Hibbing, Minnesota

Book excerpt: Surrounded by large stands of virgin white and red pines, an enterprising iron prospector named Frank Hibbing set up camp on a bitterly cold day in January of 1892. When he awoke the next day, he insisted that there was iron beneath him-he could "feel it in his bones." He staked his claim near that campsite, and after digging several test pits, one of the world's richest deposits of iron ore was found. Beginning as a small collection of tents and log cabins, the Village of Hibbing was incorporated in August of 1893. It became one of the largest of the mining towns along the Mesabi Range, attracting immigrants of many backgrounds such as Finnish, Italian, Slavic, Swedish, and Greek. This mixture of diverse backgrounds gave Hibbing a unique culture that remains evident today. From Minnesota's famous dual in 1910 between friends Sam Kacich and Pete Radovich, to the relocation of the entire village in the 1920s, Hibbing, Minnesota takes us back in time to the days of pioneers, horse-drawn carriages, and a love of the land that has been passed on from generation to generation.