History

The Lake Vermilion area has been active since the 1860s, between the Gold Rush, homesteading, lumber harvest and mining and Industrial Revolution development, and the tourism industry. We’re constantly researching different aspects of local area history and adding the information here. Keep checking back here, as each article is a living document and information is added as we find more. The pursuit of history is a never-ending endeavor!

If you have any further information about any of the articles here, or any new information that we could write articles about, please let us know at info*AT*lakevermilion.net and we’ll work to add the information.




The LaRue Mine (Armstrong Bay Mine)

History The LaRue Mine was a small mining operation northeast of Lake Vermilion, located along the same ridge as the larger Soudan Mine and the Consolidated Vermilion & Extension mine…. [Read More]

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Monsignor Joseph Francis Buh

History Monsignor Joseph Francis Buh was a Catholic priest who traveled Minnesota around the time of the early gold rush, ministering to many groups of people and setting up churches… [Read More]

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Early Day History

This was a series of articles printed in the Tower Weekly News between March 14, 1914 and April 24, 1914. Early Day History It has been thirty years—come St. Patrick’s… [Read More]

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The People of Lake Vermilion

Since the Vermilion Gold Rush, a wide diaspora of people have come to the Lake Vermilion area in search of fortune, fame, recreation, or a little slice of the woods… [Read More]

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Stuntz Bay Compressor House

History The Stuntz Bay Compressor House was built in 1884, and operated until the 1930s. It was demolished for the most part some time in the 1940s. Today, you can… [Read More]

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St. Cyril and Method Society

History The St. Cyril and Method Society of Tower was formed in 1889 by Monsignor Joseph Francis Buh and Reverend Francis X. Bajec, when Bajec discovered that there was no… [Read More]

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Kelly’s

History Kelly’s was a local “House of Ill Fame” located just outside of Tower, across the river. It probably operated between the late 1880s and the early 1930s. It was… [Read More]

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Thomas J. Walsh

History Thomas J. Walsh was a prominent member of Tower and Soudan’s history at the turn of the 20th Century, though his name seems all but forgotten. He was involved… [Read More]

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Tower & Soudan Street Railway Company

History For a short time before the turn of the 20th century, Tower and Soudan had a streetcar. The streetcar ran from Mill Point, through Tower along Main Street, to… [Read More]

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North American Brick, Tile and Pottery Company

History The North American Brick, Tile and Pottery Company was part of the industry surrounding the Town of Walsh, and was built and running while the North American Mine was… [Read More]

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