The earliest known photo of Eveleth's first building, taken from the northeast. The men's identities are unknown. This image appears on a new historical marker where the cabin once stood. Courtesy of Archives and Special Collections, Kathryn A. Martin Library, University of Minnesota Duluth.
West of present-day Northside Park | Built: 1892 | Lost: Circa 1960
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Eveleth's first building was a log cabin located in the mining camp of David T. Adams and Neil McInnis, both of whom came to the Iron Range by way of mining interests in Michigan's Upper Peninsula. Adams discovered much of the iron ore surrounding Virginia and began prospecting to the southwest in July 1892.
McInnis joined him in the fall as paymaster, timekeeper, and purchasing agent for the camp they built together near present-day Northside Park. In October, according to Adams' obituary, "cabins, forming the first buildings in the later town of Eveleth, were constructed to protect the men from the rigors of the climate." The first of those structures initially functioned as the office of the Adams Mining Company. Its large, smooth-hewn pine logs were dovetailed at the corners. The eaves were wide, and the gable roof extended several feet over the front door. A teamster named John Morrow hauled the logs for that cabin, in which he and his wife later lived. The cabin was where Eveleth got its start in two ways. The townsite's promoters met at the cabin to decide the name of the new town. Iron Point, Iron City, and Robinson were all considered before the men reached a consensus. Neil McInnis wrote in 1906, "I don’t know whether everyone is aware that it is not always an easy matter to find a name for a town." Erwin Eveleth was a timber cruiser (estimator) from Michigan who came to the Eveleth area in the 1880s, and his name was deemed suitable for the town being built southwest of the cabin. |
David T. Adams, Eveleth's founder. From Duluth and St. Louis County by Walter Van Brunt, 1922.
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The hut's most notable resident was John H. Hearding, Sr. (1865–1958), who lived there in 1894 and '95. In fact, despite only having lived there for two years, several texts refer to the building as the "Hearding log cabin." Hearding was Superintendent of the Adams Mine from 1894 to 1909, when he was promoted to Assistant General Manager of the Oliver Iron Mining Company. He served on the Eveleth School Board and the Library Board and helped secure land for the Eveleth cemetery. He was also the namesake for the former J. H. Hearding School in Aurora.
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In a 1923 article in Skillings' Mining Review, Hearding described the cabin as follows: "In the middle of December [1894] I located in the log office of the exploring camp and sheeted [sic.] the same up with shiplap on the inside, divided the building into two parts, one consisting of my office and the other of my bedroom. We were very comfortable in the logging camps during the winter as they were warm and dry, but in the spring when the frost came out of the logs we had some very interesting experiences getting rid of the vermin that seemed to have been dormant during the winter."
William J. Olcott, then General Superintendent of Lake Superior Consolidated Mines and the future namesake of Olcott Park in Virginia, gave Hearding "a large and very beautiful St. Bernard dog" in December 1894. "She slept in the office near the door where it was cooler and when the whistle blew at 6 a.m.…if I did not get up she would come into my room, lick my face or paw at me with one of her forefeet until I got up. She was a very good alarm clock and I often would not get up immediately to see what she would do." |
From the Eveleth Star, May 1, 1902.
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Eveleth soon had sidewalks and electric lights, but living conditions in the Adams Mine camps were more primitive. The workers collected water from "a very beautiful spring," but in the winter of 1894-95, that creek froze solid, and water had to be pumped from the mine and hauled upwards of a mile. Later, two trains per day brought water from Mountain Iron.
The men ate moose meat because it was cheaper than beef, but Hearding said he "never had been fond of moose meat since as we were served everything on the critter from hocks to horns." Despite Eveleth's frontier nature at the time, Hearding recalled, "Men and women were regarded for their personal worth and friends were friends regardless of their financial conditions." Hearding and his family moved into a large, ornate house on the Adams Mine property in 1899.
The men ate moose meat because it was cheaper than beef, but Hearding said he "never had been fond of moose meat since as we were served everything on the critter from hocks to horns." Despite Eveleth's frontier nature at the time, Hearding recalled, "Men and women were regarded for their personal worth and friends were friends regardless of their financial conditions." Hearding and his family moved into a large, ornate house on the Adams Mine property in 1899.
The cabin viewed from the southeast. From Eveleth's Diamond Jubilee souvenir booklet, 1967.
The cabin's post-Hearding occupancy is hard to trace with certainty. Based on census records and newspaper articles, John Morrow and his wife Katie moved into the cabin between 1910 and 1919. When John was listed as "Park keeper" in the 1920 Census, his home did not even have a house number.
The November 27, 1919, Eveleth News reported that Mayor Edward Hatch suggested the City buy the log house and "move it to the park for use as a rest room" (which in the parlance of the day meant the cabin would be used for literal resting). In January 1920, a newly-formed group called the Mesaba Range Old Settlers' Association advocated for the house's preservation "as a memorial of pioneer days of the iron mining industry on the ranges.”
City Council minutes indicated a plan to purchase John Morrow's log house and find his family a new home, which apparently took five years. Council minutes from April 21, 1925, state that Morrow was paid $150 for the cabin. Despite initial talks of moving it, the building remained in its original location.
On June 21, 1932, the City Council voted to allow Paul Vukelich to live in the cabin at no charge for one year. A current Eveleth resident recalls a man named Paul living there in the 1940s, so the Council may have kept extending the agreement.
An old-timer wrote in the February 1976 Eveleth Senior Citizens' Club newsletter, "I have a hazy recollection of a swimming hole at the far end of [Northside] Park and the cabin in which we changed clothes. This was abandoned after a few years." Other residents remember playing in the cabin in the 1950s. The City eventually torn the landmark down because of safety concerns, but the Heritage Committee has been unable to determine exactly when that was.
The November 27, 1919, Eveleth News reported that Mayor Edward Hatch suggested the City buy the log house and "move it to the park for use as a rest room" (which in the parlance of the day meant the cabin would be used for literal resting). In January 1920, a newly-formed group called the Mesaba Range Old Settlers' Association advocated for the house's preservation "as a memorial of pioneer days of the iron mining industry on the ranges.”
City Council minutes indicated a plan to purchase John Morrow's log house and find his family a new home, which apparently took five years. Council minutes from April 21, 1925, state that Morrow was paid $150 for the cabin. Despite initial talks of moving it, the building remained in its original location.
On June 21, 1932, the City Council voted to allow Paul Vukelich to live in the cabin at no charge for one year. A current Eveleth resident recalls a man named Paul living there in the 1940s, so the Council may have kept extending the agreement.
An old-timer wrote in the February 1976 Eveleth Senior Citizens' Club newsletter, "I have a hazy recollection of a swimming hole at the far end of [Northside] Park and the cabin in which we changed clothes. This was abandoned after a few years." Other residents remember playing in the cabin in the 1950s. The City eventually torn the landmark down because of safety concerns, but the Heritage Committee has been unable to determine exactly when that was.
Eveleth's historic log cabin viewed from the southwest, 1947. Courtesy of Archives and Special Collections, Kathryn A. Martin Library, University of Minnesota Duluth
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Eveleth's historic log cabin viewed from the northeast, 1947. Courtesy of Archives and Special Collections, Kathryn A. Martin Library, University of Minnesota Duluth
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A clipping from the Mesabi Daily News, August 1, 1947.
The boulder that now marks where the cabin once stood was the brainchild of folk artist Joseph Bogdanich (1890–1973), a Croatian immigrant who came to Eveleth to escape what he called the "stinking holes" of the underground mines at Ely. He took up house painting at first but soon acquired a love for art and nature. Throughout his 83 years, he created hundreds of paintings, woodcarvings, and rock sculptures, nearly all of which he donated to schools, libraries, historical societies, and even U. S. Presidents.
For Eveleth's Diamond Jubilee, Bogdanich asked the City if he could create a memorial to the early mining industry. He built a similar monument called "Mesabi" in 1952, still visible at the entrance to Eveleth Veterans Park. The City gave its blessing, and D. Kelly Campbell, General Manager for the Eveleth Taconite Company, helped secure a piece of taconite weighing an estimated twelve tons. The huge rock was placed atop a base Bogdanich constructed.
Mayor Joseph Begich led a ribbon-cutting on July 27, 1967, assisted by Eveleth Taconite mine superintendent Bob Holgers, Diamond Jubilee Queen Jean Primozich, and Joe Bogdanich. The Eveleth High School band, directed by Bill Lavato, marched down Grant Avenue to the monument and played at the dedication.
For Eveleth's Diamond Jubilee, Bogdanich asked the City if he could create a memorial to the early mining industry. He built a similar monument called "Mesabi" in 1952, still visible at the entrance to Eveleth Veterans Park. The City gave its blessing, and D. Kelly Campbell, General Manager for the Eveleth Taconite Company, helped secure a piece of taconite weighing an estimated twelve tons. The huge rock was placed atop a base Bogdanich constructed.
Mayor Joseph Begich led a ribbon-cutting on July 27, 1967, assisted by Eveleth Taconite mine superintendent Bob Holgers, Diamond Jubilee Queen Jean Primozich, and Joe Bogdanich. The Eveleth High School band, directed by Bill Lavato, marched down Grant Avenue to the monument and played at the dedication.
Joe Bogdanich standing next to his Mesabi Monument at Eveleth Veterans Park in the early 1950s. Courtesy of Archives and Special Collections, Kathryn A. Martin Library, University of Minnesota Duluth
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Although a sign once explained the cabin's significance, the historic site had been without interpretation for quite some time until the Eveleth Heritage Committee dedicated a historical marker at the site in October 2017. Click here to read about the plaque's dedication.
Sources:
Eveleth's Diamond Jubilee souvenir booklet, 1967
Skillings' Mining Review Vol. XII No. 14, 1923
"Explorer of Fayal Mine is Dead" Duluth News-Tribune January 23, 1904 p. 2
Duluth and St. Louis County Walter Van Brunt, 1922 p. 514
"May Purchase Oldest House" Eveleth News November 27, 1919
"First House Built By Adams, McInnis" Eveleth News December 25, 1919
Mesabi Daily News July 27, 1967
"How Eveleth Got It's [sic.] Name" Eveleth News January 22, 1920
Eveleth City Council minutes
Eveleth's Diamond Jubilee souvenir booklet, 1967
Skillings' Mining Review Vol. XII No. 14, 1923
"Explorer of Fayal Mine is Dead" Duluth News-Tribune January 23, 1904 p. 2
Duluth and St. Louis County Walter Van Brunt, 1922 p. 514
"May Purchase Oldest House" Eveleth News November 27, 1919
"First House Built By Adams, McInnis" Eveleth News December 25, 1919
Mesabi Daily News July 27, 1967
"How Eveleth Got It's [sic.] Name" Eveleth News January 22, 1920
Eveleth City Council minutes
