MPR Journal’s Gary Eichten talks with Doris, a member of Ely’s centennial committee, about the city preparations for a special visitor during its 100 year celebration. A. Courtland Ely III, great-grandson of Ely's namesake, will be first time an “Ely” has visited the town.
DORIS: We will be going out to Olsen's Bay with him. And then tomorrow, my husband is going to take him to the men's coffee clutch at the Cranberries Cafe, and his wife will be going shopping with one of the girls on the committee. And then on Friday, there's the-- we're having the review variety show. And I'm sure he will be attending that. And I think that they're planning to take him probably out to Burnside for dinner.
And then on Saturday, we have our banquet out at the Burnside lodge. And he will be a guest of honor out there. And perhaps, I don't know what they have planned for him out there. And Sunday, he's going to be the parade marshal in our parade at 1:00.
SPEAKER: Is it true that no Elys have actually been to Ely, Minnesota? Is that true?
DORIS: No. And when we researched this, the town was named Florence first, and then it was named Ely. And I don't-- and he is the first-- yes, he's the first descendant to come back to Ely.
SPEAKER: How many people live in Ely, Doris?
DORIS: About-- oh, I would say maybe 4,800.
SPEAKER: And I suppose there are quite a few people who come to town for the Centennial.
DORIS: The count just expanded. And I think it's good for Ely with all these people coming in, that maybe they'll come back again because we're trying to make Ely a tourist town. And I think it's getting to look more and more like it. And we do have a lot of people in town today, I guess.
Of course, I'm in this office. I can't see everything. But everybody says how busy the town is. And I think it's good for our economy right now with everything, the mines and everything closed, that I think the merchants are happy to see so many people in town. Ely is a beautiful place to be. I haven't lived-- I wasn't born and raised here, but I've lived here for over 30 years. And I really like it.
SPEAKER: It sounds that way. It sounds like a city booster.
DORIS: It is. Well, yeah, I said, that's why I was really happy to be on the committee, even though I wasn't a native of Ely. But I've been interested in our town, and I'd like to see it go someplace. And I'm sure it's going to be around for a long time.
SPEAKER: You've been there 30 years, and you don't count yourself as a native?
DORIS: No.
SPEAKER: You don't get to count?
DORIS: Well, I don't know. Well, maybe they consider me an Ely-- I say, an Eliate. But when they ask you, are you local? And that means were you born and raised here. But I think maybe now I'm part of the community. They've always been good to us. I mean, the community has been good to us. So we like it here.
SPEAKER: Well, I would think you would have moved from outsider status a while ago.
DORIS: Yeah. Well, I wish you could be up here to help us celebrate because we're having really a good time. It's brought a lot of happiness to the community, I think. I think we needed a boost like this to get the people in a good frame of mind.
SPEAKER: Yeah.
DORIS: And I think it's good for the merchants. So they seem to be doing well. And that's good for the community.
SPEAKER: Say, how hot is it in Ely?
DORIS: It was-- yesterday, I had 103. And today, when I was driving back from Babbitt, it was 86, already.
SPEAKER: 103 in Ely?
DORIS: Yeah, 103. Yeah, we've had some really warm, hot weather. I swear you could have roasted a wiener on the sidewalk.
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