Gilbert, MN

About Gilbert

Site of a scuba hot-spot in the clear-watered Lake Ore-Be-Gone, their another claim to fame at the edge-of-town is the Iron Range Off-Highway Vehicle Recreation Area (AKA The OHV Park).  The Mesabi Trail runs alongside the reclaimed mine lake and the popular Sherwood Forest Campground, headquarters for the annual ScubaPalooza and Ride for a Cure Jeep event. Don’t miss the huge July 4th parade, one of the best on the Range. Population 1,675.

Top Attractions

• Lake Ore-be-gone, a former iron mine, is located within the city limits. It is popular for its swimming beach, pier, fishing and Sherwood Forest Campground. Scuba enthusiasts enjoy diving to see the mining relics abandoned when mining ceased.
• The Iron Range Off-Highway Vehicle State Recreation Area is the best known OHV park in Minnesota with 36 miles (58 km) of trails covering 1,200 acres.
• Gilbert City Hall has display cases with historical exhibits. Open during normal business hours.

History

Following the final retreat of glaciers from northeastern Minnesota approximately 10,000 years ago, native peoples migrated north and west. The Dakota people historically occupied the area. Lake Superior Chippewa (Ojibwe/Anishinaabe), the most populous tribe in North America, migrated westward and the Dakota moved west of the Mississippi in the seventeenth century. There were periods of peace and conflict between the two tribes, but the stream of European American settlers into their territories resulted in conflict. The U.S. Government ultimately removed both tribes from their native territories and put them on reservations.

Fur trading between native peoples and French explorers flourished from the 1660’s onward. The first major industry was the wholesale logging of the entire northeastern (‘arrowhead’) portion of the state. Mining followed logging.

Gilbert’s initial days began with the discovery of iron ore in 1891. A mining ‘location’ (settlement) in 1892 followed, which became the Village of Sparta in 1896—the same year ore began shipping from the Genoa Mine. In 1907-08, the Oliver Mining Company wanted to mine the ore under Sparta. It purchased the property from the residents, the village was dissolved, and the residents moved, sometimes moving entire buildings, one-half mile north to what would become Gilbert. (Gilbert was named after Giles Gilbert, one of the owners of the nearby mine that was also named after him.)

On April 7, 1908, residents of the proposed new town of Gilbert voted to incorporate. However, the incorporation was disputed by the Pitt Iron Company as too expansive. The matter went to the State Supreme Court, which sided with Pitt, operator of the La Belle mine. The residents of Gilbert scaled back their plans and on April 29, 1909, the incorporation of the Village of Gilbert was successful.

The new village was a divided town with two sides, the new Sparta ‘immigrants’ and the Gilbert residents. In 1910 things were so bad that residents of one end dared not even venture across the street to the ‘other’ end without protection.

Broadway, Gilbert’s principal business street, is one of the widest in the state, reflecting Gilbert’s ambition to be a major city on The Range and to accommodate the new horseless carriages (cars). The road was part of a twenty-eight-mile boardwalk connecting the eastern Mesabi Range towns. Early pictures of Gilbert show the Mesabi Electric Railway cars and tracks, part of a streetcar line connecting Gilbert to Hibbing.

In 1934, Camp Esquagama was founded as a 4-H Camp. It is now a summer camp. The St. Louis County 4-H Camp Lodge was built with the $10,000 National 4-H County Progress Prize offered by Sears, Roebuck, and Company. Nearly 300 counties in 29 states competed for the prize. The main lodge was worth over $2 million in 2010.

In the 1950’s, Gilbert High School had dominant basketball teams and won the state championship in 1951 with 6’11” Bill ‘Boots’ Simonovich and fellow All-Staters Tom Richardson and Andy Synder. Boots went on to star at the University of Minnesota.

As with other Range towns, Gilbert’s economic prosperity was linked to economic conditions nationwide, e.g. Prohibition, the Great Depression, WWI and WWII. After the repeal of Prohibition, there were dozens of ‘taverns,’ which prior to Prohibition were called ‘saloons.’

Gilbert expanded via annexation twice, in 1914 and again in 1975. Population in 2020 was 1,680.

Services

• Two campgrounds
• Several restaurants and establishments serve food
• A gas/convenience store but no grocery store
• Closest lodging is in Eveleth. More lodging is available in Virginia and Biwabik.

Events & Festivities

• Fourth of July celebration
• ScubaPalooza
• Ride for a Cure Jeep event