Previous: Social Life in Early Koochiching County
Striking Gold
As early as 1865 prospectors began coming into the Rainy River and Rainy Lake area on both the Canadian and American sides, to search for precious minerals. George W. Davis, a prospector, arrived at the Little American Island in Rainy Lake in July of 1893. He panned some quartz and found gold. News of his discovery spread quickly and soon hundreds of prospectors were streaming into the region. Mining operations by the Bevier Mining and Milling Company were in full swing on the Little American Island by 1894. Mines were also opened on the Dry Weed and Bushy Head Islands.
On May 17, 1894, Rainy Lake City, which was located at the entrance to Black Bay, was incorporated by the Rainy Lake Improvement Company of Duluth, Minnesota. By the fall of 1894 the village had a population of about 400 persons who lived in tents, covered wagons, log houses and tar-paper shacks. The bustling little village had 3 general stores, 3 hotels, 2 restaurants, a hardware store, a 5-stamp mill, a barber shop, 5 saloons, a post office, a customs office, a newspaper (The Rainy Lake Journal) and a school. Later a bank was organized. It had the appearance of a typical mining community. At the peak of mining operations, there were about 500 persons residing in the village.