Events

MINNESOTA LEGACY GRANT:
Without a concerted effort, our state's historic and cultural treasures are in danger of being lost to time.  The Minnesota Historical Society awarded a Minnesota Historical and Cultural Heritage Grant in the amount of $518.00 to the Iron Range Historical Society.  The Grant was approved by the Society's awards committee on July 26, 2010 and will support our Gilbert Herald Microfilm Project.  Minnesota Historical and Cultural Grants are made possible by the Minnesota Legislature through the Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund created with the passage of the Clean Water, Land and Legacy Amendment to the Minnesota Constitution in November 2008.  The grants are awarded to support projects of enduring value for the cause of history and historic preservation across the state.  The Gilbert Herald Microfilm Project is a project of enduring value because it will enable all of our members and visitors to find information on Gilbert and the surrounding communities at our Gilbert based location.  The project will include 17 reels of microfilm of all of the Gilbert Herald issues not currently available at the Iron Range Historical Society.  "It is wonderful to see so many communities and local organizations benefiting from the Historical and Cultural Heritage Grants," said Britta Bloomberg, deputy state historic preservation officer.  "Minnesotans should be proud of the unprecedented opportunities these grants provide for organizations to preserve and share our history and cultural heritage.  The impact of projects supported by Historical and Cultural Heritage Grants will be felt throughout the state for many years to come."  The Iron Range Historical Society hopes to qualify for a new combination microfilm reader/printer next year since we currently have to hand copy articles at the present time. 

LONGYEAR DRILL SITE RENOVATION:
At the behest of the Iron Range Historical Society, the Longyear Drill Site is getting a facelift thanks to a group of volunteers from the East Range Lions Club.  The Longyear Drill Site has needed extensive renovation for several years, but the Iron Range Historical Society, which oversees the national and state historical site, has not had the necessary funds to dedicate to the job.  Although past maintenance has been the responsibility of the City of Hoyt Lakes and the Garden Club, “it’s been neglected for the past few years,” stated Ed Prinkkila, Iron Range Historical Society member and project chair for the Lions Club.  Besides general wear and some vandalism, a series of abandoned beaver dams in a nearby creek had led to flooding on part of the wilderness trail leading to the site.  The beaver dams were dismantled, the wilderness trail brushed and obsolete sign posts taken down.  Other work remains to be done, including replacement of obsolete and directional signs; rebuilding a bridge on the wilderness trail; removal and relocation of some fitness equipment and mowing, but so far things are going smoothly.  Soon the Longyear Drill Site will look better than ever.  Thank you, East Range Lions Club!

ORCHID AWARD:
An Orchid award was received by the Iron Range Historical Society from The Mesabi Daily News for the publication of our 2009 book “Iron Range Beauty.”  Kathleen Bergan, Secretary of the Iron Range Historical Society, was cited in particular for compiling the information and selecting the photographs producing a “gem of authentic treasures.”

HISTORICAL DAY FOR CHILDREN:
From July 2 through July 6, 2008, the City of Gilbert, Minnesota celebrated its community Centennial.  On invitation from the Gilbert Centennial Committee, the Iron Range Historical Society conducted the Historical Day for Children on July 3, 2008. Under the supervision of project director and former President Ellen M. Pickering, the Historical Day for Children was a way to involve younger people in the Iron Range Historical Society, and to strengthen our educational ties to local schools and libraries about our historic assets and rich heritage.  The Historical Day for Children featured an operating model railroad diorama; antique toys; photographs of children in old mining gear and attire; maps and artifacts from Iron Range ghost towns; taconite pellets and magnets, and the opportunity for children to create their own Native American pictographs using stone tiles and colored markers. The display boards and antiques for the various activity tables were on display throughout the Gilbert Centennial as were items from our museum collection. The Historical Day for Children was a huge success, receiving many nice compliments and attracting over 970 people to the lower auditorium of the Gilbert library building and children’s activity areas during the workshop. Although donations to the Iron Range Historical Society were light, the smiles and happy exclamations of the children made all the effort in organizing these historical activities worthwhile. “The future of preserving our Mesabi Range history is in the hands of our children and grandchildren,” stated Pickering. “We made learning about our history a lot of fun for all the children who participated.”

LAKE SUPERIOR RAILROAD MUSEUM:
On Tuesday, May 13, 2008, the Iron Range Historical Society Board of Directors conducted its monthly business meeting at our affiliate member, the Lake Superior Railroad Museum in Duluth, Minnesota. Inquires regarding a possible tour of the Lake Superior Railroad Museum were made after Ken Buehler, Executive Director of Museum, was the invited speaker at the Iron Range Historical Society Annual Meeting in 2005. The meeting was held in the Ruth Maney meeting room from 10:00 A.M. until 12:00 P.M. at the Museum, after which Mr. Buehler conducted a private guided tour, showing the Iron Range Historical Society Board of Directors some equipment not usually open to the public, and telling a few of his favorite stories about how he got certain pieces into the collection and their significance. Box lunches provided by the Lake Superior Railroad Museum, at the expense of the individual Board Members, were enjoyed at the end of the tour, and Mr. Buehler offered tickets for the North Shore Scenic Railway to the Iron Range Historical Society Board of Directors at a discounted rate. Thanks to Ken Buehler and all of the staff at the Lake Superior Railroad Museum for hosting the Iron Range Historical Society! We appreciate the hospitality as well as our mutual efforts in preserving our respective pieces of Northern Minnesota history.