VOL. 9.
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iSUPPLIES
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I). 3. George.
ttlhm Did Von (Set Chat
Cop Coat?"
•At THE ENTERPRISE."
•Wei! I might have known it. They always keep
the best, of evorythin# in the Clothing
1
right up to "THE ENTERPRISE" and get me one just
like it—for its the fiaest coat for the money that I have
Che Enterprise
lii:N LEVY, Prop.
ito
VIRGINIA. MINN.
#EVERYTHING YOU NEED
line. And you
Well, I declare I am s'oinjr
THE HARDWARE LINE ft
CAN ALWAYS BE FOUND AT
Tlie Virginia Hardware Co. 1
Universal
Steel
Ranges.
Have you been in to see our new line of
tf UNIVERSAL STEEL RANGES. W
$ Isn't a beauty? Of course it is. Christmas is over but W
W such practical presents are acceptable at any time. (fjl
In Heaters we Ra/fcant Hrtmo There are none
ha\ the Fatuous lOlllC*• better made
FOR THE MINES.
FOR THE LUMBERMAN.
The Virginia Hardware Company,
OH
4
*T
SCOTT BLOCK.
S=S:&£:£:£:&&&£'^
-IN
91
1\
Couis fiahxrsot.
the €a$T fitd.
Renewed Activity Near Me
saba—Old and New
Workings.
A RICH REGION PROVEN.
I The eastern end of the Mesaba
I range is al present attracting much
I attention from men exploring for
iron ore deposits, and is the scene
of greatest activity in the undevel
oped iron ore region of Minnesota,
It is a singular fact that it was in
this district that the first discover
ies of ore were made in the Mesaba
range, though the development dur
ing the past eight or ten years has
been mostly in the central or west
ern part. Now the explorer is
again in evidence on the eastern
side of the range and the prospects
are that some large and very desir
able depositee will be located. The
discovery of the Stephens deposit,
situated about eleven miles south
east of Bivvabik,- containing about
20,000,COO tons of high grade ore, is
the thing that has attracted iron
men in that direction and has en
couraged them to give the eastern
end of the ran^e a thorough inves
tigation for ore. The explorations
in past years, in the early history of
the Me«_aba range, was done in a
hurried and superficial manner.
Many experienced iron ore men are
convinced that the eastern end of
the Mesaba range is as likely to
yield large quantities of ore as the
western. The history of the eastern
lend of ihe Mesaba range is known
by comparatively few.
The first explorations for iron ore
on the Mesaba range were made by
Colonel James B. Geggie of Dulutli*
during the latter part of the eight
ies, in township 59, range 14. The
work was done within a stone's
throw of the Mesaba station on the
Dulutli & Iron Range road, a few
miles north of Allen Junction. The
I colonel found a small quantity of
j-red- hematite,
are^but^o vlus-dif»p."
pointment, afterward learned that
the government corner markings
had been moved by some lumber
men to take in timber which did
not belong to him, and he had been
discovering ore on another man's
land. Later Joseph Sellwood and
the late George C. Stone conducted
explorations on a more extensive
scale in the same localitj', and for a
time Mesaba station was the active
business headquarters on the Mesa
ba range. The settlement consisted
of a single street with about 30
buildings all told. There was a
school house, a club house, a num
ber of bucket shops and a couple of
hotels. Speculation in mining
stocks was brisk and excitement
ran high there as elsewhere in th?s
section. Mesaba station was one of
the busiest places for its size in the
country. But the houses have long
since been vacant, for With the dis
covery of ore on the western part of
the Mesaba range there was a rush
in that direction. The history of
the Mesaba shows that iron ore
men are as eager and sanguine
about new districts as the prospect
or for the precious metals. Not
I many months ago the Minnesota
Iron company purchased the vacant
houses at Mesaba station for a nom
inal sum, and now they are all to be
reoccupied and new ones built to
accommodate a larger population
than existed there during the earlier
explorations and development. At
least one property will be a shipper
this season from Mesaba station,
and from that vicinity, within a
year or two, there will, in all proba
bility, be a number of shipping
mines. The Duluth, Missabe &
Northern road is building an ex
tension from four miles south of
I Biwabik on the main line to the
Stephens property, which will bring
the eastern terminus of this road
well over into a district hitherto
considered exclusively Iron Range
road territory. The extension
VIRGINIA, ST. LOUIS COUNTY. MINNES^, FRIDAY, FEBRUARY lb. 1901.
&is
eleven miles and will cost $300,000.
The work in places is very heavy,
and will require the handling of
230,000 cubic
3-ards
of material. The
extension crosses the Iron Range
road and the Embrass river. The
Missabe road bridges the Iron
Range trac ks.
In the latter part of the eighties
and early nineties A. E. Humph
reys, the McKinleys and other well
1 known figures in iron mining on
the Mesaba maintained offices at
Mesaba station, and controlled
much fffrpd in the vicinity. John
Mailman, did exploration work ih
the sai*|js township, on land owned
by Lazarus Silverman of Chicago.
A large£a mount of work was done
and considerable high grade ore
was slfown up. About this time
extenstye. exploration work was
done Xfrr a syndicate on a tract of
land owned by the Mesaba Iron
company, situated ten or twelve
miles east of Mesaba station on the
extreme eiastern end of the Mesaba
range formation. A shaft was sunk
and a hoisting plant erected.
About this time, however, the Mer
ritts discovered ore near Mountain
Iron aiad ail explorations ou the
easterh. end of the ran^e were
abandoned. Interest centered- on
the nevf iron ore Eldorado.
The eastern' end of the Mesaba
range |ias received but little atten
tion sii|ce then, until about a year
ago w^en various parties began fo
pick uf^properties and inaugurate
explorI|ions. Now this part of the
Mesabd. range is the theater of
greafegit activity in iron ore explo
ration^in St. Louis county.
The t)liver Iron Mining company
has nitje or ten drills at work on the
Mesabaf Improvement Co. lands, the
old Madman, or Silverman proper
ty, andfon state lands also on lands
in 21, 5&14, owned by Messrs. Went
worth. ftThe Minnesota Iron com
pany recently acquired an option
on a number of state and old St.
Paul & Duluth leases, from O. D.
Kinney, Senator K. B. Hawkins, D.
H. Mooti, J. G. Vivian and Geo. W.
Wallace. Under the option the
Minnesota Iron company had a
right tb acquire the leases for a bo
nus of ^500,000. The option was al
lowed ^o expire and later was re
newed for 15 days. The bonus un
der thej renewed option was reduced
to $480,-|jOO. At the end of the 15 days
the option was allowed to expire,
much to the surprise of many, and
now a three-fourths interest has
been packed up by new parties. Ad
ditional explorations have been be
gun 01^ the property and two drills
are at $xrk near Mesaba station,
where gome very good ore has been
showtiiiip. Further up, in section
pany bgygitwo drills at wort. In the
town immediately west of this the
same company has two other drills
at work, in 25 and 26,59-15. Another
party is working two drills in the
north-West quarter of the northwest
quarter of 29,59-14, one mile from
Mesaba station.
To people who recall the rush
from the eastern to the western part
of the Mesaba range the new activ
ity in the former district is of spec
ial interest. The district was aban
doned before it was explored. It
had merely been skimmed over and
had the discovery of ore on the west
ern end of the range been delayed
for a few years the eastern end un
doubtedly would have long since
a.tained prominence for ore pro
duction. Circumstances have de
layed its development, but it is ap
parent from the present activity
and the encouraging results that
the eastern Mesaba will ere long oc
cupy a leading place in the atten
tion of iron ore men and as a ship
ping district.
One of the principal reasons why
iron ore deposits on the eastern Me
saba range are eagerly sought is
that the ore of this district as a rule
is of remarkable good structu»e, is
low in moisture and carries more
unitsvof iron than many other of
the easily mined Mesaba ores which
carry a higher analysis of metallic
iron. There is said to be a scarcity
of ore of good structure on the Me
saba, as a very large part of it is too
fine for obtaining the best results in
the blast furnaces.
UPTiON ON AN OPTION.
An option for the purchase of an
option has b^en filed in the office of
the register of deeds, running from
Louis Rouchleau to Chester A.
Congdon. The former has a six
months' option for a lease on the
east 55 acres of the north half of the
south-west quarter of section 4, 58
17, on which there is some time yet
to run. He gives Mr. Congdon an
option for five months to purchase
his option on same for $12,500.
MISISO INSTITUTE.
The next meeting of the Lake Su
perior Mining Institute will be held
at Honghjon March 5,6 and 7. The
meeting promises to be one of the
most interesting sessions of the in
stitute since its organization seven
years ago. All of the mines in the
copper country will be visited.
Milk for sale at J. S. Sutherland's
Parlor Restaurant.
The Fair and Carnival by the
Ladies of the Catholic Church
a Grand Success.
NETTED ABOUT $8540.
The Fair and Carnival byr the la
dies of the Catholic Church at the
Fay Opera House on Tuesday even
ing was a most successful and en
joyable event in every particular, a
large number present and a very
pleasant evening was spent by all
participants.
At the conclusion of a very fine
musical and literary program, of
which Mrs. McAuliffe, of Duluth,
was a leading feature, an elegant
lap lunch was served and a pleasant
hour enjoyed.
The carnival was participated in
by many of our business firms, and
the interest taken was ably attested
by the mainy unique and appropri
ate costumes, among the firms rep
resented in the drill, conducted un
der direction of Miss Sweeney, be
ing the following:
The Enterprise, Miss Rose Ryan.
Virginia Hardware Co...
Miss Jennie Myers.
E. F. Sweeney & Co
Miss M. Z. Sweeney.
W. V. Caldwell & Co
Ella Gannon.
Wm. R. Byrne Mrs. Bower.
Bloom Dry Goods Store
Nellie Griggs.
Shanedling Bros Miss Nicholls.
W. B. Pratt & Co
Susan Pratt.
Virginia Cash Grocery
......Julia Mahoney.
Mesaba Meat Market. Katie Michan.
Jos. Karl Miss Bassie.
A. Hawkinson Minnie M'chan.
Virginia Livery.. Stella Christmas.
Abe Jefford Mamie Ryan*
The Virginian Lucy Doyle.
H. H. Lien Lizzie Doyle.
B. Levin Ev^ Demgen.
Walter Smith Ray Smith,
N, K. Farrand... Mary Rooney.
The Virginia Jewelry Co was
among tho^e not formally repre
sented, but who gave handsomely
to the benefit of the carnival.
The ladies cleared about $85.00,
and for the success of the event
extend thanks to the many attend
ants and others who so generously
assisted in making of the Carnival
so successful an affair.
SUe OX A COM'RAVT.
The Lake Superior Consolidated
Iron Mines has begun suit in the
United States court at Pittsburgh
against the Salem Iron company, of
Letonia, Ohio, for damages result
ing from alleged failure of the de
fendant to carry out certain con
tracts relating to the purchase of
Mesaba range ores.
The plaintiff has filed a statement
setting forth that the Salem Iron
company made a contract with it
whereby the latter agreed to buy
30,000 tons of ore at $4.85 per ton. The
ore was to be taken from the Mesa
ba range mines to some port on
Lake Erie, where it was to be
transferred to some railroad. The
gross amount of the purchase price
was to be paid in twelve instal
ments, but the plaintiff declares
that the Salem Iron company, after
accepting and paying for 2,543 tons
and 1,030 pounds of ore, refused to
take the remainder, which had al
ready been delivered at Lake Erie.
The Lake Superior Consolidated
claims that it was impossible to dis
pose of the ore to any other party
at that time, and asks damages in
the sum of $48,048.
The Commonwealth Iron com
pany has a similar suit against the
alem Iron company, asking judg
ment for $43,233.
TO XX y.4 !K VOOK COUNTY.
It is reported that before the snow
has disappeared from the ground
the coming spring several crews oi
foreign experts will be at work in
Cook county in extensive examina
tion of the lands there to ascertain
their mineral value. A number of
Bcots are said to have made a pil
grimage to that country last sum
mer, going in by way of Port Ar
thur and dovvn to Grand Marais.
Ostensibly they were only fishing,
but they are said to have had their
eye on other things and the result
is they wi 1 prospect a tract of land
in the county.
Subscribe for The Enterprise.
-svV
EDWARD JOHNSON,
Prop.
I Breads, Cakes, Pies
Etc.
jl Toast, Hardtack & Cookies
at Wholesale.
Mesaba Avenue,
Next to Jarvinen's Studio.
-t- -f
The Virginia Livery
DANIEL COFFEY, PROP.
FINEST RIGS IN THE CITY.
Chestnut Street, VIRGINIA,
Next to Vir. Hdw. Co. MINN.
Chas. L. Pettis & Co.
CASH
Produce
Buyers.
Dressed Poultry, Game,
Purs, Butter/and
204 DUANE STREET.
NEW YORK.
Write for Our Present Pay
ing Prices.
Prof. Clarence
Howe's Studio,
Virginia Bank Building.
VIOLIN, PIANO, VOCAL*.
Taught in All Its Branches
MUSIC FURNISHED
For Balls, Socials, Soirees,
Etc.
Office Hours: 9 a. m. to 6 p. m.
PLCASC CALL.
BABY BEEF
is what we call the TENDER meat
we offer.
This is cut from two and three year
olds and is simply delicious ii
flavor, firm and juicy, and free from,
excess of bone and fat.
Try any of these cuts and see
•1
if
you won't like both the meat and.
our prices
MESABA
MEAT MARKET
P. A. COFFFY, Proprietor,
VlftGIKIA, MIR