This photograph by Duluth photographer William Whitesides is taken from Point of Rocks looking east and shows much of downtown Duluth and the hillside.
This 1912 atlas provides eleven detailed plat maps showing Duluth streets, divisions, tracts, and additions. A key map in the beginning shows the location of each of the plat maps.
United States Congress, Senate, Committee on Commerce, 42nd Congress, 2nd session
Date Created:
1872
Description:
This 62-page document, from the 42nd Congress, 2nd Session, reproduces letters regarding the digging of the canal that connected the Duluth harbor with Lake Superior in 1871. The first letter, from William W. Belknap, Secretary of War, describes the process that was followed to dig the canal. Following letters, often exchanged between engineers or politicians and J.J. Egan, city attorney for Duluth, contain a discussion of the legality of the canal being dug as well as a discussion of the building of a dike to keep the waters of the St. Louis River from flowing through the canal and filling the Superior, Wisconsin, entry with silt. (United States Congress, Senate, Committee on Commerce, 42nd Congress, 2nd session, no. 60 Senate Executive Document.)
Sidney Luce, Duluth's second mayor, was born in Kingsville, Ohio, on September 19, 1819. He moved to the Duluth area in the mid-1850s and served as registrar for the U.S. Land Office. He built Duluth's first commercial structure, a warehouse at the foot of Third Avenue East at the lake shore, and helped found the city's first brewery. He was elected mayor in 1872, but resigned while still in office to return to Ohio. His portrait was painted by J.W. Trussler in 1896.
Peter Dean was born in New York City in 1828 and worked in a number of professions in several towns around Michigan before moving to Duluth. He was elected to office twice, once as Mayor of the City of Duluth (1875) and again as President of the Village of Duluth (1880). Though neither of his terms lasted more than a year, he was well-remembered as an eccentric and good-hearted man who cared deeply for the community and its financial troubles. When he died on January 4, 1884, he willed most of his property to Duluth itself, however it was organized at the time.
The first mayor of Duluth, Joshua B. Culver, was born on Sept. 12, 1829 in Armenia, New York. Culver first came to Duluth in the 1850s when he surveyed and plotted the town site. He fought for the Union in the American Civil War, where he rose to the rank of full colonel. He returned to Duluth and became a civic leader, elected as Duluth's first mayor after the community initially became a city in 1870. Culver was elected to a second term as mayor in 1882, but on July 17, 1883, he died while visiting Buffalo, New York. In addition to his role as mayor, Colonel Culver served Duluth as its first clerk of court, postmaster, and superintendent of schools, and founded the first steel plant. His portrait was painted by J.W. Trussler in 1889.
Josiah Davis (J.D.) Ensign was born in New York on May 14, 1833, and he earned a law degree and began practicing law in Ashtabula County, Ohio. He married Kate Jones, but after ten years of marriage she died in 1868. By 1870, Ensign had moved to Duluth, and in 1872 he married Rose Watrous. He served as Duluth's city and county attorney and wrote the seminal work on the history of the Duluth Harbor development in the 1860s and 1870s. In 1880, Ensign was selected to serve out Peter Dean's incomplete term as president of the village, and he was elected in his own right to the office in 1881. He succeeded in expanding the borders of the village of Duluth and was elected to a second (non-consecutive) term in 1884. After his terms he served as a District Court judge for thirty-two years, including work as the first "juvenile judge."
John B. Sutphin was the last mayor of the village of Duluth and the first mayor of the rebord city of Duluth. He was born in 1848 in New Jersey, and he arrived in Duluth at the age of 20. He was elected as village mayor in 1886 and reelected to the same office in the newly restored city of Duluth one year later. He presided over the construction of a new City Hall to celebrate the regained charter. During his time in office Sutphin began Duluth's sewer system and fire department in addition to improving city and harbor infrastructure. He was also involved in quelling citizen unrest with regards to labor issues. Sutphin died in 1908 of kidney failure; he was survived by his only son Robert and his wife Anna Louise Anderson.
Horace B. Moore, born in 1843, was employed with a lumber company before his stint in public office. In 1885 he was elected almost unanimously as the village mayor. Although his time in office was short, only one year, he enjoyed several successful accomplishments, including a new mail delivery system and the erection of named street signs. H.B. Moore died on December 2, 1906 with no known wife or children.
Born on June 2, 1851 in Angelica, New York and well-educated in law, Charles E. d'Autremont, Jr. moved to Duluth on a whim in 1882 with his family. He soon began to make a name for himself, becoming county attorney in 1884 and running for state Attorney General in 1888. In 1892 d'Autremont was elected mayor and served two efficient but unremarkable terms. After his tenure he was heavily and successfully involved in mining throughout western North America. He died in Angelica, New York on July 25, 1919.
This photograph by F.A. Taylor shows the Duluth hillside from below Superior Street and between 3rd and 4th Avenues East; probably from the late 1880s, it shows First Presbyterian Church (built in 1870) in the upper left corner, at 231 East 2nd Street.
St. Louis County Country Club (Gilbert, Minnesota)
Date Created:
1950 - 1970
Description:
The map of northern Minnesota's Arrowhead region shows highways with inset photographs of attractions including mines, mills and picturesque streams. The reverse side includes lists of points of interest and resort accommodations and photographs
This 1890 atlas embraces the corporations of West Duluth and Lakeside and the platted lands adjoining; also acreage maps of the territory in the State of Minnesota, within a radius of about twelve miles, showing the property of the different land and improvement companies. The atlas shows houses, businesses, government buildings, schools, and churches. It includes an index of correct titles of all Duluth additions, divisions, and sub-divisions.
References on map read: Duluth is laid out on the head of Minnesota Point under the Town Site Law of 1844 for George E. Nettleton, F.B. Culver, O.W. Rice, William Nettleton and R.E. Jefferson owner and occupants of Town Site. Avenues and Streets are 60 ft. wide, Blocks are 400 ft. long by 200 ft. deep, Lots are 40 ft. front and 100 ft. deep. Upper Duluth to the left and Lower Duluth to the right of Pine Street. Pier at Portage St. is 25 ft. wide the "T" is 140 ft. front. The stone monuments on Pine Street govern the survey. Richard Relf, Surveyor. Horizontal Scale 500 ft. 1 inch, Perpendicular 250 ft. 1 inch.
Eugene Lambert was the first mayor under a new system eschewing the "commissioner" model. He was born in Duluth on November 5, 1915. He served in the military until 1946 and worked in labor relations until his election in 1956. As mayor, Lambert emphasized long-range planning and improved communication with state and federal agencies. After his term, Lambert worked in many fields, including publishing the Duluth Herald and News Tribune until his death in 1994.
Emil Clifford Mork, who usually only used his first initial, was born in Duluth on August 22, 1905. He and his wife operated Mork Food Supply, a business started by Mork's father. Mork was also involved in the Minnesota Food Retailers Association and several other food associations before his election on April 7, 1959. He planned to run for reelection, but he unfortunately (and mysteriously) died in office on August 14, 1962.
This color map of the layout of Duluth, Minnesota, in 1886, was carefully compiled from the official records and actual surveys, and drawn at a scale of 800 feet to one inch. It includes streets, block numbers, docks, railroads, public parks, and neighborhood divisions. Information about lot sizes and street widths is included.
Norwegian Students America Chorus; Normanna Male Chorus; Norsemen's League
Date Created:
1939
Description:
This program from a concert in Duluth on May 17, 1939, by the Norwegian Students' America Chorus from the Royal Frederick University of Oslo, Norway, includes photographs of the Norwegian chorus and of the Normanna Male Chorus of Duluth, a list of the songs performed in the concert, a greeting from Duluth Mayor Carl Rudolf "Rudy" Berghult, a short history of Duluth, and many ads from local businesses.
Norwegian Students America Chorus; Normanna Male Chorus
Date Created:
1925
Description:
This program is from a concert in Duluth on June 1, 1925, at the Armory, by the Norwegian Students' America Chorus from the Royal Frederick University of Oslo, Norway. The program includes greetings from Duluth's Mayor Samuel F. Snively, photographs of the chorus and of the Normanna Male Chorus of Duluth, a brief history of Duluth, information on the Duluth-Superior Harbor, photographs of some Duluth landmarks and of the Duluth homes of some Norwegian-Americans, and many interesting ads from local businesses.
This book provides a history of West Duluth before 1916 and a detailed look at business and industry active in West Duluth at that time. It includes many photographs and brief biographies of early settlers and photographs of homes, buildings, and industrial facilities, including the Zenith Furnace Co., the Island Creek Coal Dock Co., the Union Match Co., the Diamond Caulk Horse Shoe Co., the People's Brewing Co., and the Berwind Fuel Co.
This booklet describes the steel and wire-making process at the Minnesota Steel Plant in Morgan Park in the 1920s. Topics include raw material for wire making, the galvanizing department, the barb wire and woven fence department, the wire nail department, and the steel plant. The booklet includes photographs of Morgan Park homes, the Lake View Store in Morgan Park, and one of the community's infant playgrounds. A small map of Morgan Park shows locations of steel plant offices, the school, churches, the hospital, and community garages.
This 64-page booklet, published by the Minnesota State Board of Immigration, extolls the value of Northeastern Minnesota as a land ideal for agriculture and livestock. The booklet describes a fertile new country with unique conditions unparalleled elsewhere." It also describes "established railways and rich markets within its own borders; contiguous to the most populous cities between Chicago and the North Pacific Coast. The booklet describes the various crops that can be raised successfully and the projected profit per acre. Includes numerous photographs of farms and livestock.
This typescript was copied in November 1926 from Alfred Merritt's original 1915 manuscript. The author described his family's experience on the north shore of Lake Superior from the time of their arrival via steamboat in 1856 until the year 1894, including accounts of pioneers, settlers and land claims, and the discovery of iron ore on the Mesaba Range. Merritt also addressed the creation and demise of the Duluth, Missabe and Northern Railroad.
R.B. McLean came to Superior, Wisconsin, in June of 1854 on the schooner "Algonquin." McLean recollects several trips along Lake Superior's North Shore, both before and after the 1854 Treaty of LaPointe, searching for veins of copper. He discusses early settlers on the North Shore, the first election in St. Louis County in 1855, the first mail route from Superior to Grand Portage (which McLean delivered), and the first cabins built in Duluth in the winter of 1854-55.
This booklet describes the planning and building of the Duluth Aerial Ferry Bridge in 1904-1905. Many photographs and drawings illustrate the progress and describe the working of the bridge. Details on dimensions, specifications, and costs of operation are provided.
This 1921 street map of the Duluth, Minnesota, and Superior, Wisconsin, area includes streetcar lines, railroads, parks, schools, farms, cemeteries, docks, grain elevators, the Duluth-Superior Ferry Line, the Duluth Boat Club, and other details. There is a separate index for both Duluth and Superior.
Map of Minnesota's St. Louis County showing land Department Holdings, The Duluth & Iron Range Rail Road Company, and the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railway Company. Shows railroad land holdings, roads, trails, railroads, electric lines, forest reserve, hydrography, and survey grid. Scale: 1 inch = 3 miles.
This April 1902 issue of "The Zenith" was published for the interest of merchants who deal in hardware. It contains advertisements for products available for purchase from Duluth's Marshall Wells Hardware Company. It includes an article, with photographs, about the Superior Ship Building Co. in Superior, Wisconsin; a review of the Visible Sholes Typewriter; essays on Store and Advertising Aids, and Little Tales of the Hardware Trade and tips useful for hardware businesses.
This history of the Duluth Diocese of the Catholic Church, which was formed in 1889 and embraced the counties of Aitkin, Becker, Beltrami, Carlton, Cass, Clay, Cook, Crow Wing, Hubbard, Itasca, Kittson, Lake, Marshal, Norman, Pine, Polk, and St. Louis, includes short biographies of early missionaries in Northern Minnesota. It also has histories and photographs of some early Catholic churches, schools, orphanages, and hospitals, information on Indian missions and on the Sisters of St. Benedict, who founded Duluth's St. Mary's Hospital and four other hospitals in the diocese. The book also provides a list of priests who worked in the diocese from 1889 to 1914.
Lowrey's Map of the City of Duluth. Included in the map: a key to city streets, the Corporate Limits of Duluth, the Lake Superior shoreline and the Duluth Harbor. Also indicated on the map are Duluth city parks including Chester Park, Enger Park, Wheeler Field, Fairmount Park, Fond Du Lac Park, Northland Country Club, Ridgeview Golf Course, and the Lester Park Golf Course.
George D. Johnson was born on February 18, 1917 in Duluth. After attending several area colleges and universities, Johnson worked in the American Steel and Wire division of U.S. Steel. He served his first term as mayor from 1953-1956 under the "commissioner" model of government. When Mayor E. Clifford Mork died in office in 1962, Johnson was appointed to take his place and won the subsequent election in 1963 under the "strong mayor" government model. After his terms he rose to prominence in the United Steelworks of America, the Minnesota Mayors Association, the League of Minnesota Municipalities, and the City Charter Commission. He died in 1999, leaving behind his wife Eleanor and two children.
This 1889 map of the Duluth area (including parts of St. Louis and Carlton counties in Minnesota and Douglas County in Wisconsin) was compiled and drawn from U.S. Land and Coast Surveys by R.H.L. Jewett. It was done at a scale of one inch to one mile, and includes roads, railroads, rivers, streams, and lakes.
Industrial Committee of the Young Women's Christian Association of Duluth, Minnesota
Date Created:
1945-09
Description:
Booklet describing and summarizing a 1945 survey of Duluth employers and women employees in local manufacturing, transportation, retail and wholesale businesses, laundries, hotels, and restaurants to gather information about the workplace experiences and needs of women entering the blue-collar work force after World War II. Survey questions also addressed needs outside of work and attitudes toward unions and racial minorities.
This book contains descriptions, photographs, and maps of some canoe trip routes in Minnesota, including the Arrowhead Country, Lac La Croix District, North of Grand Marais, the St. Crois River, the Minnesota Divide, and the Kawisiwi-Isabella Trip.
Trevanion W. Hugo was born in Boddinoc, Cornwall, England on July 29, 1848 but spent most of his youth in Kinston, Ontario. In 1881 he and his family moved to Duluth, and he soon became an alderman and president of the city council for eight years. In 1900 he was elected mayor by just five votes, and he held the office for four years. He was appointed mayor once again to finish Clarence Magney's term in 1920 but declined to run again in 1921. Outside of City Hall, he was a prominent member of the Masons, rising to the rank of grand chancellor of the supreme council of Scottish Rite Masonry. He died on February 27, 1923 of complications from influenza and was survived by two sons.
Born in Camden, Ohio on October 11, 1867, William I. Prince was a very successful banker in Bessemer, Michigan. He was later elected mayor of Bessemer for three terms, after which he relocated to Duluth, Minnesota in 1902 to organize the City National Bank. In 1913 Prince became Duluth's first mayor under the "commissioner" model, which Prince helped to establish. His single term as mayor was unremarkable, after which he was heavily involved in the Duluth Chamber of Commerce. He died on November 11, 1941, leaving behind his wife Mary and two sons.
Roland D. Haven was born the son of a carpenter on October 17, 1866 in Sudbury, Vermont. In 1883 he moved to Minnesota and worked as a carpenter in Northfield, St. Paul, and Minneapolis before reolcating to Duluth in 1889 and becoming a factory foreman. From 1894 to 1908 he worked with several companies in the manufacturing, tug, real estate, and farm implement businesses. He served two terms as alderman (and council president) beginning in 1902, and in 1908 was elected mayor. He served two fairly unremarkable terms, and shortly after leaving office he moved with his wife Belle to Silver City, New Mexico, where he died on April 21, 1930.
Clarence Magney is better known as a judge than a mayor. Born January 11, 1883 in Wisconsin, he was a successful lawyer until his election as Duluth mayor in 1917. During his stint as mayor, Magney worked to preserve and increase Duluth's parkland and parkways. He resigned from this office on September 15, 1920 in order to take a post as judge of the District Court, where he served for 23 years. He then served as associate justice on the Minnesota Supreme Court from 1943-1953. He died on May 15, 1962, leaving behind his wife Lillian and their three children.
Carl Rudolf Berghult was the first native-born Duluth mayor. Born on April 15, 1905 and elected in 1937, he was also the nation's youngest mayor of a city of over 100,000 people. As mayor, he secured government funding for the Blatnik Bridge and worked to beautify the city's public land. He also revised the city's debt structure and began several health and work programs for his citizens. After his tenure as mayor ended in 1941, Berghult joined the navy and earned recognition for his service at Normandy Beach and in Norway. He had two children with his wife Eva before his death on February 6, 2000.
This photograph of the dalles of the St. Louis River is by Duluth photographers Gaylord & Thompson (Paul B. Gaylord, 1848-1936, and Edward A. Thompson, ca.1874-1938).
This photograph by Paul B. Gaylord shows the wrecked hull of the tugboat "Amethyst," which was wrecked nine miles east of Beaver Bay about 1881, docked in front of Williams & Upton, contractors for river and harbor improvements, on Minnesota Point at Buchanan Street.
This photograph by Paul B. Gaylord shows a view of Duluth and the eastern hillside taken from the Northern Pacific dock about 1880. This is a variation of "dul917-76-d888.6" and "dul917-76-d888.9."
This is a photograph by Paul B. Gaylord of the steamship "Quebec" of the Great Western of Canada company docked in Duluth's outside harbor next to Elevator A.
This photograph by Paul B. Gaylord shows a view of Duluth and the eastern hillside taken from the Northern Pacific dock about 1880. This is a duplicate of "dul917-76-d888.9" and "dul917-76-d888.10."