David Kess

Many of us know of older Finnish ladies who still make cardamom bread (biscuit to some) and perhaps a few others who weave rag rugs on a loom. Joann Luhta does both of these to perfection at age 95. Still drives her Subaru, often 50 or more miles from Ely, MN to Meadowlands, where she is soon to move into a new house, with a place for her looms and a new oven. For some years, Joann has lived in Ely, Minnesota. She has buried two husbands, but that has not hampered her active lifestyle.

Not that many years ago there were eight car dealerships in Ely. One of the oldest ones was on South Central Avenue - Vic Thompson’s Hudson dealership. It was not there as a dealership for very long, and Vic then sold ice and beer from that same building. Jacob Pete built the brick building most recently occupied by Legacy Toys. Pete’s garage sold Dodge and Plymouth automobiles. Later the building would be the home for James Motors, owned by the Weinzierls.

Perhaps the most historically overlooked building in Ely has been the train depot. Information was hard to find but it seems the railroad came in about 1888. The Pioneer Mine closed on April 1, 1967. The Zenith Mine continued for a year or two longer. The stockpiles were cleared out in and the tracks were pulled out in 1983 but the depot remained. The building was used by a Wilderness Outfitters for a number of years.