R.B. McLean came to Superior, Wisconsin, in June of 1854 on the schooner "Algonquin." McLean recollects several trips along LakeSuperior'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 photograph by Caswell & Davy shows a steamship and a sailing ship docked at Duluth. Image is captioned, "Scenery on the Northern Pacific Railroad."
This photograph shows the Duluth harbor, ca. 1870, with paddlewheel steamers and sailing vessels, Elevator A, and the LakeSuperior and Mississippi Railway depot.
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 LakeSuperior 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.)
A description of the directory from the title page: A complete alphabetical list of business firms and private citizens; a classified list of all trades, professions and pursuits; a Miscellaneous directory of city and county ofices, public and private schools, churches, banks, incorporated institutions, etc. Sold only by subscription.
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.
In addition to numerous photographs and some written history, this large book provides information on the town of Duluth, Minnesota, in 1887, including sections on the geographic situation, the harbor, the St. Louis River and water power, churches and schools, railways, the grain market, the Board of Trade, and banking. Photographs include many birds-eye views of Duluth, Rice's Point, grain elevators, the Exchange Building, the Duluth National Bank Building, the Duluth Boat Club House, the Board of Trade Building, the Fargusson Block, the Grand Opera House, the Hotel St. Louis, the Spalding Hotel under construction, and individual homes of R.S. Munger and John P. Johnson.
This is the annual report for the Duluth Public Schools, for the 1887-1888 school year. The report contains detailed descriptions of the curriculum for each subject from first grade through high school.
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 is the annual report for the Duluth Public Schools, for the 1889-1890 school year. It includes the text of a legislative act fixing the boundaries of the Independent School District of the City of Duluth.
This circa 1890 book contains about 70 photographs of scenes of Duluth, Minnesota. A four-page text at the beginning describes the city of the 1890s, including boulevards and drives, educational institutions, harbor and shipping, commerce and manufacturing, and railroads. Some of the photographs show the Paladio Building, the Board of Trade, Minnesota Point from the Spalding Hotel, the Phoenix Block, Central High School, the Hardy School, and residences of J.D. Ensign, Col. C.H. Graves, Robert C. Ray, O.G. Traphagen, and W.C. Sargent.
This book of one folded sheet with ten plates that provide small drawings of Duluth buildings, including offices, factories, schools, churches, and residences. Images include the Masonic Temple Opera House, the Woodbridge Building, the Incline Railway, the Lyceum Theater, the Cathedral of the Sacred Heart, and homes of G.C. Hartley, A.T. Crosley, Charles D'Autremont, and E.C. Gridley.
"A Handbook of Information and Statistics Regarding The Metropolis of the Northwest, Illustrated with Original Engravings." The 1893 Year Book is a history of Duluth's progress for 1892. Topics covered include mines and mining, lumber, manufacturing, railroads, marine, education, and suburban Duluth. Photographs show Chester Terrace, the Burrows Block, Buffalo Flats, the Pavilion at the top of the Incline Railway, the Union Depot, the Masonic Temple, Sacred Heart Cathedral, and the coal docks. Also includes some interesting advertisements from local businesses.
This book contains information on hunting, fishing, and other recreational activities in northern Minnesota and northwestern Wisconsin. It also includes railway and steamship timetables, a brief directory of local businesses and public buildings in Duluth and Superior, resorts and picnic grounds in Duluth and Superior, social clubs, points of interest to visit, and many interesting advertisements.
This 40-page book, published in 1897, describes the land and towns that lie on the route of the Saint Paul & Duluth Railroad. Chapters describe the route of the railroad; the counties the railroad passes through; various crops grown, including potatoes, grain, berries and small fruit, and dairying. The last chapter provides brief descriptions of some towns along the route, including Pine City, Hinckley, Finlayson, Rutledge, Willow River, Sturgeon Lake, Moose Lake, Barnum, Mahtowa, Carlton, Duluth, and West Superior.
Judge John R. Carey, an early settler on the north shore of LakeSuperior, wrote this account of the history of Duluth and northern Minnesota until 1870. He describes early exploration of the area, the surveying of the town of Superior, missionary efforts in the area, early elections, the building of railroads, the development of iron ore deposits and interesting anecdotes about residents and events.
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 report of the Board of Commissioners for Duluth, Minnesota, describes the city's parks, including improvements made during 1911 and planned improvements. The book includes photographs of some parks, including Lincoln Park, Congdon Park, Lake Front Park, Fairmont Park, and Chester Park.
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.
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 LakeSuperior 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.
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 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.