gether as the North Hibbing Civic Improvement Club for purposes of negotiation, begun in 1919, with the corporation. Further negotiations, in the 1950s, settled the problems of community property, the schools, library, courthouse, electric lines, gas mains, sidewalks, streets. All in all, it took 38 years to transplant Hibbing to where it now stands.

Religious Activity: A start in religious life in Hibbing was made as soon as the first Finns arrived, for Pastor Heikki Sarvela began to visit Hibbing once a month to hold services. The formal organization of the Holy Trinity Lutheran Church took place in June 1896. Sarvela was followed by a long list of pastors: J. Bäck, M. Havukainen, E. W. Renfors, K. Salovaara, M. Haapala (who was the first to reside in Hibbing, his predecessors having all lived in Eveleth), S. Ilmonen, K. Kuusisto, M. Kortesmäki, M. E. Merijärvi, N. Saastamoinen, F. N. Joki, J. V. Johanson, V. Ranta, 0. A. Koski, 0. E. Mäki, A. M. Karjala and M. N. Joensuu. The first chairman of the church council was Kalle Lindquist. This was an independent church, and it was not until 1924 that the issue came up, for the first and only time, of joining the Suomi Synod; in the vote on this issue, it was defeated 44-4. The first church building (later sold to the mining corporation) was dedicated in 1901; a new building became necessary during World War I years, when the move of Hibbing began; a third building was built in 1940. A considerable share of the cost of these buildings and the parsonage have been borne by the auxiliary groups, in particular the Sewing Circle started in 1897, which in turn was augmented in 1929 by Circle II for the younger women (under the chairmanship of Anna Back) carrying on its programs in English language. Another English-speaking auxiliary was the Phoebe Guild, started in 1940, with Mrs. J. Aho elected as chairman. Additional groups have included the Luther League, Junior League, Brotherhood, plus youth, adult and male choirs. A Sunday school was started in 1904, with G. Järvi, L. Kero, H. Kiminki, A. and J. Lundquist and A. and V. Sandberg as its first teachers; a half century later, the Sunday school still counted 130 pupils. A summer school program was also organized somewhat later, in 1915, and it was held every year until the World War II period. Finally, membership has remained fairly constant, and the figure in 1952 was still 222.

Although the Holy Trinity has consistently been the leading Finnish church in Hibbing, it has not been the only one. For a time there was a Methodist group, one of the chain built up in the Iron Range by Hjalmar Salmi during the years 1903-06. In

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