Ely, Minnesota Resort--River
Point Resort--one of the top Ely, Minnesota Resorts
Ely, Minnesota history begins with the Ojibwe -- or Chippewa -- a Native American
tribe who lived here for hundreds of years. In
the 1700's they had their first contact with the French
"voyageurs" who explored the area in their search for
furs, and trade with the native peoples for beaver pelts ensued.
In the 1800's, explorers and prospectors moved
into the region searching for gold; instead, they found rich deposits of
iron ore. First discovered in 1883 near the
west edge of Ely's Miner's Lake, the high quality ore has made Ely and
Minnesota famous.
Five years later, in 1888, a mining village was
situated on the edge of Shagawa Lake, but moved westward when more ore was
discovered. Originally called "Florence," the settlement changed
its name to "Ely" in honor of Samuel Ely, a Michigan miner who
never saw the town.
Chandler was the first mine in Ely and began
shipping ore in 1888. Originally an open-pit mine, shafts were soon dug to
reach the rich veins deeper in the earth. To supply the necessary support
beams for the mines, logging operations and sawmills sprung up, the
railway was extended to Ely and to Winton (where the sawmills were
located).
Pioneer, the last of the eleven mines operating in
the Ely, Minnesota area, closed in 1967. By that time and as early as 1916, Ely had
come to be an important tourist attraction seated in a unique wilderness
holding the finest canoe country in the world, and some of the finest
wilderness shops and Ely resorts.
Don't let the quaint, small-town atmosphere fool you, the Ely area has
an amazingly large percentage of talented artists, craft-persons and
adventurers in its midst. In 1986, with a team of four, including the famous
explorer Ann Bancroft, a dog-sled expedition to the North Pole was led by Will Steger
of Ely. Ely, Minnesota is also home to such wildlife celebrities as
Lynn Rogers, a world-renowned bear expert, and the wildlife photographer
Jim Brandenburg.
While enjoying your Minnesota vacation at River Point Resort--an Ely,
Minnesota resort--don't overlook learning more about the history of Ely.
Enjoy!
