Take a Ride Back in History: Hibbing is recognized as the birthplace of the bus industry in the United States.
HIBBING'S HISTORY . . .
The first major industry in the Hibbing area was logging. Men known as timber cruisers would explore the area to find and report on the best forested areas to the logging companies. In December of 1891, a timber cruiser named Frank Hibbing camped in the wilderness. In the morning he emerged from his tent saying, "I believe there is iron under me, my bones feel rusty and chilly." He proved to be right. He had pitched his tent on the largest merchantable ore body in the United States, and the community that sprang up at the location took his name.
By 1910, the population of Hibbing had reached over 8,800. Local transportation was difficult at best since the steam railroads were more interested in moving timber and iron ore than people. In 1914, two Swedish immigrants, Andrew Anderson and Carl Wickman, began offering rides between Hibbing and Alice in their seven-passenger Humpmobile. This makes Hibbing very important in bus history since this little operation eventually grew to become Greyhound Lines.
HIBBING'S LEGACY. . .
The Greyhound Bus Museum was founded by Gene Nicolelli to tell the story of Greyhound's history from its founding in Hibbing. It tells the story of the men and machines that created Greyhound Bus Lines by using pictorial displays, hundreds of artifacts and memorabilia, audio-visual presentations, and the video "The Greyhound Story" from HIBBING TO EVERYWHERE. A diorama of WWII illustrates how Greyhound contributed to the war effort. Greyhound grew to be the largest bus company in the world.
Numerous people have referred to this as the finest bus museum in the U.S. and Canada. While other museums may be larger, this is the only museum of its kind currently in operation.
We sincerely ask for your assistance in helping preserve Hibbing's history and legacy by financially supporting Friends of the Bus Origin Center- Greyhound Bus Museum.