plated by
unknown Duluth parties, and the adj
dition of William Pearson, surface fore
man for the Oliver Iron Mining COM
pany. Semer's first and second adj
ditiins were plated by John Semer of
Ishpeming, Mich, and Walbank's adj
dition by Ed Walbank of Ely, son of
an early day physician in Duluth, and
DR.. H. N. Sutherland.
Mr.. James, who has been assessor
here for many years, doesn't have to
do any research in providing facts on
early development of the city. The first
building erected in the newly laid out