5 Aug
To Chisholm MN this morning, about 5 miles NE of Hibbing. We scoped out the Minnesota Discovery Center online in advance. There is much to see and do there, but one of the things that caught our attention is a trolley ride through an old mining area. The trolley departed at 1100 hrs so we had plenty of time and checked out the Veteran's Memorial first.
The Iron Range Veteran's Memorial Park: "In honor of the men and women who served our country in the past, present and future, protecting the freedoms we enjoy, some giving their lives and those still missing in action." A beautiful park in a prominent location.
A Lockheed F-94C "Starfire". The Minnesota Air National Guard received their first in 1957. The plaque in the forefront list the names of those from Chisholm who gave the ultimate sacrifice in World War I, World War II, Korean War, Vietnam War and Desert Storm
Flags from all the branches of service plus a UH-1H Iroquois Helicopter, an M60A3 tank, and an anchor from the USNS Mount Baker
A cool view of the Iron Man statue across the road.
We will visit this later with better pictures.
Minnesota Discovery Center: After the memorial we headed into the Minnesota Discovery Center gift shop and bought our trolley tickets. The Discovery Center is a huge, children-friendly complex with many different venues and buildings:
- Gift Shop
- Trolley Station display and ride
- Civilian Conservation Corps exhibit
- Iron Range (Genealogy) Research Center
- Museum of the Iron Range exhibits
- Food court area with outside mine overlook viewing
- Sami Camp and Stabbur displays
- Mini golf and Pavilion
- Northwoods cabins and homestead
Civilian Conservation Corps Exhibit: We still had plenty of time before the trolley ride, so we headed down the walking path to the Civilian Conservations Corps (CCC) exhibit.
A 1935 Chevrolet truck used by the Civilian Conservation Corps
The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) was a voluntary government work relief program that ran from 1933-1942 and gave millions of young men employment on environmental projects during the Great Depression. Considered by many to be one of the most successful of Roosevelt’s New Deal programs, the CCC planted more than
three billion trees and constructed trails and shelters in more than 800 parks nationwide during its nine years of existence.
From 1933, over the next nine years, over 87,000 men served in an average of 51 camps each year
The camps were run very strictly but the only military presence was the commanding officer. Notice the bunks with military bed corners!
Backpack-worn water tanks, trade-named "Indian Tanks", used by the CCC. We still used these when fighting grass fires on the Norwalk Fire Department in the 1980's!
Various tools used by the CCC
The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) and the Works Progress Administration (WPA) were both programs to employ the public back in the 1930's. The main hangar building at the Iowa Air National Guard where I served was built under the WPA program. The CCC basically disbanded when World War II broke out as most of the CCC men volunteered for military service.
Iron Range (Genealogy) Research Center: Next we up the trail to the Iron Range Research Center building. We did not know exactly what we were getting into, but the staff greeted us and explained they primarily facilitate research relating to genealogy involving the mining industry in Minnesota. Not applicable to Doreen and I, but was still interesting. Nice to see they have developed this resource to help people look into their past!
Time before our trolley ride would not permit us to explore the museum which was the next facility, so instead we walked past the outside displays on our way back to the trolley.
The pavilion building. They were setting it up for an apparent wedding reception or other event.
The back side of a huge amphitheater
A "Stabbur". A common building found on most Norwegian farms and villages.
The Sami People - indigenous people from Norway, Finland, Sweden, and Russia who emigrated to northeastern Minnesota to work the mining industry.
Homesteading on the range. These particular buildings were constructed neat Bear River in 1904.
Trolley ride: The time came for our trolley ride, so we made our way back to near the Discovery Center and waited for the crew to arrive. Soon we boarded the trolley and were on our way.
Our trolley - the Mesaba Line
Our narrator, Mary!
Our conductor, Bev!
The trolley runs on 600 volts DC from a wire overhead. It can reverse direction simply by changing the pole that touches the wire. This is the controls on one end.
This trolley runs past the old Pillsbury Mine station and through a former mining community known as the Glen Location. The Pillsbury family (of the baking fame) purchased land in this area to harvest trees for lumber. Little did they know the massive iron ore resources here.
The Pillsbury train station
The old Pillsbury mine is now overgrown in trees and the mining pits filled with water and serve as a recreation area.
Soon we arrived at the Glen Location. This is where dozens of immigrant miners and their families lived, close enough that they could walked to work. The Glen mine was in operation from 1902 to 1957, the Glen Location ceased operations in 1935. The residents had to move because of expansion of the mine pit.
We departed the trolley to walk about the area.
The Glen station
Artifacts from the station
The dispatcher's office
A miner bunkhouse
The bunkhouses were very plain and the miner's rented their bunk.
When they were at work in the mine, others used their bunk!
A drill used to create holes for blasting and for core samples
The Location water tower. 65 ft, 10,000 gallons. It is the last standing water tower in the region with a wooden tank. This was moved here form another location
Ore is loaded into rail cars here
1950's era truck. 34 ton capacity
A generator-powered work light
Generator-driven, electric-powered shovel used to load ore.
Much smaller bucket than we saw yesterday
Ed at the helm!
Our last stop here, the Hill's Finnish Boarding House. This boarding house operated until 1950. Miner's operated in three shifts, 24-hours per day. Multiple men shared the same room and bunk. The wives may change the sheets between shifts but many times that did not happen. That practice was called "hot bedding" or "hot bunking".
The Hill's Finnish Boarding House
Common's areas
Dining area
Kitchen area
Discovery Center Museum: We returned to the Discovery Center and made our way to the museum. The focus of the museum is The land, the mines, the people and the work. There were sections on the Ojibwe and earliest Minnesotans, the fur trade, the emigrant journey (through Ellis Island), geology, the blue-collar battleground (the impact of unions on mining and steel industry), vintage autos, etc The museum is very children-friendly with many hands-on activities. Here are a few pictures:
A live presentation on looms used by the Finnish miner's wives
1915 Ford Model T. Iron ore was critical to producing steel
1913 Ford Depot Hack truck
The 1907 steel strike
Several display about the struggles of the miners, working conditions, etc
The earliest Minnesotans
Various displays on the geology of Minnesota
A hands-on display involving taconite and the mining process
A great depiction of the three massive Minnesota iron ore veins
Vermilion, Mesabi and Cuyuna. Notice where Hibbing and Chisholm are.
That wraps up the Discovery Center. On the way out I took a picture of their county fair just across the parking lot. It runs through this weekend.
On the way back to the campground we stopped at the Iron Man statue basically across the street. It is entitled, "The Emergence of Man Through Steel", by Veda Ponikvar. This statue is supposedly the third largest free-standing memorial in the United States - a lasting tribute to the Mesabi, Vermilion, Cuyuna, and Gogebic Ranges. "Men of steel who carved out of a Sylvan wilderness the iron ore that made America the industrial giant of the world."
Finally, we drove through Chisholm, hoping to be able to drive across the Bridge of Peace and view the Flags of the United States on the left, and the flags of the United Nations on the right. But for some reason the route was closed today.
Tomorrow we visit the United States Hockey Hall of Fame! Thanks for tagging along.
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