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

848 DULUTH AND ST. LOUIS COUNTY
Taking advantage of the excellent educational opportunities afforded
him at Houghton, Michigan, William A. IMcCurdy pursued his studies
there until he was graduated from the high school in 1895, when he
entered the Michigan College of Mines, from which noted technical school
he was graduated in 1898. Following this he engaged with the Tamarack
Osceola Manufacturing Company, in the interest of which he went to
Dollar Bay, Michigan, charged with the responsihility of installing the
electrolytic copper assay laboratory, a task that consumed about one year.
When it was satisfactorily completed Mr. McCurdy made a business trip
to British Columbia, his object being to investigate gold prospects, and
while there he conducted a small assay office. He then returned to the
Tamarack Osceola people, going into their designing department to assist
in designing some new types of furnace.
By this time Mr. McCurdy had made some reputation as a mining
engineer, and his services as such were engaged by the Massachusetts
Consolidated Mining Company at the Mars ^line. where he remained
about a year, a few months of the time assaying at the mill. From there
he went to Duluth and entered the mechanical engineering department of
the Oliver Iron Mining Company, and in 1903 was transferred to Ely,
Saint Louis County. Minnesota, as chief mining engineer of the Ely district
mines for the above company. He remained at Ely until 1910, when the
company sent him to superintend their mining properties at Soudan, but
a year later was transferred back to Ely and made superintendent of the
Vermillion Range IVIines of the Oliver Iron Mining Company, from which
position, in line of promotion, he came in May, 1919, to Virginia.
Mr. McCurdy was married July 22, 1914, to Miss Ada Patterson, who
was born at Duluth, of an old American family,- and they have one child,
Gordon William, born August 25, 1915.
Mr. McCurdy's political attitude is that of an independent Republican.
Like many other business men in his profession, he has found a permanent
place of residence not always desirable or even possible, but during a
comparatively lengthy period he was settled at Ely, and while there took
so active an interest in the town's welfare as to become recognized as a
foremost citizen. He served two terms as alderman and was a member of
the School Board for five years, during three years being president of the
board. As might be expected, the various urgent calls to patriotic
endeavor during the World war found him ready to respond, and in
addition to actively furthering every public movement of a patriotic
nature he served in the Home Guards, first as lieutenant and later as
captain of Company D, 8th Battalion. Mr. McCurdy is a member of
Ely Lodge, Ancient Free and Accepted Masons, of which he was master
in 1918, has received the thirty-second degree, and belongs to the Mystic
Shrine at Duluth. He is a member of several scientific bodies and belongs
to the Engineers' Club of Northern Minnesota.
James P. McDonald. Either as an expert working for others, in partnership
or individually James P. McDonald has been one of the men of
prominence in the great lumber industries centered at the head of the
lakes at Duluth for upwards of thirty years. His associations and activities
make him easily one of the most conspicuous figures in the lumber
industry of the northwest.
Mr. McDonald was born on a farm in the township of Osprey,
Mclntyre, county of Grey, province of Ontario, Canada, April 3, 1868.
His parents were of Scotch ancestry and both of them died in Canada.
His father was a building contractor, and after retiring from that business
devoted his later years to agriculture and stock. There were nine children