HIBBING MINNESOTA IS, or at least appears to be, the quintessential small American city. It's tidy, with neatly-kept modest houses spaced generously distant from one another, but not so far apart as to discourage neighborliness. The business area is compact and gives the impression of thriving. Drivers wait for pedestrians (and cyclists) at intersections and crosswalks. Children walk to and from neighborhood schools, and ride their bikes after school.
Over the years it has produced quite a number- disproportionate to its size, I think- of notable personages. Among them are a two-term Minnesota Governor and several State legislators, the man who prosecuted Charles Manson, numerous professional hockey players, a few professional football players, at least two professional basketball players, a record-holding MLB player, several writers, a noted wine maker, and a Nobel laureate. Not a bad score for a city whose population numbered somewhat over 16,000 in 2020.
It's a beautiful day and we're not scheduled to travel today, creating the perfect circumstances for a slow, lazy roll into and through town to see what there is to see. I'm joined by the two Jims, and after a leisurely lunch we start our tour.
This cute little cottage stands on the outskirts of town.
It's always interesting to see what towns do with their no-longer-needed train stations. Hibbing's is now an antiques shop, which seems appropriate somehow.
First up on the agenda, after we've ridden the length of the place, is the Greyhound history museum. Hibbing is the point of origin of Greyhound Bus Lines.
According to the information plaque, Greyhound began because Hibbing had to move. The original town site was on top of what proved to be an immense deposit of iron ore- one of several in the vicinity- and when it became clear that the mines would undercut the town it was moved. Miners needed transportation from the new town site to the mine, as well as elsewhere. Someone had a Hupmobile bus they couldn't sell, and presto! Greyhound was born.
Keith AdamsTo Charmaine RuppoltYep. Many of this type featured in a series of
Greyhound Bus Driver Cartoons and Jokes" panels outside the museum. Reply to this comment 7 months ago
We're skunked on our attempt to enter the building though: taped to the inside of the door is a hand-written note that the volunteer is sick and has gone home for the day. Nertz.
It's not on the official agenda, but we realize that we're very close to the Hull Rust Mahoning open pit iron mine, which is open to visitors. We call an audible and elect to ride up to the viewing area. It's worth the quarter mile or so of unpaved, semi-loose gravel surface when we reach the top.
The ore trucks in the pit are gargantuan. Note Serenity, for scale.
They have a 1,600 horsepower diesel engine, that provides power to electric motors that drive the wheels. Each wheel has its own motor, and it takes only 126 revolutions of the wheel to cover a mile. Reply to this comment 7 months ago
Je-HO-sephat that thing's big. 800 gallons of fuel, tires 10.5 feet tall, individual electric motors driving each wheel, 1,600 horsepower diesel. THIS is industrial grade.
Keith AdamsTo Charmaine RuppoltEconomy of scale, I presume. Cheaper to build and operate a smaller fleet of immense trucks, rather than a larger fleet of more conventionally-sized ones. Reply to this comment 7 months ago
For a sense of scale:this is one of those trucks in operation on the current floor of the mine, at full zoom on my camera. The truck is dwarfed by the shovel that loads it, and both look like tiny toys from where we're standing.
After we've had our fill of gawking at the oversized Tonka trucks we make our way slowly and carefully down the quarter mile of loosely-packed dirt and gravel, and resume our tour of the town proper. Next up, we'll go by the high school where Roger Maris and Kevin McHale starred in baseball and basketball, respectively, before going on to noteworthy professional careers.
The major reason for passing the high school lies on its west side. There stands a recognition of the person who's arguably Hibbing's most famous son: musician and Nobel Laureate Bob Dylan.
Gretchen CarlsonWho would have known he's from Hibbing? You uncover lots of interesting (and quirky) history along your journey. Reply to this comment 7 months ago
The home where Dylan grew up is still a private residence. In an amusing coincidence, one of the women we met at the tiny gift shop back at the mine has a cousin who grew up in it.
Perhaps we just didn't know where to look, but there weren't any obvious monuments to either Maris or McHale, or to any of the other people of note who have a connection to Hibbing. The winemaker was Robert Mondavi, no small force in that industry. Two-term Governor (and Hibbing dentist) Rudy Perpich has no statue that we saw. Nor did we find any traces of civic pride on display with regard to the other notables connected to the town.
We've accomplished our objective, though, and make our way past the Hibbing Community College, an elementary school, and a few other civic structures then back to the hotel where a post-ride libation awaits. Following our regular meeting and group dinner, it's back to the hotel for the usual writing time followed by bed.
I'll leave you with a few final images of this thoroughly pleasant town.
Halloween decorations that would give my next door neighbor a run for his money. I think his shows more imagination, though.
