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

DULUTH AND ST. LOUIS COUNTY 563
acres, adjoining the original townsite on the south. It was platted
in 1896. In 1902 another forty acres, known as the Southern addition,
was brought within village limits ; it lies next south to the Pillsbury
addition. In 1910, Hibbing sought to annex the townsite of Brooklyn,
and election was held on April 19, 1910. Brooklyn was added to the
village, and Ansley's addition came in 1916. Alice came into the village
in 1913, including Koskiville and Sunnyside, and on September 13,
1919, the se. c]r. of ne. qr. of 57-21, adjoining Alice came in to provide
the site for New Hibbing, where the other additions known as Central,
Sargent and Eastern additions, belong to the Oliver Iron Mining
Company.
Village Hall.—The first city hall was built in 1895. It was replaced
in 1909 by an imposing block of pressed brick, with Bedford
stone trimmings, the three-story structure costing $135,000. and providing
cjuarters for all municipal departments. New quarters, it
seems, is to be provided in the new Hibbing.
Public Library.— In 1907 Andrew Carnegie was approached and
promised to donate $25,000 toward the cost of establishing a public
library. The building was constructed, and opened in 1908. Its
cost, including site, was $35,000. Improvements since made, in 1917,
at a cost of $100,000, give Hibbing a public library better than any
other on the ranges. The library had about 23,000 volumes to open
its circulation with. In 1920, it had 8,414 active borrowers, and the
circulation for the year was 171,032 books.
The original librarion was Miss Margaret Paliper, who came to
be recognized as the "Dean of the Range Librarians." Latterly, Miss
Dorothy Huilbert has had charge of Hibbing library. Mainly through
the initiative of Captain Wm. H. McCormack, Hibbing soon established
a unique library service. Its "traveling library," a circulation
of books in outlying locations by means of a bus, was instituted in
1910, and has been the subject of many magazine articles since that
time. The service is a praiseworthy and appreciated one. ]\Iiss
Charlotte Clark is the "traveling librarian," and the bus serves 25
mining locations in an area of 160 miles. A gong announces the
arrival of the "Traveling Library," and it is heard in each location
once a week, summer and winter. Hibbing also has two branch
libraries.
Oliver Club.—The Oliver clubhouse was an appreciated community
service . It was built by the Oliver Mining Company, at an
expense of $20,000, for the use of its employees, and their friends,
and was equipped with many of the conveniences of a modern city
clubhouse.
Banking History.—The first bank organized and established in
Hibbing was the Bank of Hibbing. It was merged into the Lumbermens
and Miners Bank, in 1894, A. M. Chisholm being the first
cashier of the latter bank. A bank known as the Security was
founded in the nineties, and conducted business for some time, but
was absorbed by the Lumbermen's and Miners', which remained a
private banking house, owned by A. D. Davidson, A. D. McRae and
A. M. Chisholm. In 1901 the First National Bank of Hibbing was
organized, to succeed the Lumbermen's and Miners'. Its original
capital was $25,000, but it subsequently was increased to $50,000. and
it now has a surplus of more than $60,000. The original officers of
the First National were: A. D. Davidson, president; A. D. McRae.
vice; F. S. R. Kirbv. cashier. The present officers are: S. K. Kirby,
president; Dr. D. C. Rood and Tentecost Mitchell, vice presidents;