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Serving Northern St. Louis County, Minnesota

Mike Hillman played many roles in the town he loved

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It didn’t take much to coax a story out of Mike Hillman, and once he started talking there was nothing to do but sit back and revel in the force of his imagination.

Mike, who died Dec. 11 at the age of 62, had many loves in his life, but few as meaningful as the deep and abiding affection he felt for his hometown of Ely, which was, most often, the subject of his storytelling.

He was born July 29, 1952, and he grew up in a tight-knit community that was, like many others, enjoying the post-war boom of the 1950s and early 1960s.

He was a graduate of Ely Memorial, class of 1970, and like most young people in Ely back then, he worked summers for outfitters. But over the years he played many roles in his hometown—from entrepreneur and politician to his own cautionary tale of the personal toll from drinking to excess. He was frank about his struggles with alcohol and depression— and he (and the rest of his family) suffered through years of a very difficult personal life.

Mike’s leading role, of course, was as a gifted entertainer. For years, he went by the name “Iron Mike,” because he was in every sense of the word a personality, and it was a role he played with gusto.

He spun stories and yarns on the air at WELY, which he ran for a time under the ownership of Charles Kuralt. Mike had met the famed CBS newsman during one of his visits to Ely, and the two struck up a friendship that lasted until Kuralt’s death in 1997.

When he lost his job at the radio station following Kuralt’s death, Mike eventually turned to other forms of expression. He wrote books on his favorite subject— his hometown’s colorful history— including two books that were published by the Timberjay. Some summers he worked as a guide in the Soudan Mine, recalling for visitors the history of Minnesota’s oldest and deepest underground mine and he wrote a book on that subject as well.

Mike also loved acting, and he was a captivating performer in countless community plays, in which he was frequently the male lead. “He was very comfortable on the stage and he could captivate an audience,” said Lynn O’Hara, who performed with Mike in a number of productions. “He involved himself deeply in his characters.”

Among his many incarnations, Mike also took a turn in local politics, serving two terms on the Ely City Council. During that time he voted for what was, then, a highly controversial resolution opposed to the Iraq War. Despite widespread opposition in Ely to the resolution, which was quickly rescinded by the council a few days later, Mike held fast to his view, refused to reverse his original vote, and faced the consequences at the next election.

It wasn’t the only time that Mike marched to a different drummer. Though he was a product of Ely through and through, he didn’t always see things the same way as others of his generation. While Mike maintained a deep reverence for Ely’s past, including its mining and logging heritage, he also embraced what he called the “new Ely,” more focused on outdoor recreation and wilderness values. Unlike many Elyites of his generation, he spoke out forcefully in recent years in opposition to the prospect of copper-nickel mining in Ely’s backyard, which he saw as a threat to his beloved Boundary Waters.

Mike’s unexpected passing came far too soon. He had sworn off alcohol ten years earlier and seemed to be at a good place in life. He rode his bicycle almost everywhere he went and was as physically fit as he’d been in years. He had a nice lady friend and he was back to writing and researching. Most of all, he was busy making his rounds of Ely.

“He is one person who is going to leave a big hole in Ely,” said Margaret Sweet, who saw Mike regularly during his social rounds at the college or at the Ely-Winton Historical Society. Margaret’s right about that.

While Mike’s penchant for storytelling was widely known and (mostly) appreciated in Ely, he made an impression with a larger audience during one of his last public performances.

When KAXE brought Aaron Brown’s Great Northern Radio Show to Ely last June, they tapped Mike to provide a couple stories. He delivered in spades, first with a funny yarn that’s pretty well known in Ely, and finally with a heartfelt story of his grandfather that left few dry eyes in the room. Mike had that ability.

May he rest in peace...

Editor’s Note: At their meeting on Monday, the Ely City Council designated Tuesday, Dec. 30 as Mike Hillman Day in Ely.

A memorial service is set for the same day, at 1 p.m., at the First Presbyterian Church, in Ely.