Ethnicity

Title: Map of a Section of Hibbing
Type: Map
Date: June 1904
Source: Minnesota Historical Society

Description: This map shows some buildings and where they were in old Hibbing.

Activities:

1. Why would a town need an insurance map like this one?
   
   
   
   
   Answer: Insurance maps like this one were designe to identify fire risks in a town and to set insurance rates.
2. There are two Lutheran churches on this map situated across the street from each other. Why would this be?
   
   
   
   
   Answer: Since there were so many different nationalities in Hibbing at this time, some of the immigrants formed churches that presented services in their own language. So, even though the church enomination was the same, the Swedish Lutheran Church and the Finnish Lutheran Church would each hold services in their own language and with their own customs.
3. If you wanted to locate a certain home on this map, what symbols or tools on this map might help you?
   
   
   
   
   Answer: The streets are marked, so if you know the street address, you should be able to find the location of the home. The house numbers are written directly in front of each building (for example, the Swedish Lutheran Church address is 329 Superior Street).
4. The numbers in the corners of the buildings tell us the number of stories in a building. At 325 Superior Street, there is a two- story house. What do you think the dotted line and the "1" in the corner of the front could possibly mean?
   
   
   
   
   Answer: The small rectangle on the front of the house is a porch or entryway that is only one-story high.