Iron mining began on the Gogebic Range in 1884, and Italian miners soon followed, first settling in neighboring Hurley, Wisconsin. Most came from Trentino, Piedmont, Venetia, Abruzzo-Molise, Calabria, and Sicily. By 1910, Italians made up more than 19 percent of the foreign-born population on the range and ranked second only to the Finns. Some became independent businessmen, opening taverns that served as ethnic social centers, while others ran bakeries, groceries, fruit and candy shops, or worked as contractors, blacksmiths, and travel and insurance agents. Women operated boarding houses and shops. Catholic churches between Wakefield, Michigan, and Pence, Wisconsin, ministered to large Italian congregations. An Italian-language newspaper, LA NOSTRA TERRA (Our Land), began publishing from Hurley in 1913. Between 1898 and 1968, some thirty-eight mutual beneficial societies served Italian communities, and the descendants of these hardy pioneers continue to play important roles in local communities.