More than a century of mining shapes life in Chisholm
Chisholm has been a Minnesota mining community for more than a century. E.J. Longyear, whose name now adorns a local lake, drilled one of the Arrowhead Region’s first mines in the late 1800s. The industry took off in the early 1900s after Archie Chisholm drilled another mine and plotted his namesake town, where legions of miners found work — and still do. “The main employers everywhere in this region are the mines. That’s our way of life around here,” says Sara Jordahl, a Realtor with Z’Upnorth Realty who has lived in the area for more than 30 years. Active mines provide jobs, while many abandoned mines in the Mesabi Iron Range are now used for hiking, kayaking and other forms of outdoor recreation.
Early 1900s cottages and newer ranch-style homes
Chisholm's median home sale price is $120,000, compared to $160,000 in nearby Hibbing. The town has a simple grid-pattern layout with numbered streets running east and west and numbered avenues intersecting north and south, with Lake Street cutting right through the middle. Many of today’s homes were occupied by the town’s early miners in the early 1900s. They include small workers cottages, National-style houses and larger Colonial Revivals. Ranch-style and split-level homes became common in the mid-1900s, and there are a few newer developments with ranch-style houses built in the 2000s. Most houses have a detached garage that’s accessible from a back alleyway.
A community lake and old mine pits used for recreation
Longyear Lake Park is on the north side of the lake with a playground, tennis courts, a basketball court and a skate park. A trail wraps more than 2 miles around the lake, with the Chisholm Disc Golf course on the south side. The city operates Redhead Mountain Bike Park, which can be used for hiking, mountain biking and riding ATVs. It features 27 miles of trails around a former mine pit full of water. “If anyone wants to live somewhere with beautiful views, the old mine pits are breathtaking, especially if you go during sunset.” The Minnesota Discovery Center offers exhibits of the area’s mining history and shuttle rides to old mine pits with kayak and canoe rentals. More mining artifacts are on display at the Museum of Mining. The 132-mile Mesabi Trail is a major destination throughout the Iron Range, with several trailheads in Chisholm, including one by the historic Bruce Mine Headframe, a retired headframe used for underground mining between the 1920s and ‘40s.
Downtown mixes local flavor with late-night fun
Lake Street crosses Longyear Lake on what’s called the Bridge of Peace. The flags of every U.S. state are on one side, while the other is lined with flags of every country in the United Nations. Lake Street then becomes downtown, an area full of local shops and restaurants in century-old buildings. Most of the restaurants have bars and stay open past midnight. “They have a lot of local hangouts,” Jordahl says. “I like to play trivia at Snickers Pizza and Pub. Sidelines Sports Bar does karaoke and Jim’s Sports Club has live music from time to time.” Valentini’s Supper Club is well known for its Italian food and has served the community since 1934. Groceries are available at Jubilee Foods, and several big-box retailers are about 15 minutes away in Hibbing.
Post-secondary guidance at Chisholm High School
Students in kindergarten through third grade attend Vaughan Elementary School, which receives a C grade from Niche. They’ll go on to Chisholm Elementary School, rated C-plus, for grades 4 through 6, followed by Chisholm High School, rated B-minus. The high school’s Ramp-Up to Readiness program helps students come up with a postsecondary plan, including college, career, financial, social and emotional readiness.
Doc "Moonlight" Graham Festival and the St. Louis County Fair
Doc “Moonlight” Graham played just one game in the Major Leagues and was later portrayed in the film "Field of Dreams." Every August, the community celebrates the local legend with the Doc “Moonlight” Graham Festival, four days of events, including a parade, a car show, live music and an outdoor showing of "Field of Dreams." The St. Louis County Fair is also held in August, featuring five days of activities, including carnival rides, a rodeo and horse shows.
Getting to Hibbing, Virginia and Duluth
Hibbing Taconite Company, the major mining employer in the community, has vast open mine pits around Chisholm and Hibbing, about 7 miles away. U.S. 169 runs east to other towns of the Mesabi Range, including Virginia, less than 20 miles away. It’s also the main highway used to drive less than 10 miles to the closest hospital in Hibbing. It takes about 90 minutes to drive 75 miles to Duluth, next to Lake Superior and home to Duluth International Airport.
Written By
Nicolas Stuart
