1921 Duluth & St Louis County MN, Van Brunt.pdf - Garon.us

672 DULUTH AND ST. LOUIS COUNTY
Vermilion. Vermilion Lake covers more than half of township 62-15,
and apart from the ceaseless mining operations at Soudan, there is
very little activity in the township. Or at least there was until
quite recently when negotiations were completed to w^ork valuable
beds of peat in the township, which in places is very marshy.
The roads of the township are moderately good, and the district
is well served by the Duluth and Iron Range Railway, which
passes through to Ely. Breitung Township is famed for most beautiful
lake and most majestic mountain scenery. In parts the township
is absolutely in the wild state.
In 1883 the Township of Breitung had an assessed valuation of
$20,133; in 1919 its assessment was on $543,069. The total taxes in
1883 were $251.62; in 1919 the total was $46,944.67, exclusive of
Tower, which city had a tax-levy of $18,109.78 in that year.
SOUDAN SHAFT AND POWERHOUSE
Breitung Township is in School District No. 9, which centres
in Tower. A review of the school history will be part of the Tower
chapter, and therefore school matters need not be further referred
to here.
The present township officials are : Walter Wellander, chairman;
Nels Bodine and Matt Karvala, supervisors; J. Nyberg, clerk;
Ben P. Johnson, assessor; John Helstrom, treasurer.
The population of Breitung Township has shown a decline since
the opening of this century, although the decline has not been proportionate
with the decline in mining operations, which thirty years
ago totalled to 500,000 tons a year, and now is not much more than
one-fifth of that yearly output. The population of the township in
1900 was 2,034; in 1910 it was 1,214; and in 1920 it was 1,227. The
population of the City of Tower is now only 706; in 1900 it was 1,366.
Canosia.—The township of Canosia was organized in 1888, and
formerly was part of Rice Lake Township. Its organization was
the outcome of a petition of Leonard Reamer and thirty-six other
freeholders of that part of Rice Lake Township, the petitioners praying
that congressional townships 51 and 52 north, ranges 15 and 16,
four townships in all, be set apart from Rice Lake Township, and