Re: Early Twitchell Bio's in Maine and Mass.
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In reply to:
Re: Early Twitchell Bio's in Maine and Mass.
12/10/99
(part 4)
The (1) child of Col. Joseph F. Twitchell, was J. Fred Twitchell or Fred Twitchell-born Oct. 8, 1863. He was a real estate agent, visiting Hibbing, Minnesota in March 1893, he come by the way of Virginia and Deluth. At the Spaulding Hotel in Deluth he met Mr. Granville, a director of the Swan River Logging Company. The lobby was the scene of much excitement about iron ore and the selling and buying of Mesabi stock, was a sight reminiscent of a stock exchange. Virginia was a year old, but a town nevertheless, having several buildings and a hotel, saloons, and three stores. Undaunted by snowdrifts six feet deep he continued on to Chisholm where the lake's open area was a welcome sight. The only habitation so far was E. J. Longyear's camp west of the lake. It was thirty degrees below zero when he arrived at the railroad camp near Hibbing, which was complete, except that it had no roof. The kitchen floor was their bed that night. The next month (April) a second trip was made to the Hibbing sight at which time he found A.P. Stillman and his crew surveying the townsite plat. In June, a third trip was made, at which time he met Frank Hibbing and decided to stay all summer. Walking was the best transportation, as the tote road was known as being the worst in the United States. The forest was so thick that the sun never shone on the road, which was always wet.
Fred Twitchell became the first Mayor of the town of Hibbing, Minnesota-founded in 1893. It is the largest Mesabi Range Town. Lumbering overshadowed mining during the early years. When Iron deposits were discovered under the town, the entire community moved 2 miles south. Plants in the area developed taconite, an ore-bearing rock concentrate.The information comes from "The Man and The Village". Fred Twitchell died in Hibbing, Minnesota in 1938.