9: The Square Deal vs. the Square Meal

Power in The Wilderness

Victor Power’s deal with Michael Godfrey creates a new village in South Hibbing. A new city hall and school are on the way, along with an unparalleled downtown business district for a town of this size. But the political unity that marked Power’s rise to prominence is breaking apart. Some residents lose out when the village moves south, while young men with no memory of Power’s triumphs seek new leadership. Amid all of this, Power reels from the early death of his wife Percy. In this stew of discontent, a lawyer named John Gannon rises from obscurity. Gannon makes a name defending a township official accused of murdering two immigrant bootleggers. The case exposes a growing anti-immigrant sentiment in the village and the chaotic influence of prohibition on local culture. Since Power’s coalition was founded by immigrants and saloon keepers this puts him in a tough spot. As a “bigger, better Hibbing” takes shape, Power faces the greatest political challenge of his life and, for the first time, he loses. A new mayor tries a new kinder, gentler approach with U.S. Steel while Victor Power licks his wounds and heads to Alaska.