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

DULUTH AND ST. LOUIS COUNTY 713
and E. S. Erickson, who filed the paper with the county authorities
on February 25, 1890, and then took oath to the accuracy of the
statements made in the petition, also to the regularity of its signing.
The question of organization came before the county commissioners
at probably one or more meetings before that during which
they granted the request, and organized the township, which they
did on June 5th of that year. They named it "Independence," and
the first township meeting, which was held in the log house on the
northeast quarter of section 34 of that township, on June 24th, was
conducted in the name of the town of "Independence." When it
became "New Independence" has not been discovered by present com-
piler.
The Township of New Independence is bounded by the Township
of Industrial on the south, by that of Grand Lake on the east,
b}^ Northland, on the north, and by Alborn on the west. It has
two small communities, Independence being the larger. There are
a couple of lakes in the township, and the Cloquet River passes
through a few sections in the southeast. It has no railway connection,
but three systems pass within easy reach.
The township had an assessed valuation of $24,587 in 1890; in
1919 its valuation was $65,517. It pays about $5,000 a year in taxes.
The population of the township in 1900 was 77 ; in 1910 it was
in 1920 there were 233 residents.
and 241 ;
The school system is mainly under the county school superintendent,
as part of the Unorganized School District, which takes over
the direction of education in sparsely populated townships. Part
of the township comes into School District No. ZZ (Alborn).
The present township officials are : S. T. Haakenson, (chairman)
; Charles Schelin and Walter Schwartz, supervisors; Erik J.
Erikson, clerk; John Fjerem. assessor; Emil Windmiller. treasurer.
Nichols.—The Township of Nichols, the boundaries of which
ai'e towaiship 58 north, range 18 west, and the southern half of township
59 north, range 8 west, might appropriately have been named
the Township of Merritt, for its most important history has been that
which has reference to the mining explorations and operations of the
brothers Merritt, w^ho were the first to bring Mesabi iron ore onto
. the market by railroad. The brothers Merritt. of Duluth. were the
most active of the interests that sought in the early '90s to prove
and market the ore that explorers were convinced was to be found
on the Mesabi Range ; their operations were on a larger scale than
th6se of any other interest on the Mesabi in the first few years of
the last decade of the Nineteenth Century ; and although, in the main,
the financial benefits of their initial operations passed to other capitalists,
the brothers Merritt probably are entitled to the first place
among the pioneer explorers and mine operators of the Mesabi
Iron Range of Minnesota. They had many experienced mining men
test-pitting for them in 1890-92, and their most spectacular operations
were in township 58-18. where they developed the Mountain
Iron Mine, from which the first trainload of ore shipped from the
Mesabi Range left Mountain Iron in October. 1892. the enterprise
of the Merritt comi^anies also being res])onsiblc for the tapping of
the district bv a railway.
Early Explorations.—The U. S. (ieok)gical Survey. Xl.lll.
records the following of the Mcrritts. and their operations:
"The most important of the explorers were the Merritts. and
their faith in the Range was the first to be rewarded. One of their