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

594 DULUTH AND ST. LOUIS COUNTY
ginia, when they walked up and down the streets of their city that evening.
They were homeless, penniless, with poverty staring them in the face, but
not discouraged. They had the bravery, the strength, and the spirit of '49,
that carries "everything before it. And almost before the smoke of the fire
had cleared away the citizens had begun to rebuild a new and greater Virginia
upon the ruins of the old. And today, Virginia stands forth as the best
built and most beautiful city in northern Minnesota.
One advantage—it perhaps may be so termed—came to Virginia,
as the result of the second fire. It was soon afterwards decided
that Virginia should forever be spared a repetition of the fire,
at least as far as the more important part of the city was concerned.
It was resolved that nothing inflammable would be permitted to be
erected on Chestnut street, all structures being required to be of brick,
stone, or concrete. As a consequence. Virginia is "today one of the
most substantially built cities in the state."
Lumber Industry.—The lumber industry which was the cause
of the second fire at A'irginia has, notwithstanding that calamity, been
a boon to the city. The first sawmill of W. T. Bailey was erected in
1895, and found employment for thirty-five men. The mill was enlarged
in 1907. John Owens ran the shingle mill of Moon and Kerr's
mill until that was destroyed, and later he had another.
In 1902, Plummer and Ash built "an immense sawmill." Later,
the property was transferred to the Virginia Lumber Company. In
1904 the company erected a large planing mill plant, which found
employment for an additional hundred men. In 1907, a large new
lath mill was erected by the same company. In that year the Virginia
Lumber Company had on its payrolls, in "\"irginia and vicinity,"
about 1,500 men.
The company eventually was absorbed by the Virginia and Rainy
Lake Company of recent years, which has been such a factor in the
development of Virginia. The company was mainly responsible for
giving Virginia its fourth railroad, and for the develpment of tributary
territory north of Virginia. The company buift a logging road
to the northward, which eventually passed to the Canadian Northern
Railw^ay Company. The Great Northern Railroad built into Virginia
in 1902, and in that year the first surveying was done on the route
of the logging road, the Duluth, Rainy Lake and Winnipeg Railroad.
The present Virginia and Rainy Lake Company is a merger of the
Weyerhaueser and other large lumber interests. Its sawmills at Virginia
cover 300 acres, and Virginians are probably right in claiming
that it is the "largest white pine lumber plant in the world," for
its capacity is 300,000,000 feet a year. Thomas S. Whitten is the general
manager, and F. H. Gillmor, superintendent of logging. Their
operations are enormous, both in logging and in lumber. In sawmills
^t Virginia, in full operation "carry 1,500 men and women on their
payrolls," and during the logging season the company finds employ-
ment for another thousand or two men ;
in fact, it can generally find
work for all the "lumberjacks" and mill hands that apply.
During the recent readjustment of the lumber market, they had
to reduce operations considerably, but curtailment of operations is
a verv unusual happening with that company.
Church History.—The meeting place of the Reverend Raymond,
pioneer Presbyterian minister, has already been referred to. It seems
that the first service he held in Virginia was in April, 1893. Soon
afterwards he organized a Presbyterian society in Virginia and remained
"several years as its pastor."