During cattle drives in 1882-3 up the old Vermillion Trail from Duluth to the newly formed village of Tower, MN my grandfather John O. D. Grube decided to make Tower his family horne. The forest with its stately trees, the lakes abundant with fish and good hunting in the area were qualities he knew and loved from his youth. This was the place he could set up a business, build a horne for his wife and future family and find his destiny.
Shortly after John O.D. Grube married Margaret Pastoret in 1879 in Delaware Mine, MI they moved to Calumet, MI where John Grube and Nicholas Pastoret, one of Margaret's brothers began working as butchers at-the same meat market. Wanderlust and the . continuing search for a special place to make their horne caused Margaret and John to move to Duluth, MN along with Margaret's parents, 3 of her 4 brothers and other members of the Pastoret family. John found a job in Duluth at 1. B. Sutpkin's Meat Market. In addition to his duties as butcher he was asked to drive herds of cattle to Tower to feed the miners and prospectors that were heading there in search of jobs in the mmes.
Before the railroad was built north of Chicago ships on the Great Lakes brought provisions, building materials and cattle to Duluth and shipped lumber and other items on their return trips until the Iron Ore shipments began. I heard stories in Eagle Harbor, MI about cattle arriving on the decks of ships when space was available. Rough waters on Lake Superior often posed docking problems therefore, the ships captains would bring
the ship as close to shore as possible and the cattle were pushed off the deck and forced to swim for shore. This was feasible because waters in that part of Lake Superior can become very warm, not like the water temperature of the north shore that hovers just above freezing in the summer.
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John and Margaret were children of two European families searching for a better life and more happiness. One family lived in northern Germany near the border with Denmark; the other family lived in Luxemburg near the border with France. Both families were tired of the wars and poor economic conditions that raged throughout Europe in the 1840's - 1860's. The thought of moving to America where they could find their dreams was overwhelming. At some point during this time frame each family set out in their own way for the Promised Land.
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My Grandfather was John Otto Dieter Grube, born in 1850 in Ladelund (Prussia) a city in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. Today, the city of Ladelund lies 3 miles south of the border with Denmark. This was an area fought over during the German-Danish War of 1864 and earlier wars. The family moved south to Summerland, a suburb of Hamburg, Germany to escape the wars as John Grube's parents lost their other sons during these wars. The Prussian armed forces required all male children be drafted as riflemen at the age of 16. To escape the fate of his older brothers, John's mother insisted that he
immigrate to America to seek his destiny. He was forced to go alone, as they did not have sufficient money to send the entire family. He came with tintype photos of his parents, a list of family members, his smallpox vaccination certificate, birth certificate and a group of 'posy' poems written by members of his graduating class wishing him well in the future.
The ship and port of entry into the United States as well as his whereabouts during the time from 1867 to 1879 remain a mystery to me. However, by the late 1870's he came to live in Eagle Harbor, Michigan. This is where he fell in love with Margaret Pastoret, my Grandmother and married her at Delaware Mine, Michigan in 1879.
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My Grandmother, Margaret Pastoret (Grube) daughter of Johannes (Jean-John) and Elizabeth Stuffel Pastoret was born in 1863 in Port Washington, Wisconsin. She had four brothers, Phillip, Peter, Nicholas and John. Her parents came to America separately in the late 1850's with a group of settlers from Septfontaines, Luxemburg. The settlers ship landed at the port of New York. Most likely they entered the USA via Ellis Island. Next they traveled by riverboat to Shakopee, MN where they stayed a while - then on to St. Paul, MN again staying a while - and finally journeyed to Port Washington, WI. This is the place where my Great Grandparents were married and started their family. My Grandmother and her eldest brother were born in Port Washington. In 1868 the group of families were on the move again this time to Eagle Harbor, MI. My great grandfather was' a carpenter and had a chance to build houses at the newly opened copper mines. My grandmother's three younger brothers were born here.
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John Grube was an entrepreneur always seeking to enlarge and improve his business while practicing good business ethics as evidenced by his motto "One price to all and that price the lowest". My grandfather continued an association with Sutphin Meat Packing Co. in Duluth while setting up his first meat market in Tower in 1884 traveling back and forth as needed. Nickolaus, Phillip and Peter Pastoret, all bachelors at the time, moved to Tower before 1885 to assist in the meat market. They are listed in the hand written census in the Tower Historical Society for 1885. My Grandfather moved his wife and two small daughters to Tower shortly after the birth of their second child in late September 1885. He is listed in the 1886-87 Tower, MN Polk City Directory on microfilm at the Duluth Library.
My Grandmother, a bride at age 16 and a mother by age 20 arrived in Tower at the age of 22 with two small children. She was a striking red head, full of fun, a good wife and mother and an excellent cook. I grew up hearing stories about how the nearby Indians who smelled her freshly baked bread cooling in the window would come to her door and offer to trade bushels of wild blueberries, raspberries or strawberries for a loaf of bread. Or when the berries were out of season trade freshly woven baskets for the bread. She would make berry pies or preserves for the winter. My Grandmother also loved to go to the livery and take her horse and buggy for a ride around town or over to the Soudan . Mine. One of my Aunts tells stories about how they flew down the road with my
Grandmother cracking the whip so that no one would pass them. And, I don't think they gave tickets in those days for speeding with your horse and buggy.
During the late summer of 1887 fate was unkind to John Grube. His City Meat Market caught fire and was burned to the ground with intense heat. The Vermillion Iron Journal reported the fire in many articles. "The fire in Grube's meat market ought to teach Tower that protection of some kind is necessary. Ironwood and Hurley are terrible examples of negligence and Tower is as bad as either. Only for hard work by the citizens not a building would be standing today. Attend the meeting next Monday night and let us all try and make Tower at least a little mite safe from fire. Let us fight fire for all it's worth in this world, for unless some of our citizens reform, fire will have its own way in the next."
Another issue of the newspaper stated, "John O. D. Grube intends to rebuild just as soon as possible. His business will continue as before, at his new quarters opposite the site of his old building." An issue near the end of September 1887 stated, "John o. D. Grube showed commendable enterprise in erecting a temporary building opposite the site of his former stand, and running his business the same as if no fire had occurred. A dozen such citizens would soon build up a town to a place second to none."
October 1887 issue "John O. D. Grube will immediately build a new market. He is now erecting a building for his new steam sausage machines."
October 18, 1887 "The still smoking ruins of Grube's meat market which was burned nearly a month ago, tells plainly the intensity of the fire."
October 20, 1887 "J. O. D. Grube is getting his steam sausage mill in place. It is a daisy and capable of grinding out a good deal of sausage in a day."
The 1888-1889 TowerPolkCity directory states, "Two steamers ply its waters for the accommodation of tourists, picnics, excursionists and fishing parties. The village contains several churches, a public school, public hall, a bank, two large saw mills, several hotels, a live weekly newspaper, The Vermillion Iron Journal, general and special stores in nearly all branches of trade. Population including "Breitung Location," about 3,000; mail daily."
John O. D. Grube was a member of the Knights ofPythias, a fraternal order whose rituals were inspired by the play Damon and Phythias. Justus Rathbone started this order in Eagle Harbor, MI between 1859-1860. Shortly afterwards, the Knights ofPythias was embraced by tens of thousands of members in both the US and Canada.
John was also a member of the Odd Fellows Society. Both organizations grouped men together in ways that aided their lives and gave them enjoyment and fellowship. The Odd Fellows and its counterpart for women the Rebecca's allowed members to purchase insurance that was otherwise not available. Bridge and other card games were frequent pass times of the members. My Grandmother was a quite a bridge player. In the 1930's she won the MinnesotaBridge championship winning a large Limoge Vase and increasing her collection of hand painted china that she loved.
By 1888 John Grube had partnered with Wm. H. McQuade in his Wholesale and Retail Meats, Butter and Eggs and Cold Storage in Tower. The City Meat Market took on the name of Grube & Co instead of John a.D. Grube proprietor.
John Grube partnered with Asa Camp to start the fIrst meat market in Ely, MN. in 1888. And opened other markets in Virginia, Eveleth, MN and Superior, WI. My best guess is that the fIre of 1887 caused him to open meat markets in other locations as a back up in case of another fIre. He had a total of 5 meat markets serving northern Minnesota, Canada and Superior, WI.
Then in January of 1889 two months before the birth of my mother John suddenly died. He was on a business trip to Duluth when he felt sleepy, couldn't stay awake. From the description of his death in the newspaper article my best guess is that he either had an aneurism or hit his head at some point and died from a slow leak of blood. It was an easy death for my grandfather but a terrible shock to the rest of the family. My grandmother and her three daughters continued to live in Tower for approximately 9 or 10 more years before moving to Duluth to be close to her mother following the death of her father. The 1889-1890 PolkTower directory lists her as Grube, Margaret (wid John a D). This sad turn of events caused the sale of the Tower City Market, her brother Nickolaus took over the Ely and also the Superior meat markets with new partners, her brother Peter was now in the confection and fruit business in Tower and brother Phillip opened a bicycle repair shop in Duluth.
Written by Caroline Spencer, granddaughter of John O. D. and Margaret Grube May 2006
In the early days, long before the turn of the century, there were many prospectors for gold invading this area. This was before there were any railroads in here, so these people had to come by canoe, teams of horses, ox teams or walk. Some of the sites explored were Winston City, Gold Island and Vermilion River none of which ever produced gold in paying qualities. During this period there were also prospectors for iron ore, one of these sites being known as "The Lee Mine". The following story entitled, "The Mystery of The Lee Mine" is most interesting.
When mining operations first began on the Vermilion Range in 1882, the small crew settled down resolutely to work the most attractive prospect, which later became known as the Lee Mine. Lee Mine Hill was apparently "nothing but iron ore." Stone and his men stripped a breast of ore at the north Lee, sixty feet wide and eighty feet long. It was rich iron ore running about 67 percent iron content, covered by only a few feet of overburden, states the report. Work was proceeding concurrently at other prospects, including the Breitung, and several were operating before the railroad reached Soudan. The exact year in which the Lee Mine was opened has not been ascertained by the present compiler, but one report has it that soon after the Lee Mine was opened, it was abandoned on account of the low grade of ore, and operations were transferred to Soudan Hill, where there was a large outcrop of hematite iron, and where thousands of tons were mined from open pit before shaft sinking was commenced. Another report, and it has the merit of being the testimony of a man who was there at the time, infers that the quality of the ore was not the true reason for closing the Lee Mine. At that time, it appears, the Minnesota Iron Mining Company was operating both the north and the south Lee Mines, and employed about three hundred men in them, had two mining plants, and railway tracks to both mines. In other words, the mines had all the necessary surface machinery.
Yet, in one night, all disappeared -- all trace of surface property had been blotted out.
Indeed the miners who "dropped their tools" one evening at 6:00, and were at the mine at 7:00 the next morning, ready to again pick up their tools for another dayıs work, had to do some "hard blinking" and in other ways try to be sure that they were awake and at the mines...Yes, undoubtly they were, but what a change in the night. All visible surface property had disappeared and not a vestige of anything but the hill itself, was in sight. Even the railway tracks had been torn up and carried away.
The narrator surmised that the sensational removal of "attachable" property to the Soudan Hill was because of the Astor Estate of New York had filed or was about to file a claim to the Lee Mine Hill, by a right Astor had acquired under a grant given by the general government to an Indian for treaty services. Since that year, 1888, not a pound of ore has been taken from the Lee Hill Mines. Litigation followed the closing, but eventually the Minnesota Iron Mining Company was confirmed in its Lee Hill holdings.
The writer has a friend here, namely Ike Gruben who was born in Norway and came to this country with his parents when he was two years old. They settled in a small log shack just below the hill where his father found employment in the Lee Mine.
At first it was an open pit about 60' x 80' and it is said that the first blast was in 1875. The overburden and rock was hauled by mules to the dumps. A shaft was sunk and a steam hoist installed to hoist the ore. The ore was hauled to the incline by mules where it was loaded in small dump cars. These were run down the incline by an endless cable to a trestle where they were dumped into wooden ore cars. The cable was operated by a large steel wheel and the other end made a counter-balance.
The mine was owned by the Minnesota Iron Mining Company and their superintendent was Capt. Don H. Bacon. Ike estimated that there were about fifty miners employed there. When asked about accidents in the mine he said he could not recall any during the time they operated
The mine was named the "Lee Mine" in honor of Richard Henry Lee, a son-in-law of Charlemange Tower who was married to Towerıs eldest daughter, Deborah.
My informant, Mr. Ike Gruben, to whom I am indebted for this information, is a remarkable man and a real pioneer in this area. In spite of his age which is now over ninety-one years, he has a remarkable memory. He was a diamond driller by trade and has plied his trade nearly all over the world, such as Canada, England, Africa and China. His longest employment was with the E. J. Longyear Company.
He never married and now lives with his sister Mrs. Annie Olson on the old farm on the shores of Lake Vermilion on Pike Bay.
TOWER-SOUDAN HISTORICAL SOCIETY
Written by Herman T. Olson Secretary September 17, 1971
