This photograph by Paul B. Gaylord shows the Merchant's Hotel, 202-204 West Superior Street in Duluth after a fire on February 28, 1884. The hotel was designed by architect George Wirth and built in 1882.
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.
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.
A two-page account of the author's experience of emigrating to the United States, first to Virginia, Minnesota, and then to Duluth from Croatia in 1912.
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.
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 early map of the Duluth area shows platted divisions and additions and includes a directory giving the location of government buildings, hospitals, businesses, schools, hotels, depots, docks, cemeteries, and churches.
Andreas Mitchell Miller, born on July 16, 1839 in Copenhagen, Denmark, was the first mayor of the village of Duluth after the city lost its charter in 1877. As such, much of his two-year term was concerned with reassessment of Duluth's assets and activities. After leaving office in 1879, Miller moved to New York with his wife Anneliza and two children. He died there on May 22, 1917.
Ben Boo, born January 21, 1925 in St. Paul, served in the military and fought in both World War II and the Korean War. He was elected mayor on April 4, 1967 and served until 1975. Boo boosted Duluth tourism with the creation of the local ski hill Spirit Mountain. He was a very public figure, traveling through Europe and appearing on American television to talk about common urban issues. After his tenure he served in the Minnesota House of Representatives from 1984-1993 and worked as executive director of the Western Lake Superior Sanitary District. He and his wife Mary have six 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.
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.
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.
"Doc" John A. McCuen, born on July 17, 1864 in Guelph, Ontario, was better known as the St. Louis County Coroner than as mayor. Elected in 1912, McCuen was the last mayor under the old aldermanic system of government. He declined to run for a second term, since that would have meant serving under the new commissioner model with less power. He remained active in civic affairs until his death on November 4, 1927.
Edward Hatch, a native of Truro, Devonshire, England, came to the United States 1887 at the age of five. He worked with several mining companies in Eveleth, Minnesota before becoming postmaster there from 1911-1914. In 1917 he was elected mayor of Eveleth, and after his term there he relocated to Duluth. In 1941 he became Duluth's mayor, concentrating on job growth. He and his wife Ella had no children, and he died on September 2, 1961 in Duluth.
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.
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.
A native of Duluth, Gary Doty was born on February 5, 1948 and worked as a teacher and coach in the Duluth public schools. In 1975 he was elected to the Minnesota House of Representatives, and he served on several other boards until his election as mayor on November 5, 1991. During his 12 years in office, Doty worked to rebuild streets and sewers throughout the city. He was also a strong promoter of the Great Lakes Aquarium. The socially conservative and fiscally moderate mayor retired in 2004 and lives with his wife Marcia and their three daughters.
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.
George W. Johnson, born December 22, 1894, was a Minnesota state legislator from 1925-1937, serving as Speaker of the House for the last two years. He was elected mayor on April 3, 1945, and he served for two terms. During his time in office he worked to promote Duluth tourism and implement a social security program for the state. After his tenure, Johnson worked as a home appraiser until his death on January 20, 1974. He was survived by his wife Grace.
Born on Oct. 20, 1844 in Schleswig, a Danish territory, Henry Truelsen worked in a variety of trades before entering political life. As president of the Duluth Board of Public Works, he led a battle for public ownership of the city's water supply at a reasonable price. This role contributed to his populist candidacy for Duluth mayor and was referenced in a plaque affixed to the portrait's frame which read "Henry Truelsen, mayor of Duluth, 1896-1900. Through whose untiring efforts Duluth obtained its water and gas plant. Presented to the city by Thomas A. Merritt. The portrait was painted by David Ericson (1869-1946), a renowned portrait and landscape artist who lived in Duluth. In 1910 Ericson was commissioned to travel to Zenith, North Dakota, Truelsen's new home, to paint the mayoral portrait. Truelsen died on Dec. 4, 1931, in Los Angeles, California.
Herb Bergson holds the distinction of being the first mayor of Duluth to have already served as mayor of Superior, Wisconsin across the bay. He was born on September 16, 1956 in Duluth but became a police patrolman in Superior in 1977. He later served two terms as mayor there, returning to law enforcement in 1995. After unsuccessfully running for mayor of Duluth, Bergson was elected to Duluth's city council in 2001. He subsequently won the mayor's seat in 2003. During his single term, Bergson pledged to help Duluth's homeless and supported the gay community. He and his wife Jacqui have two adopted sons and have hosted many foster children.
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.