Eveleth is a city in
St. Louis County,
Minnesota
Minnesota ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Upper Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Manitoba and Ontario to the north and east and by the U.S. states of Wisconsin to the east, Iowa to the so ...
, United States. The population was 3,493 at the
2020 census. Eveleth is part of the
Quad Cities
The Quad Cities is a region of five cities (originally Tri-Cities, later four, see #History, History) in the U.S. states of Iowa and Illinois: Davenport, Iowa, Davenport and Bettendorf, Iowa, Bettendorf (the fifth to be included) in southeaster ...
, with
Virginia
Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States between the East Coast of the United States ...
,
Gilbert, and
Mountain Iron.
U.S. Highway 53 and
State Highway 37 (MN 37) are two of the main routes that run through the city.
Eveleth was the site of the conflict that resulted in the court case ''
Jenson v. Eveleth Taconite Co.'', and the film based on it, ''
North Country''. The
United States Hockey Hall of Fame is in Eveleth.
History
The Village of Eveleth was platted on April 22, 1893, originally about southwest of the present location, on land then included in the Adams-Spruce Mine (Douglas Avenue between Jones and Monroe Streets). The community was named after Erwin Eveleth, a prominent employee of a timber company in the area. In 1895, iron ore was discovered beneath the village site and a post office was established. In 1900, the village moved to its present location. It was incorporated as a city in 1902. When the city expanded, it annexed portions of
Fayal Township, including the former unincorporated communities of Alice Mine Station (in the Alice Location south of downtown) and Fayal. With further expansion, Eveleth annexed the unincorporated community of Genoa to its east. Eveleth first established its post office on February 9, 1895, with P. Ellard Dowling as commander-in-chief. Eveleth also had its first paper, ''The Eveleth Star'', the same year.
Geography
According to the
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...
, the city has an area of ; is land and is water.
Eveleth is in the
Duluth MN-WI Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Climate
The
Köppen Climate Classification
The Köppen climate classification divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...
subtype for this climate is "
Dfb". (Warm Summer Continental Climate). Summers are warm and winters are cold.
Demographics
2020 census
As of the 2020 census, the population of Eveleth was 3,493. The racial makeup of the city was 3,149 (90.2%)
White
White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...
, 55 (1.6%)
Native American, 53 (1.5%)
Hispanic
The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...
, and 45 (1.3%)
African American
African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...
.
2010 census
As of the
census
A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...
of 2010, there were 3,718 people, 1,682 households, and 921 families living in the city. The
population density
Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geog ...
was . There were 1,942 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 95.0% White, 0.5% African American, 1.8% Native American, 0.3% Asian, 0.1% from other races, and 2.2% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.9% of the population.
There were 1,682 households, of which 28.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 36.0% were
married couples
Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...
living together, 13.1% had a female householder with no husband present, 5.6% had a male householder with no wife present, and 45.2% were non-families. 38.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.14 and the average family size was 2.83.
The median age in the city was 39.6 years. 22.8% of residents were under the age of 18; 8.2% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 25.5% were from 25 to 44; 27.3% were from 45 to 64; and 16.1% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 48.7% male and 51.3% female.
2000 census
As of the
2000 census, there were 3,865 people, 1,717 households, and 971 families living in the city. The population density was . There were 1,965 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 96.48%
White
White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...
, 0.16%
African American
African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...
, 1.73%
Native American, 0.41%
Asian, 0.08% from
other races, and 1.14% from two or more races.
Hispanic
The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...
or
Latino of any race were 0.23% of the population. 16.6% were of
Finnish, 14.1%
German, 14.1%
Norwegian, 8.6%
Italian, 7.7%
Slovene and 6.1%
Swedish ancestry.
There were 1,717 households, out of which 26.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 40.4% were
married couples
Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...
living together, 11.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 43.4% were non-families. 38.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 16.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.14 and the average family size was 2.80.
In the city, the population was spread out, with 21.6% under the age of 18, 8.6% from 18 to 24, 26.5% from 25 to 44, 22.2% from 45 to 64, and 21.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females, there were 89.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 84.0 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $27,736, and the median income for a family was $37,069. Males had a median income of $32,723 versus $21,658 for females. The
per capita income
Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year.
In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...
for the city was $16,635. About 10.6% of families and 15.4% of the population were below the
poverty line
The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line, or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...
, including 20.3% of those under age 18 and 14.2% of those age 65 or over.
Economy
Eveleth is on the
Mesabi Range
The Mesabi Iron Range is a mining district and mountain range in northeastern Minnesota following an elongate trend containing large deposits of iron ore. It is the largest of four major iron ranges in the region collectively known as the Iro ...
, one of sub-regions of Minnesota's
Iron Range. The town's economy has always been tied to the iron ore mining and processing. This activity peaked during World War II and declined through the second half of the 20th century. A demand for iron ore occurred between 2005 and 2007, and local economies experienced a mild improvement due to improved mining productivity, which allowed demand to be met with only a modest increase in staffing.
Within Eveleth's city limits is Thunderbird Mine, where crude iron ore is processed into 5.5 million tons of iron ore
taconite pellets per year. The ore is
magnetite
Magnetite is a mineral and one of the main iron ores, with the chemical formula . It is one of the iron oxide, oxides of iron, and is ferrimagnetism, ferrimagnetic; it is attracted to a magnet and can be magnetization, magnetized to become a ...
-bearing
iron formation of the Paleoproterozoic Biwabik Iron Formation, and is crushed at the mine site and shipped by railroad to the Fairlane Plant in
Forbes, Minnesota, for concentrating and pelletizing.
Arts and culture
Landmarks
Eveleth once had side-by-side water towers labeled "hot" and "cold".
In popular culture
The feature films ''
Wildrose'' (1984) and ''
North Country'' (2005) were both shot in Eveleth.
Hockey

The
United States Hockey Hall of Fame (not to be confused with the
Hockey Hall of Fame
The Hockey Hall of Fame () is a museum and hall of fame located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Dedicated to the history of ice hockey, it holds exhibits about players, teams, National Hockey League (NHL) records, memorabilia and National Hockey Le ...
, in
Toronto
Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...
) is in Eveleth. The city has long been noted as a powerhouse of
hockey
''Hockey'' is a family of List of stick sports, stick sports where two opposing teams use hockey sticks to propel a ball or disk into a goal. There are many types of hockey, and the individual sports vary in rules, numbers of players, apparel, ...
talent. It has won several state championships, most recently in 1998. During the 1950s the Eveleth Golden Bears dominated high school hockey in Minnesota, garnering a number of state records, including most consecutive state championships (4: 1948–51), most consecutive championship games (5: 1948–52) and most consecutive tournament appearances (12: 1945–56), despite the district's tiny population.
Eveleth has the "world's largest authentic hockey stick", standing at 107 feet and weighing 3 tons. A few blocks away from the stick is the Eveleth Hippodrome, Minnesota's oldest hockey arena still in use. The
Rock Ridge Wolverines Boys & Girls hockey teams play there as one out of two of their home rinks, the other being the
Iron Trail Motors Event Center in Virginia.
The
Eveleth Reds played in the
United States Amateur Hockey Association between 1920 and 1925, and in the inaugural season of 1920–21 finished as runner-ups to the
Cleveland Indians
The Cleveland Guardians are an American professional baseball team based in Cleveland. The Guardians compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. Since , the team ...
after losing a closely contested four-game series 12 goals to 14 in April 1921. Eveleth's biggest star player was defenseman
Ivan "Ching" Johnson, who played three seasons for the club between 1920 and 1923, and was inducted into the
Hockey Hall of Fame
The Hockey Hall of Fame () is a museum and hall of fame located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Dedicated to the history of ice hockey, it holds exhibits about players, teams, National Hockey League (NHL) records, memorabilia and National Hockey Le ...
in 1958.
Notable people
*
George Abramson, NFL player
*
Fred Agnich, member of the
Texas House of Representatives
The Texas House of Representatives is the lower house of the bicameral Texas Legislature. It consists of 150 members who are elected from single-member districts for two-year terms. There are no Term limits in the United States, term limits. The ...
*
Rudy Ahlin, played one game in the NHL
*
Nick Begich, U.S. representative
*
Myron H. Bright, United States Court judge
*
Frank Brimsek, NHL goalie
*
John Patrick Boyle, Minnesota state senator and lawyer
*
Steve Cannon, WCCO radio personality
*
Arthur Cirilli, member of Wisconsin Senate
*
Roy R. Coombe, Minnesota state legislator
*
Andre Gambucci, hockey player who won a silver medal at the 1952 Winter Olympics
*
Gus Hendrickson, professional ice hockey player and coach
*
Willard Ikola, hockey player who won a silver medal at the 1956 Winter Olympics
*
Elmer A. Lampe, college football player and coach
*
Pete LoPresti, NHL goalie, son of
Sam LoPresti
*
Sam LoPresti, NHL goalie
*
John Mariucci, NHL hockey player and coach
*
John Mayasich, hockey player, 1960 Winter Olympic gold medalist
*
John Matchefts, hockey player who won a silver medal at the 1956 Winter Olympics
*
William R. Ojala, Minnesota state representative
*
Doug Palazzari, professional hockey player
*
Joe Papike, played 20 games in the NHL
*
Mark Pavelich
Mark Thomas Pavelich (February 28, 1958 – March 4, 2021) was an American professional ice hockey forward (ice hockey), forward who played 355 regular season games in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the New York Rangers, Minnesota North St ...
, winner of the 1980 USA hockey gold medal
*
Matt Perushek, lawyer and Junior Olympics gold and bronze medal-winning curler
*
Paul Schaefer, played five games in the NHL
*
Kay Nolte Smith, writer
*
Tony Storti, head coach of the
Montana State Bobcats football team
*
Al Suomi, professional hockey player
*
Verner E. Suomi, educator, inventor, scientist, and "father of satellite meteorology"
*
James B. Tapp,
World War II
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
flying ace
A flying ace, fighter ace or air ace is a military aviation, military aviator credited with shooting down a certain minimum number of enemy aircraft during aerial combat; the exact number of aerial victories required to officially qualify as an ...
*
Tom Yurkovich, hockey player who competed at the 1964 Winter Olympics
*
Peter Michael Muhich, Roman Catholic Bishop of the Diocese of Rapid City
References
External links
City of Eveleth, MN – Official WebsiteEveleth Heritage Committee's historical website
{{Authority control
Cities in Minnesota
Cities in St. Louis County, Minnesota
Mining communities in Minnesota
1913 establishments in Minnesota