Hibbing Historical Society

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Hibbing Historical Society

The Hibbing Historical Society is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, and an affiliate of the SLCHS.

Hibbing Historical Society and Museum
400 East 23rd Street, Hibbing MN
(Lower level of the Memorial Building)
Open year-round from 10am - 2 pm (Tuesday-Friday), or anytime by appointment
(218)263-8522

05/08/2026

Today we invite you to check out one of our online collections: Hibbing Area Mining Locations

Locations were groupings of residences built in proximity to mine sites; they were found throughout the Lake Superior region, but the largest number existed in Michigan’s copper country and here, on the Mesabi Range. The Mesabi Range, where massive numbers of mining employees had to be housed and accommodated, spawned over 175 locations between 1892 and the 1920s.

The Mesabi Iron Range is unique to Minnesota’s geology, and to other mining areas as well. The elongated shape of the iron formation led to an increased number of location sites in comparison to other mining areas. On ranges where the iron was more centrally-located, like the upper peninsula of Michigan, mining operations were easily accessible from fewer sites.

Below, you can find details on over 30 locations which existed in or near the Hibbing district.
https://hibbinghistory.org/mining-locations/

We know there isn't info for every location, but we continue to add items to this database as they are donated to the museum, or digitized from previous accessions!

05/06/2026

What a wonderful evening we had on the City Hall lawn last Friday!

Thank you to everyone who attended our rededication ceremony for the Little Sister of Liberty statue. The weather was as perfect as we could expect for May 1 😁

Special thanks to Greg Pruszinske and Justin Fosso from the City of Hibbing for speaking alongside our historical society members, Mary Palcich-Keyes and Linda Suihkonen.

Our gratitude also goes out to the Mid Range Honor Guard, Hibbing Bands, and Hibbing Public Access Television for their time and talents.

04/23/2026

Tomorrow is the last day to get your tickets for our Spring Fundraiser!

Golf packages, Twins tickets, and this beautiful hand-painted barn quilt are just SOME of the amazing raffle baskets we'll have available!

Buffet Dinner * Cash Bar * Artifact Exhibit * Raffle Baskets * Historic Photo Reproductions

Get your tickets by stopping in to the historical society or on our website: https://hibbinghistory.org/product-category/events/

04/20/2026

Calling all community groups!
We want to make sure the invite for this event gets to everyone it should -
Tag them below, share the post, or send them the flier!

This is the last week to get your tickets for our fundraising dinner, which follows the rededication. Make sure to reserve your spots 🎟️

Join us for our 13th Annual Spring Fundraiser:
1. Statue of Liberty Rededication Ceremony (City Hall Lawn)
This free community event will begin at 5:30 pm and celebrate the Nation’s Semiquincentennial with a short ceremony on the Hibbing City Hall lawn honoring the history of the replica Statue of Liberty.

2. Fundraising Event (Androy Event Space)
This is open to the public, but ticket reservations are required by Friday, April 24. Please visit our website for ticket information or stop in to the historical society. The event will feature a display of items from the Society’s collection, as well as buffet dinner, cash bar, and raffle baskets.

As we kick-off the celebration of our Nation's 250th Anniversary, we are proud to partner with the City of Hibbing to rededicate the "Little Sister of Liberty" Statue on the City Hall lawn.

https://hibbinghistory.org/product-category/events/

04/17/2026

Street Names!
We get a lot of requests to look up where certain streets were located in Hibbing. With our unique history of having two different townsites, it can be difficult to know which addresses were located where. North Hibbing? Brooklyn? South Hibbing/Alice?
To make matters more confusing, in 1938, the Village Council passed a resolution changing our current Hibbing street names to numbers.
So next time you’re curious, you know where to find the lists:

1938 Resolution:
Oakdale Avenue will be known as 5th Avenue West
St. Louis Avenue = 4th Avenue West
Roosevelt Avenue = 3rd Avenue West
Hibbing Avenue = 2nd Avenue West
1st Avenue = 1st Avenue
2nd Avenue = 2nd Avenue East
3rd Avenue = 3rd Avenue East
4th Avenue = 4th Avenue East
5th Avenue = 5th Avenue East
6th Avenue = 6th Avenue East
7th Avenue = 7th Avenue East
8th Avenue = 8th Avenue East
9th Avenue = 9th Avenue East
10th Avenue = 10th Avenue East
11th Avenue = 11 Avenue East
12th Avenue = 12th Avenue East

Park Street = 16th Street
State Street = 17th Street
Jackson Street = 18th Street
Wilson Street = 19th Street
Howard Street = Howard Street
Mesaba Street = 21st Street
Cody Street = 22nd Street
Josephine Street = 23rd Street
Adeline Street = 24th Street
Portage Street = 25th Street
College Street = 26th Street
Alexander Street = 27th Street
John Street = 28th Street
Alice Street = 29th Street
Finch Street = 30th Street
Anderson Street = 31st Street
Francis Street = 32nd Street
William Street = 33rd Street
Cottage Grove Street = 34th Street
Elm Grove Street = 35th Street
Maple Grove Street = 36th Street
Birch Grove Street = 37th Street

12th Avenue = 12th Avenue East
13th Avenue = 13th Avenue East
14th Avenue = 14th Avenue East
15th Avenue = 15th Avenue East
16th Avenue = 16th Avenue East
17th Avenue = 17th Avenue East

Granite Street = 11th Street
Jasper Street = 12th Street
Iron Street = 13th Street
Rock Street = 14th Street
Slate Street = 15th Street
Arnold Street = 16th Street

Only 1 week left to get your tickets for our Spring Fundraiser! Reservations are due next Friday, April 24th. https://hibbinghistory.org/product-category/events/

04/14/2026

Our dinner menu for this event is top-notch 👌
> > Champagne Chicken, Sage and Brown Butter Penne with Tomato, Artichoke, and Mushrooms
> > Spinach with Candied Walnuts, Red Onion, Dried Cranberry, Goat Cheese, with Lemon Basil Vinaigrette
> > Glazed Baby Carrots
> > Garlic Mashed Potatoes, and Boomtown's Famous Mac and Cheese
> > Dinner rolls, Water, Punch, Coffee and a Cash Bar
> > Cupcakes and Cookies

Join us for our 13th Annual Spring Fundraiser:
1. Statue of Liberty Rededication Ceremony (City Hall Lawn)
This free community event will begin at 5:30 pm and will serve as our historic program for the evening. You pass by it all the time, but what do you really know about this statue? Join us as we celebrate the Nation’s Semiquincentennial with a short ceremony on the Hibbing City Hall lawn honoring the history of the replica Statue of Liberty, placed there in 1953.

2. Fundraising Event (Androy Event Space)
Join us for dinner, drinks, and raffles immediately following the ceremony (approximately 6pm). This is also open to the public, but ticket reservations are required by Friday, April 24. Please visit our website for ticket information. The event will feature a display of items from the Society’s collection, as well as buffet dinner, cash bar, and raffle baskets.

As we kick-off the celebration of our Nation's 250th Anniversary, we are proud to partner with the City of Hibbing to rededicate the "Little Sister of Liberty" Statue on the City Hall lawn.

https://hibbinghistory.org/product-category/events/

04/10/2026

The 70th Annual Last Chance Men's Bonspiel is underway here at the Memorial Building!

Curling has been a part of Hibbing's history for over 110 years. Stop down and watch a few of the 236 games being played this weekend 😳

04/06/2026

There’s something so familiar about this edition of The Slice…😉

Thank you PPBS North

04/04/2026

We are excited to announce details for our 13th Annual Spring Fundraiser!

As we kick-off the celebration of our Nation's 250th Anniversary, we are proud to partner with the City of Hibbing to rededicate the "Little Sister of Liberty" Statue on the City Hall lawn.

1. Statue of Liberty Rededication Ceremony (City Hall Lawn)
This free community event will begin at 5:30 pm and will serve as our historic program for the evening. Join us as we celebrate the Nation’s Semiquincentennial with a short ceremony on the Hibbing City Hall lawn honoring the history of the replica Statue of Liberty, placed there in 1953.

2. Fundraising Event (Androy Event Space)
Join us for dinner, drinks, and raffles immediately following the ceremony (approximately 6pm). This is also open to the public, but ticket reservations are required by Friday, April 24. Please visit our website for ticket information. The event will feature a display of items from the Society’s collection, as well as buffet dinner, cash bar, and raffle baskets.

You pass by it all the time, but what do you really know about this statue? Join us!

https://hibbinghistory.org/product-category/events/

04/02/2026

The Hibbing Historical Society will be CLOSED tomorrow (April 3) in observance of Good Friday. We'll resume regular hours on Tuesday of next week; Happy Easter!

03/27/2026

As the weather warms and the trails clear (any day now…), we hope you’ll venture out and visit one of Hibbing’s historical sites.

The DuPont powerhouse building at Carey Lake was a feature of the site for over 100 years. The building once housed the machinery that provided power for a small community consisting of about ten homes, a schoolhouse, and the E.I. DuPont de Nemours & Company “Wilpen” Black Powder Plant.

Built in 1910 to supply local iron mines with needed black powder explosives, the plant consisted of nearly twenty buildings. Workers were provided housing in the nearby location so that they would be within easy walking distance of their jobs.
Starting operations in October 1911, the plant produced black powder from supplies and raw materials hauled in by rail, with the finished product delivered to the mines by truck. The plant operated successfully until October 12, 1918, when an explosion in one of the mill buildings resulted in the deaths of two men. After this incident most of the nearly forty plant workers were laid off and production of black powder at the site ceased. Improvements in mining technology, increasing the use of dynamite and eliminating the use of black power, led to the demise of the plant. The site became a storage facility for black powder and dynamite until November of 1921. Jacob Plukka was the site’s caretaker and oversaw the dismantling of the site in 1926-27. All reuseable materials were sold for scrap, and all other remains were burned in 1929. Most of the houses were moved to nearby towns or locations, and by 1931 there was nothing left of either the plant or location except a few concrete foundations like the powerhouse. Jacob’s son, Elmer Plukka, provided much of the information that the Society has on the DuPont site.

On July 31, 1967, DuPont sold the property to Hanna Mining Company. The State of Minnesota assumed ownership in 1969, and on May 21, 1974, Stuntz township acquired it and developed the Carey Lake area into a city recreation facility.

Citing safety concerns in 2012, the City of Hibbing demolished the remains of the powerhouse. The Society requested that one corner be left standing, and created a historical marker with a timeline of events to commemorate the spot.

Next time you visit the site, take a minute to appreciate the history of the area!

Address

Hibbing, MN

Telephone

+12182638522

Website

http://www.hibbinghistory.org/

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