Penokee Iron Range Trail – A Company Town
Iron County Heritage Area
Neat white frame houses, gently curving streets, and gracious landscaping mark the City of Montreal – the only planned mining company town in Wisconsin.
In 1921 the Oglebay-Norton Mining Company designed a community that would provide an environment to “accommodate the nationality and temperament” of the 700 miners needed to work at the new Montreal Mine #5 shaft and their families.
Recognizing that content workers were productive employees, the company took care of almost every detail of daily life from housing to recreation for miners moving to the new community they first called “Hamilton.”
For as little as $1.50 per room, per year, miners could rent one of 140 company owned homes. Six different models were available from the smaller one family “bungalow” to the larger two family “D-2 duplex.” Each home was painted white and maintained at company expense.
Playgrounds and gardens dotted the community. After work families enjoyed movies, billiards, and the soda fountain at the company run “Hamilton Club” social center. Miners and their families living here did not need to look any further than their backyard for livelihood and leisure.
Marker is at the intersection of Montreal Street and Wisconsin Avenue (Wisconsin Highway 77), on the left when traveling south on Montreal Street.
Courtesy hmdb.org
