Out and Back to Virginia

May 17, 2019

Sunshine, rising temperatures and decreasing winds made this an excellent day to shed the panniers and take a deeper dive into the past and present along the Iron Range. We headed east toward the town of Virginia, skirting Chisolm and passing through the former boom towns of Kinney and Mountain Iron. The splendid weather brought out all sorts of activity, including a few other cyclists. Wildlife were also more abundant than yesterday. In addition to Minnesota’s state bird, the common loon, we spotted numerous hawks, two families of geese, and several mallard pairs. Greg claimed he saw a buck bounding through the woods. Although we were riding side by side, I neither saw nor heard evidence of such a large mammal but I take his word for it.

A goose and her goslings are hiding amongst the marsh grass. Dad was on guard alongside the road

A mallard pair and geese with their goslings

The Hibbing to Virginia section of the Mesabi Trail runs south of some of the largest open pit mines in the country. We passed numerous pit lakes, many depicting a picturesque serenity that belied the more ravaged appearance of the excavation sites. The town of Mountain Iron, population 3,000, boasts Locomotive Park, an outdoor museum overlooking the site where iron ore was discovered. In addition to a Baldwin 1910 steam locomotive and pieces of mining equipment, there were several informative panels with a written and pictorial history of the Iron Range. Between 1900 and 1920, the population along the range grew from 15,000 to over 84,000 as immigrants from over 46 different ethnic groups surged into the area to work the mines. As mining activity waned in the mid-1970s, so too did the population and prosperity of many of the towns.

Glen-Godfrey Open Pit Mine - the second largest open pit mine in the area

The Mountain Iron outdoor museum overlooks the site of the first discovery of iron ore on the Mesabi Range. The Minntac mining operations, the largest producer of taconite in the world, is seen on hilltop on the left. If you look closely, you can see windmills beyond the right hillside.

The Mountain Iron Bank - no longer open for business

Virginia is located near the intersection of two US Highways, and the trail wound through a typical proliferation of gas stations and businesses found on the outskirts of many US towns - something we hadn't seen since leaving Grand Rapids. A few blocks from downtown, we passed Finntown Park Overlook, where there was a 50 ft long caged bridge overlooking the abandoned Rouchleau mine pit. After stopping for photos, we cruised through the downtown, passing many of murals commissioned by the Virginia Community Foundation to increase the vitality of downtown. Eight of the 12 planned murals are completed, and each depicts some aspect of the history and culture of Virginia.

After lunch at a downtown local pizza spot, we headed back toward Hibbing. For more insight into the history of the region, we took the spur toward Chisholm to visit the Discovery Center, racing along as the museum was to close within the hour. There was some confusion finding the "winter entrance" and I ended up fenced inside the museum's outdoor exhibit area, with no apparent way to get into the museum. Apparently I had gone through a gate that was only opened by keyed access - it was open, and then it wasn't. Instructions were conveyed as to how to open the gate and join Greg for our brief museum visit. Frankly, I was overwhelmed with all the museum had to offer, spending most of the time perusing the special exhibit on the conflicts between the immigrant miners and the steel trust, including US Steel. Due to time constraints, I had trouble taking it all in and so bought a book at the museum store.

The caged safety bridge at the Finntown Park overlooking the Rouchleau group of mines in Virginia

The Hartley and Wesley Koski Mural, complete in 2008, was the first mural in the Virgina Community Foundation Project. The mural honors the two brothers who left their estate valued at more than $1M to the Community Foundation in order to "improve Virginia's downtown, parks, and lakes."

The second mural honors Marty Biondich, a downtown fixture and baseball aficionado who kept the streets clean and always had a smile for everyone

Though not part of the Community Foundation Mural Project, this mural adjacent to Olcott Park celebrates the ethnic richness found along the Mesabi Range

We made it back to Hibbing about 5:30 and after cleaning up we joined a mob of people at the hotel restaurant for the Friday night fish fry. In keeping with my philosophy of eating local fare, I had the Walleye, which was quite tasty. I turned in early, hoping that tomorrow's forecast of rain and cold would turn out to be wrong.

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Today's ride: 64 miles (103 km)
Total: 107 miles (172 km)

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Suzanne GibsonGlad you got this sunny day before the cold and rain came, good for your cycling and good for your readers, too, since it provided so many good photo op's.
I am enjoying your interesting views of America which are seldom on display. I left the US before my cycling days and your journal helps puts me in contact with the country where I grew up. Thank you!
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5 years ago

Susan CarpenterThank you Suzanne. While I love touring in Europe, these shorter trips in the U.S. have given me a chance to explore pockets of America and learn more of the culture and history that shaped/are shaping this country. It's not always pretty, but I feel it is important to understand.
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5 years ago