Duluth, Minnesota
Encyclopedia
Duluth is a port
city in the U.S. state
of Minnesota
and is the county seat
of Saint Louis County
. The fourth largest city in Minnesota, Duluth had a total population of 86,265 in the 2010 census. Duluth is also the second largest city that is located on Lake Superior after Thunder Bay, Ontario
, and has the largest metropolitan area on Lake Superior. The Duluth MSA
had a population of 279,771 in 2010. Situated at the westernmost point of the Great Lakes on the north shore
of Lake Superior
, Duluth is accessible to ocean-going vessels from the Atlantic Ocean 2300 miles (3,701.5 km) away via the Great Lakes
and Saint Lawrence Seaway
.
Duluth forms a metropolitan area
with Superior, Wisconsin
called the Twin Ports
. These two cities share the Duluth–Superior harbor and together are the Great Lakes' largest port transporting coal
, iron ore (taconite
), and grain
. As a tourist
destination for the Midwest
, Duluth features America's only all-freshwater aquarium, the Great Lakes Aquarium
; the Aerial Lift Bridge
, which spans the Duluth Ship Canal
into the Duluth-Superior Harbor; and Minnesota Point
(known as Park Point locally), one of the world's longest freshwater sand spits, spanning 6 miles (9.7 km). The city is also the starting point for vehicle trips along Minnesota's famous North Shore
.
The city is named for Daniel Greysolon, Le Sieur du Luth
, the first known European explorer of the area.
Native American
tribes had occupied the Duluth area for thousands of years. The original inhabitants are believed to have been members of Paleo-Indian cultures, followed by the "Old Copper
" people, who hunted with spear points
and knives
and fished with metal hooks. Around two thousand years ago, the Woodlands people, known for their burial mounds and pottery, occupied the area. They also cultivated wild rice
, a crop that continues to be harvested and sold today by Ojibwa
tribes in the region. The Sioux
inhabited the region until the middle of the 17th century. In about 1630, an Indian village known as Wi-ah-quah-ke-che-qume-eng was at present day Fond du Lac. The Ojibwa drove the Sioux
out soon after 1654, when the "Chippewa" were forced from eastern seaboard areas by the Iroquois
."
Duluth's name in Ojibwe is "Onigamiinsing"("at the little portage") because of the small and easy portage across Minnesota Point
between Lake Superior and Superior Bay forming Duluth's harbor. According to Ojibwa oral history
, Spirit Island, located near the Spirit Valley neighborhood, was the "Sixth Stopping Place" where the northern and southern branches of the Ojibwa Nation came together and then proceeded to their "Seventh Stopping Place" near the present city of La Pointe, Wisconsin
.
In 1659, Pierre-Esprit Radisson
and Médard des Groseilliers
went searching for furs in the Lake Superior region and visited the area that became today's Duluth. Daniel Greysolon, Sieur du Lhut, the city's namesake, arrived in 1679 to settle rivalries between two Indian nations, the Dakota and the Ojibwa, and to advance fur trading missions in the area. His work accomplished both objectives, with the Ojibwa becoming middlemen between the French
and the Dakota. As a result, the area prospered, and as early as 1692 the Hudson's Bay Company
set up a small post at Fond du Lac
.
It was not until 1792 that the next trading post, on the Wisconsin side of the Saint Louis River
, was opened by Jean Baptiste Cadotte of the North West Company
. A fire destroyed the post in 1800, but a German émigré, John Jacob Astor
, constructed a post on the river's Minnesota side. The store initially floundered as a result of the Indians' insistence in trading with established English and French partners. However, Astor managed to convince the United States Congress
to ban foreigners from trading in American territory. His American Fur Company
was reformed in 1816-17. Hard times hit the post once again by 1839, because fashion-conscious Europeans were choosing silk hats over those made from beaver pelts.
Two Treaties of Fond du Lac
were signed in the present neighborhood of Fond du Lac
in 1826 and 1847. As part of the Treaty of Washington (1854) with the Lake Superior Band of Chippewa, the Fond du Lac Indian Reservation
was established upstream from Duluth near Cloquet, Minnesota
. The Ojibwa population was relocated there.
Interest in the area was piqued in the 1850s as rumors of copper mining began to circulate. A government land survey in 1852, followed by a treaty with local tribes in 1854, secured wilderness for gold-seeking explorers, sparked a "land rush
," and led to the development of iron ore mining in the area.
Around the same time, newly-constructed channels
and locks in the East permitted large ships to access the area. A road connecting Duluth to the Twin Cities was also constructed. Eleven small towns on both sides of the Saint Louis River
were formed, establishing Duluth's roots as a city.
By 1857, copper resources became scarce and the area's economic focus shifted to timber harvesting
. A nationwide financial crisis caused nearly three-quarters of the city's early pioneers to leave.
In the late 1860s, financier Jay Cooke
(after whom the Jay Cooke State Park
is named) convinced the Lake Superior and Mississippi Railroad
to create an extension from St. Paul to Duluth. The railroad opened areas due north and west of Lake Superior to iron ore mining. Duluth's population on New Year's Day in 1869 consisted of fourteen families; by the Fourth of July, 3,500 people were present to celebrate.
By the end of the nineteenth century, Duluth was a thriving city. Duluth was home to more millionaires per capita than any other city in the world and had become a favorite summer playground for the rich and the famous. Magnificent manor homes and Victorian
mansions welcomed family and friends to lavish social events. At the turn of the century, the city's port passed New York City and Chicago
in gross tonnage handled, elevating it to the leading port in the United States. Ten newspapers, six banks and an eleven-story skyscraper, the Torrey Building were also present.
In 1907, U.S. Steel
announced that a $5 million plant would be constructed in the area. Although steel production didn't begin until 1915, predictions held that Duluth's population would rise to 200,000–300,000. With the Duluth Works
steel plant came Morgan Park, a once-independent company town that now stands as a city neighborhood. The Diamond Calk Horseshoe Company
was founded in 1908 and later became a major manufacturer and exporter of wrenches and automotive tools. Duluth's huge wholesale Marshall Wells Hardware Company expanded in 1901 by opening branches in Portland, Oregon, and Winnepeg, Ontario; the company catalog totaled 2,390 pages by 1913. The Duluth Showcase Company, which later became the Duluth Refrigerator Company and then the Coolerator Company, was established in 1908. The Universal Atlas Cement Company, which made cement from slag that was a by-product of the steel plant, began operations in 1917.
The city experienced a large immigrant influx during the early twentieth century and became home to one of the largest Finnish communities in the world outside of Finland. For decades, a Finnish-language daily newspaper, taking the namesake of the old Grand Duchy of Finland's pro-independence leftist paper, Päivälehti
, was published in the city. The Finnish IWW
(Industrial Workers of the World) community published a widely read labor newspaper Industrialisti
. From 1907 to 1941, the Finnish Socialist Federation and then the IWW operated Work People's College
, an educational institution that taught classes from a working class, socialist perspective. Duluth was also settled by immigrants from Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Germany, Austria, Ireland, England, Italy, Poland, Hungary, Bulgaria, Croatia, Serbia, Ukraine, Romania, and Russia. Today, people of Scandinavian descent constitute a strong ethnic plurality of the population, accounting for about one-third of Duluth's residents.
In September 1918, a group calling itself the Knights of Liberty dragged Finnish immigrant Ollie Kinkkonen from his boarding house, tarred and feathered him, and lynched him. Kinkkonen did not want to fight in World War I and planned to return to Finland. His body was found two weeks later hanging in a tree in Duluth's Lester Park.
Another lynching in Duluth occurred on June 15, 1920 when three innocent black male circus workers were attacked by a mob and hanged after the alleged rape of a teenage girl. The Duluth lynchings
took place on First Street and Second Avenue East, where today three 7 feet (2.1 m)-tall bronze statues of the men who were killed have been erected as a memorial.
In 1918, the Cloquet Fire
(named for the nearby town of Cloquet
) burned across Carlton and southern Saint Louis Counties destroying dozens of communities in the Duluth area. The fire was the worst natural disaster in Minnesota history in terms of the number of lives lost in a single day. Many people perished on the rural roads surrounding the Duluth area, and historical accounts tell of victims dying while trying to outrun the fire. The National Guard
unit based in Duluth was mobilized in a heroic effort to battle the fire and assist victims, but the troops were overwhelmed by the enormity of the fire. In the aftermath of the fire, tens of thousands of people were injured or homeless; many of the refugees fled into the city for aid and shelter.
For the first half of the 20th century, the city was an industrial port boom town with multiple grain elevators, a cement plant, a nail mill, wire mills, and the Duluth Works
plant. In 1916, during World War I, a shipyard was constructed on the Saint Louis River. A new neighborhood, today known as Riverside, was formed around the operation. Similar industrial expansions took place during the Second World War
, using Duluth's large harbor and the area's vast resources for the war effort. Tankers and submarine chasers (usually called "sub-chasers") were built at the Riverside shipyard. The population of Duluth proper continued to grow after the war, peaking at 107,884 in 1960.
Economic decline began in the 1950s, when high grade iron ore gave out on the Iron Range
north of Duluth: ore shipments from the Duluth harbor were the most important element of the city's economy. Low grade ore (taconite
) shipments, boosted by new taconite pellet technology, continued, but ore shipments were lower. By the late 1970s, foreign competition began to have a detrimental impact on the American steel industry. This eventually led to the closure of the U.S. Steel
Duluth Works
plant in 1981, causing a significant blow to the city's economy. The steel plant's closing forced the closing of the cement company, which depended on the steel plant for raw materials (slag). Duluth is often cited as "where the Rust Belt
began." Other industrial activity followed suit with more closures, including shipbuilding
, heavy machinery and the Duluth Air Force base. By the end of the decade, unemployment rates surged to 15 percent. The economic downturn was particularly hard on Duluth's west side, where the Eastern and Southern European immigrant workers had traditionally lived for decades.
With the decline of the city's industrial core, the local economic focus shifted to tourism
. The downtown area was renovated with new red brick streets, skywalks, and new retail shops. Old warehouses along the waterfront were converted into cafés, shops, restaurants, and hotels. These changes fashioned the new Canal Park
as a trendy tourism-oriented district. The city's population, which had been experiencing a steady decline since 1960, has now stabilized at around 85,000.
At the beginning of the 21st century, Duluth has become a regional epicenter for banking, retail shopping, and medical care for northern Minnesota, northern Wisconsin, and northwestern Michigan. It is estimated that more than 8,000 jobs in Duluth are directly related to Duluth's two hospitals. Arts and entertainment offerings as well as year-round recreation and the natural environment have contributed to expansion of the tourist industry in Duluth. Some 3.5 million visitors each year contribute more than $400 million to the local economy.
of Kentucky
on January 27, 1871 in the U.S. House of Representatives. The speech against the St. Croix and Superior Land Grant lampooned Western boosterism
, portraying Duluth as an Eden in fantastically florid terms. The speech has been reprinted in collections of folklore and humorous speeches and is regarded as something of a classic. The nearby city of Proctor, Minnesota, is named for Congressman Knott.
Duluth's unofficial sister city, Duluth, Georgia
, was named by Evan P. Howell
in humorous reference to Representative Knott's speech. Originally called Howell's Crossroads in honor of his grandfather, Evan Howell, the town had just finished getting a railroad to the town in 1871 and the "Delights of Duluth" speech was still popular.
Proctor Knott is sometimes credited with characterizing Duluth as the "zenith city of the unsalted seas," but the honor for that coinage belongs to journalist Thomas Preston Foster, speaking at a Fourth of July picnic in 1868.
According to the United States Census Bureau
, the city has a total area of 87.3 square miles (226.1 km²). It is Minnesota's second largest city in terms of land area, surpassed only by Hibbing
. Of its 87.3 square miles (226.1 km²), 68 square miles (176.1 km²) or 77.89% is land and 19.3 square miles (50 km²) or 22.11% is water. Duluth's canal connects Lake Superior
to the Duluth–Superior harbor and the Saint Louis River
. The Aerial Lift Bridge, on which vehicles cross the canal, connects Canal Park
with Minnesota Point
("Park Point").
Duluth's topography is dominated by a steep hillside that climbs from Lake Superior to high inland elevations. Duluth has been called "the San Francisco of the Mid-West." The expression alludes to San Francisco's similar water-to-hilltop topography. This similarity was most evident before World War II, when Duluth had a network of street cars and an "Incline Railroad" that, like San Francisco's cable cars, climbed a steep hill (at Seventh Avenue West). The change in elevation is illustrated by Duluth's two airports. The Sky Harbor airport's weather station
, situated on Park Point, has an elevation of 607 feet (185 m), whereas the elevation of Duluth International Airport atop the hill is 1,427 feet (435 m)--820 feet higher.
As the city has grown, the population has tended to hug the Lake Superior shoreline, hence Duluth is primarily a southwest–northeast city. A considerable amount of development on the hill's upslope gives Duluth a reputation for steep streets. Some neighborhoods, such as Piedmont Heights
and Bayview Heights
, are atop the hill, at times giving scenic views of the city. The Goat Hill neighborhood overlooking the "can of worms" freeway interchange above 22nd Avenue West is an example of this. Another is Skyline Parkway, a scenic road that extends from Becks Road above the Gary – New Duluth neighborhood near the western end of the city to the Lester Park neighborhood on the east side. Skyline Parkway crosses nearly the entire length of Duluth and affords breathtaking views of the famous Aerial Lift Bridge, Canal Park, and the many industries that inhabit the largest inland port. Most important, the tip of Lake Superior can be seen continuously from high on the brow of the hill. Perhaps the most rapidly developing part of the city is Miller Hill Mall and the adjacent big-box retailer shopping strip "over the hill"–the Miller Trunk Highway
corridor. The 2009–2010 road reconstruction project in Duluth's Miller Hill area improved transit movement through the U.S. Highway 53
corridor from Trinity Road to Maple Grove Road. The highway project reconstructed connector roads, intersections, and adjacent roadways. Construction of a new international airport terminal is also underway as part of the government's Stimulus Reconstruction Program.
Duluth has a humid climate, with long, snowy, very cold winters and cool summers. The nickname "The Air-Conditioned City" is given to Duluth because of the summertime cooling effect of Lake Superior. Severe thunderstorms do occasionally cross over the city during the summer. Winter temperatures often remain below 0 °F (-18 °C) for periods of weeks. A normal winter brings consistent snow cover from November to April. Winter storms that pass south or east of Duluth can often set up easterly or northeasterly flow. Upslope lake-effect snow events can bring a foot (30 cm) or more of snow to the city while areas 50 miles (80.5 km) inland receive considerably less.
Summers are cool and comfortable with daytime temperatures averaging in the 70s °F (21-26 °C), compared to temperatures often over 90 °F (32 °C) inland. Temperatures may occasionally remain below 50 °F (10 °C) during evenings as late in the year as June along the Lake Superior shore, even when the inland temperature is in the 70s °F (21-26 °C). The phrase "cooler by the lake" can be heard often in weather forecasts during the summer, especially on days when an easterly wind is expected. Because the huge lake absorbs summer heat, then gradually releases it when temperatures drop below freezing, seasons are substantially delayed: November is often much warmer than March, when the lake has lost much of its heat. Great local variations are also common because of the rapid change in elevation between hilltop and shoreside. Often this variation manifests itself as snow at the Miller Hill Mall while rain falls in Canal Park. The warmer shoreline temperatures also have permitted ginkgo trees, admired for their golden autumn leaves, to thrive beside the lake, even though Duluth is well north of the normal temperature range of ginkgos. The lake steams in the winter when moist, lake-warmed air at the surface rises and cools, losing some of its moisture carrying capacity.
Duluth's population has stabilized: 85,493 in 1990, 86,918 in 2000, 86,265 in 2010. As of the census of 2000, there were 35,500 households and 19,918 families in the city. The population density was 1278.1 /sqmi. There were 36,994 housing units at an average density of 544 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the city was 92.7% White, 1.6% Black or African American
, 2.4% Native American, 1.1% Asian, 0.0% Pacific Islander, 0.3% from other races
, and 1.8% from two or more races. 1.1% of the population was Hispanic or Latino of any race. The population's ancestry was 23.6% German
, 16.8% Norwegian
, 15.3% Swedish
, 10.6% Irish
, 7.1% Polish
, 7.0% English, 5.1% Italian
, 3.2% Scottish or Scotch-Irish, 1.5% Danish, and 0.4% Welsh according to the 2000 Census. Thus, slightly more than one-third of Duluth's residents were of Scandinavian (Norwegian, Swedish, or Danish) ancestry.
Among Duluth's households, 26.6% had children under 18, 41.4% were married couples living together, 11.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 43.9% were non-families. 34.5% of all households were one-person households, and 13.3% had someone 65 or older living alone. The average household size was 2.26 and the average family size was 2.90.
In the city the age distribution of the population shows 21.3% under the age of 18, 16.2% from 18 to 24, 26.1% from 25 to 44, 21.3% from 45 to 64, and 15.1% 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 93.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over there were 89.7 males.
Duluth's median household income was $33,766; median family income was $46,394. Males had a median income of $35,182, females $24,965. The per capita income
was $18,969. About 8.6% of families and 15.5% of all residents were below the poverty line, including 15.4% of those under 18 and 9.5% of those 65 or over.
The present mayor of Duluth is Don Ness
.
Duluth is located in Minnesota's 8th congressional district
, represented by Republican Chip Cravaack
.
As of 2009, the city has a major budget deficit. The deficit has affected city services such as street maintenance, water service, and gas and sanitary sewer maintenance, and it has forced the reduction or elimination of many city-managed social programs. All of these compounded problems have resulted in city staff reductions. The sanitary sewer overflow problems have forced some residents to disconnect their home drainage systems from the sanitary sewer system at significant cost to the homeowner and have been a source of contention.
In 2004, Duluth was center to a separation-of-church-and-state legal battle between the city council, local residents, and the American Civil Liberties Union
. The debate and eventual lawsuit revolved around a marble fixture on the lawn of City Hall. The fixture was inscribed with the Ten Commandments
. The city eventually agreed to remove the fixture. It it now resides on private property near the Comfort Suites Hotel on Canal Park Drive.
The city was featured in the New York Times article "The Next Retirement Time Bomb" because Duluth conducted a financial study of the health care benefits promised to retired city employees. The study concluded that future health care obligations would bankrupt Duluth's government. The article treats Duluth as representative of many local governments that have not kept tabs on future health care obligations promised to city retirees. The Duluth News Tribune portrayed prior mayor John Fedo
in an unflattering light with regard to responsibility in this. For decades local officials, including former mayor Gary Doty
, have acquired shared responsibility. The reason, according to the paper, is that unions are powerful in the area and winning their favor is a major factor in being elected.
During the 2000 presidential election, Green Party candidate Ralph Nader
received over 7.0% of votes from Duluth residents, one of the highest Green Party percentages in the country for a city with a population of at least 85,000.
Duluth is the regional hub not only of its own immediate area but also of a larger area encompassing northeastern
Minnesota, northwestern Wisconsin, and the western Upper Peninsula of Michigan
. It is a major transportation center for the transshipment of coal, taconite, agricultural products, steel, limestone, and cement. In recent years it has seen strong growth in the transshipment of wind turbine components coming and going from manufacturers in both Europe and North Dakota and of oversized industrial machinery manufactured all around the world and destined for the tar sands oil extraction projects in northern Alberta.
Duluth is also a center for aquatic biology and aquatic science. The city is home to the EPA's Mid-Continent Ecology Division Laboratory and the University of Minnesota-Duluth. These institutions have spawned many economically and scientifically important businesses that support Duluth's economy. A short list of these businesses include ERA laboratories, LimnoLogic, the ASci Corporation
, Environmental Consulting and Testing, and Ecolab.
The city is a popular center for tourism. Duluth is a convenient base for trips to the scenic North Shore
via Highway 61
and to fishing and wilderness destinations in Minnesota's far north, including the Superior National Forest
and the Boundary Waters Canoe Area. Tourists also may drive on the North Shore Scenic Drive to Gooseberry Falls State Park
, Baptism Falls (Minnesota's largest waterfall), the vertical cliff of Palisade Head
, Isle Royale National Park
(reached via ferry), Grand Portage National Monument
in Grand Portage, and High Falls of the Pigeon River (on the Canadian border). Thunder Bay
, Ontario
, can be reached by following the highway into Canada along Lake Superior.
Duluth is now working with Superior, Wisconsin, to bring Google Fiber
internet to the Twin Ports
.
The Duluth area marks the northern endpoint of Interstate Highway 35
, which stretches south to Laredo, Texas
. U.S. Highways that serve the area are U.S. Highway 53
, which stretches from La Crosse, Wisconsin
, to International Falls, Minnesota
, and U.S. Highway 2
, which stretches from Everett, Washington
, to St.Ignace
, in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan
. The southwestern part of the city has Thompson Hill, where travelers entering Duluth on I-35 can see most of Duluth, including the Aerial Lift Bridge
and the waterfront. There are two freeway connections from Duluth to Superior. U.S. Highway 2
provides a connection into Superior via the Richard I. Bong Memorial Bridge
; and Interstate 535
is concurrent
with U.S. 53
over the John Blatnik Bridge
.
Many state highways serve the area. Highway 23
runs diagonally across Minnesota, indirectly connecting Duluth to Sioux Falls, South Dakota
. Highway 33
provides a western bypass of Duluth connecting Interstate 35
, which comes up from the Twin Cities, to U.S. 53
, which leads to Iron Range cities and International Falls. Highway 61
provides access to Thunder Bay
, Ontario
, via the North Shore
of Lake Superior. Highway 194
provides a spur route
into the city of Duluth known as "Central Entrance" and Mesaba Avenue. Wisconsin Highway 13 reaches along Lake Superior's South Shore
. Wisconsin Highway 35 runs along Wisconsin's western border for 412 miles (663 km) to its southern terminus at the Wisconsin
– Illinois
border (three miles north of East Dubuque
).
Highway 61 and parts of Highways 2 and 53 are segments of the Lake Superior Circle Tour route that follows Lake Superior
through Minnesota, Ontario, Michigan, and Wisconsin.
Duluth International Airport
serves the city and surrounding region with daily flights to Minneapolis, Detroit, and Chicago
, and weekly flights to Orlando
and Las Vegas
. Nearby municipal airports are Duluth Sky Harbor
on Minnesota Point and the Richard I. Bong Memorial Airport in Superior. Both the Bong Airport and Bong Bridge are named for famed World War II pilot and highest-scoring American World War II air ace Major Richard Ira "Dick" Bong
, a native of nearby Poplar, Wisconsin
.
Located at the western end of the St. Lawrence Seaway, the Duluth-Superior seaport is the largest and farthest-inland freshwater seaport in North America. By far the largest and busiest on the Great Lakes
, the port handles an average of 46 million short tons of cargo and over 1,100 visits each year from domestic and international vessels. With 49 miles (78.9 km) of waterfront, it is one of the leading bulk cargo ports in North America and ranks among the top 20 ports in the United States. Duluth is a major shipping port for taconite
pellets, made from concentrated low-grade iron ore and destined for midwestern and eastern steel mills. The former Duluth, Missabe and Iron Range Railway
, now part of the Canadian National Railway
, operates taconite-hauling trains in the area. Duluth is also served by the BNSF Railway
, the Canadian Pacific Railway
, and the Union Pacific Railroad
.
The local bus system is run by the Duluth Transit Authority
, which serves Duluth and Superior. The DTA runs a system of buses manufactured by Gillig
, including new hybrids.
Duluth is also served by Greyhound Lines
and Jefferson Lines
with daily service to the Twin Cities.
HVDC line, which ends near the town.
Minnesota Power primarily uses western coal to generate electricity, but also has a number of small hydroelectric facilities, the largest of which is the Thomson Dam southwest of Duluth on the St. Louis River.
In December of 2006, Minnesota Power began purchasing all the energy generated from the new 50-MW Oliver Wind I Energy Center built by NextEra Resources near Center, N.D. In 2007, Minnesota Power entered into a second 25-year wind power purchase agreement with NextEra. A 48-MW facility was built adjacent to the initial Oliver County wind farm, and the new generators began commercial operation in November of 2007.
Construction began in 2010 on the 76-MW Bison Wind I Energy Center near New Salem, N.D. Bison I represents the first wave of Minnesota Power-constructed wind farms that will be built in south central North Dakota and linked to Minnesota. by way of a 465-mile direct current (DC) transmission line. ALLETE finalized an agreement Jan. 1, 2010 to purchase a 250-kilovolt DC line between Center, N.D. and Hermantown, Minn. (near ALLETE headquarters in Duluth) and phase out a long-term contract to buy coal-generated electricity now transmitted over the line.
Duluth has recently become, because of the wind energy demand, a port for wind energy parts shipments from overseas and the hub for shipments out to various wind energy sites in the midwest.
, the Duluth Budgeteer News
, the free newspapers Transistor, The Zenith, and The Reader Weekly.
Locally based nationally distributed magazines include Cabin Life
, Lake Superior Magazine, and New Moon Magazine.
Locally based websites include PerfectDuluthDay.com and TwinPortsNightLife.com.
Local Colleges and universities include the University of Minnesota Duluth
(UMD), The College of St. Scholastica
, Lake Superior College
, and Duluth Business University
. The UMD campus includes a medical school
. The University of Wisconsin - Superior and Wisconsin Indianhead Technical College
are in nearby Superior, Wisconsin
.
Most public schools are administered by Duluth Public Schools
. The schools have open enrollment. ISD 709 (Independent School District number 709) is now undertaking a reconstruction of all area schools under a program called the "Red Plan." The Red Plan's goals are the reconstruction of some older schools to meet new educational guidelines, and the construction of four new school buildings. The new schools will result in the redistricting of many students. As of 2009, the Red Plan was and is being contested in court by some citizens because of the cost of implementing the plan and because of the choice of construction management contractor.
Several independent and public charter schools
also serve Duluth students. The largest is Marshall School, a private college preparatory school founded in 1972 and covering grades 4-12. Duluth has four Catholic schools with coverage up to grades 6 or 8, two Protestant schools, one Montessori school, and six other charter and private schools.
Local attractions include a variety in the arts and literature. Museums include the Duluth Art Institute at the Duluth Depot, the Tweed Museum of Art
at the University of Minnesota Duluth
, the Karpeles Manuscript Library Museum
, and smaller local art galleries. See the List of Museums in Duluth. The Duluth Public Library
has three locations. Duluth is also home to a professional ballet company
, the Minnesota Ballet
. Duluth shares a symphony orchestra--the Duluth Superior Symphony Orchestra http://www.dsso.com--with Superior, Wisconsin. In summer free concerts are often held in Chester Park, where local musicians play for crowds. The Bayfront Blues Festival is held in early August. Beginning in 2004, Duluth has celebrated Gay Pride
with a parade
on Labor Day
weekend. The city celebrates the Homegrown Music Festival
the first week in May each year. Started in 1998, the festival features over 130 local musical acts performing across the city. The Junior Achievement High School ROCKS - Battle of the Bands showcases middle school and high school bands from central Minnesota to the Canadian border and northern Wisconsin and takes place at the DECC in mid-April. Duluth is where the Northeastern Minnesota Book Awards
are given, honoring books about the region.
There also exists under a section of Interstate 35 a stretch of graffiti known as the Graffiti
Graveyard. It is known throughout Duluth. Many residents remember visiting the Graffiti Graveyard during their teenage years.
, with its famous swinging bridge (a footbridge) across the Saint Louis River, lies southwest of Duluth, just beyond the city limits.
In addition to the two public golf courses (Lester Park and Enger Park), golfers can play at the Northland Country Club and the Ridgeview Country Club. Duluth also has 5 public tennis courts and 63 private tennis club courts. And the city has many indoor and outdoor ice rinks, including curling facilities.
Duluth hosts a 39 miles (62.8 km) segment of the Superior Hiking Trail, soon to be part of the North Country National Scenic Trail – the nation's longest hiking trail. This trail segment passes through or near Jay Cooke State Park, Ely's Peak, Bardon's Peak, the Magney–Snively old growth forest, Spirit Mountain, Enger Park, Point of Rocks, the Lakewalk, Chester Park, UMD's Bagley nature trails, and Hartley Park. It features fabulous views of the Saint Louis River, the Twin Ports, the Aerial Bridge, and Lake Superior.
Since 1977, Duluth has played host to Grandma's Marathon
, held annually in June. Named after its original sponsor, Grandma's Restaurant, it draws runners from all over the world. The course starts just outside Two Harbors, Minnesota
, runs down Old Highway 61 (the former route of Highway 61
along the North Shore
of Lake Superior
), and finishes in one of Duluth's tourism neighborhoods, Canal Park
. The same route is also taken during the North Shore Inline Marathon, held in September and also drawing racers from all over the world.
The John Beargrease
Sled Dog Marathon is Duluth's annual sled dog race, held in February. The race is named after the son of Anishinaabe
Chief Makwabimidem. Beargrease was one of the first mail carriers between Two Harbors, Minnesota
, and Grand Marais, Minnesota
. He and his brothers carried mail by dogsled, boat, and horse for almost twenty years between the two towns, which were unconnected by road. Marathon competitors can choose between two distances. The longer 400 miles (644 km) course takes a round trip from Duluth to the Boundary Waters Canoe Area. The 150 miles (241 km) course departs from Duluth and ends in Tofte, Minnesota
. The marathon was first held in 1980. It is regarded as a training ground for Alaska's larger and more elite Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race.
The city is home to Duluth Curling Club, Duluth Yacht Club and the Duluth-Superior Sailing Association.
, built by wealthy businessman Chester Adgate Congdon
, can be found on the shore of Lake Superior and is open to tours year-round. The Aerial Lift Bridge
, spanning the short canal
into Duluth's harbor, is a vertical lift bridge
. It was originally an exceedingly rare aerial transfer bridge--a bridge that slides a basketlike "gondola" back and forth to transfer people and vehicles from one side to the other. Historic Central High School
towers over the harbor and features an 1890s classroom museum. The wreck of the Thomas Wilson
, a classic early 20th century whaleback
ore boat, lies underwater less than a mile outside the Duluth harbor ship canal. The USCGC Sundew (WLB-404)
, a former USCG Seagoing Buoy Tender
, is a museum ship
along the Duluth waterfront, as is the 610' long William A Irvin.
team called the Kelleys (officially the Kelley Duluths after the Kelley-Duluth Hardware Store) from 1923–1925 and the Eskimos (officially Ernie Nevers' Eskimos after the early NFL great, their star player) from 1926-1927. The Eskimos were then sold and became the Orange Tornadoes (Orange, New Jersey
). This bit of history became the basis for the 2008 George Clooney/Renee Zellweger movie, "Leatherheads
."
The Duluth-Superior Dukes of the Northern League Independent Professional Baseball played in West Duluth's Wade Stadium
from the league's inception in 1993 until 2002 when the team moved to Kansas City, Kan., and became the Kansas City T-Bones
. The Dukes were Northern League champions in 1997. An earlier Northern League, based in the Midwest, was also in operation off and on from 1902 to 1971, the longest stint being 1932-1971. The Dukes were a farm team for the Detroit Tigers from 1960–1964 and several other teams in later years before the Northern League folded in 1971. The Dukes produced notable players such as Denny McLain, Bill Freehan, Gates Brown, Ray Oyler, Jim Northrup, Mickey Stanley, John Hiller, and Willie Horton, all of whom were members of the 1968 world champion Detroit Tigers.
Duluth is also home to Horton's Gym, the home gym of professional boxers
Zach "Jungle Boy" Walters
and Andy Kolle
, as well as a number of other professional prizefighters.
Bulldog hockey
games are a major event in town during the cold Duluth winters. Games used to be televised locally, and thousands watched the games in person at the Duluth Entertainment Convention Center (DECC). A new hockey arena, Amsoil Arena, opened Dec. 30, 2010, adjacent to the DECC. Several Bulldogs, including hockey great Brett Hull
, have gone on to success in the National Hockey League
. The UMD women's ice hockey team has won five NCAA Division I national championships (2001–03, 2008, 2010.) The 2010 title game against Cornell University lasted through nearly three full overtimes and was the longest women's ice hockey championship game in NCAA history. The 2003 women's Frozen Four tournament was played at the DECC with the Bulldogs claiming their third consecutive national title by defeating Harvard University via a dramatic double-overtime goal by Nora Tallus in front of a sellout home crowd. The 2008 Frozen Four tournament was also held at the DECC and saw the Bulldogs claim their fourth national title with a 4-0 shutout of the Wisconsin Badgers. On April 9, 2011, the Bulldog men's team defeated Michigan
to win their first national championship in school history. The Women's Frozen Four tournament will be held at Amsoil Arena in 2012.
The Duluth Huskies
is a college summer wood bat league baseball
team based in Duluth and playing in the Northwoods League
. The team plays its home games at Wade Stadium
. The roster includes some of the top college baseball players in the country. The Huskies play 34 home games each summer between June and August.
The Duluth–Superior Shoremen is a semi-professional football team based in Duluth's Public Schools Stadium. It is in the Mid-American Football League and placed second in that league's championship game in 2005.
The Duluth Xpress is an amateur baseball team that plays its games at the Ordean Middle School baseball field. The team is made up of current and former college players and former professional players. The Xpress competes in the Arrowhead League, a class B league in Minnesota town team baseball
.
The Duluth Padres Baseball Club plays its home games at Bulldog Park on the campus of the University of Minnesota Duluth. The Padres is an amateur team composed of former high school players and current and former college players. The team competes in the Upper 13 League of the Wisconsin Baseball Association. The team was established in 2007 and played its first three seasons in Proctor, Minnesota, as the Proctor Padres. The Padres moved to Duluth in 2010 and changed its name to the Duluth Padres in 2011.
Dynamo Duluth plays bandy
. Duluth one of only a few places in the country where that sport is playeds. All league matches are played at Guidant John Rose Minnesota Oval
in Roseville
.
The Harbor City Roller Dames, a 19+ league, was founded in 2007 and is Duluth–Superior's first women's flat-track roller derby
league. There is also a second derby league in the Duluth–Superior area called Duluth Derby Divas. Unlike HCRD, it is an 18+ league.
Grandma's Marathon
is a marathon ran between Two Harbors
and Duluth in June and ends at Canal Park
.
played psychotherapist Louie Lundgren. The opening title sequence featured downtown Duluth buildings.
The 1983 Gore Vidal
novel Duluth
was set in a stylized version of Duluth.
The 2008 American sports comedy film Leatherheads
, starring and directed by George Clooney
, was set in Duluth. (Leatherheads was actually filmed in North
and South Carolina
.) The film featured a fictitious football team called the Duluth Bulldogs
.
Thomas M. Disch
's 1965 alien-invasion novel The Genocides
is set primarily in a fictional community in adjacent Lake County
called Tassel. A pivotal scene in the beginning of chapter four treats the incineration of the city of Duluth by the extraterrestrial invaders' machines with some detail, even mentioning downtown Duluth's Alworth Building and including a group of characters' escape along Highway 61.
:
Petrozavodsk
, Russia Växjö
, Sweden Ōhara
, now Isumi, Japan Thunder Bay
, Ontario
, Canada
Port
A port is a location on a coast or shore containing one or more harbors where ships can dock and transfer people or cargo to or from land....
city in the U.S. state
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
of Minnesota
Minnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
and is the county seat
County seat
A county seat is an administrative center, or seat of government, for a county or civil parish. The term is primarily used in the United States....
of Saint Louis County
St. Louis County, Minnesota
St. Louis County is a county located in the U.S. state of Minnesota. As of 2010, the population was 200,226. Its county seat is Duluth. It is the largest county by total area in Minnesota, and the second largest in the United States east of the Mississippi River; in land area alone, after Aroostook...
. The fourth largest city in Minnesota, Duluth had a total population of 86,265 in the 2010 census. Duluth is also the second largest city that is located on Lake Superior after Thunder Bay, Ontario
Thunder Bay, Ontario
Thunder Bay is a city in and the seat of Thunder Bay District, Ontario, Canada. It is the most populous municipality in Northwestern Ontario, and the second most populous in Northern Ontario after Greater Sudbury...
, and has the largest metropolitan area on Lake Superior. The Duluth MSA
Table of United States Metropolitan Statistical Areas
thumb|An enlargeable map of the 942 [[Core Based Statistical Area]]s of the [[United States]]. The 367 [[Metropolitan Statistical Area]]s are shown in red....
had a population of 279,771 in 2010. Situated at the westernmost point of the Great Lakes on the north shore
North Shore (Lake Superior)
The North Shore of Lake Superior runs from Duluth, Minnesota, United States, at the southwestern end of the lake, to Thunder Bay and Nipigon, Ontario, Canada, in the north to Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, in the east...
of Lake Superior
Lake Superior
Lake Superior is the largest of the five traditionally-demarcated Great Lakes of North America. It is bounded to the north by the Canadian province of Ontario and the U.S. state of Minnesota, and to the south by the U.S. states of Wisconsin and Michigan. It is the largest freshwater lake in the...
, Duluth is accessible to ocean-going vessels from the Atlantic Ocean 2300 miles (3,701.5 km) away via the Great Lakes
Great Lakes
The Great Lakes are a collection of freshwater lakes located in northeastern North America, on the Canada – United States border. Consisting of Lakes Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie, and Ontario, they form the largest group of freshwater lakes on Earth by total surface, coming in second by volume...
and Saint Lawrence Seaway
Saint Lawrence Seaway
The Saint Lawrence Seaway , , is the common name for a system of locks, canals and channels that permits ocean-going vessels to travel from the Atlantic Ocean to the North American Great Lakes, as far as Lake Superior. Legally it extends from Montreal to Lake Erie, including the Welland Canal...
.
Duluth forms a metropolitan area
Metropolitan area
The term metropolitan area refers to a region consisting of a densely populated urban core and its less-populated surrounding territories, sharing industry, infrastructure, and housing. A metropolitan area usually encompasses multiple jurisdictions and municipalities: neighborhoods, townships,...
with Superior, Wisconsin
Superior, Wisconsin
Superior is a city in and the county seat of Douglas County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 26,960 at the 2010 census. Located at the junction of U.S. Highways 2 and 53, it is north of and adjacent to both the Village of Superior and the Town of Superior.Superior is at the western...
called the Twin Ports
Twin Ports
The Twin Ports of Duluth, Minnesota and Superior, Wisconsin are located at the western part of Lake Superior and together are considered the largest freshwater port in the world. They are twin cities and seaports, connected to the Atlantic Ocean through the Great Lakes and the St. Lawrence...
. These two cities share the Duluth–Superior harbor and together are the Great Lakes' largest port transporting coal
Coal
Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock usually occurring in rock strata in layers or veins called coal beds or coal seams. The harder forms, such as anthracite coal, can be regarded as metamorphic rock because of later exposure to elevated temperature and pressure...
, iron ore (taconite
Taconite
Taconite is a variety of iron formation, an iron-bearing sedimentary rock, in which the iron minerals are interlayered with quartz, chert, or carbonate...
), and grain
Cereal
Cereals are grasses cultivated for the edible components of their grain , composed of the endosperm, germ, and bran...
. As a tourist
Tourism
Tourism is travel for recreational, leisure or business purposes. The World Tourism Organization defines tourists as people "traveling to and staying in places outside their usual environment for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business and other purposes".Tourism has become a...
destination for the Midwest
Midwestern United States
The Midwestern United States is one of the four U.S. geographic regions defined by the United States Census Bureau, providing an official definition of the American Midwest....
, Duluth features America's only all-freshwater aquarium, the Great Lakes Aquarium
Great Lakes Aquarium
Great Lakes Aquarium is one of few aquariums in the United States that focuses on freshwater exhibits . It is housed in a three-story building in Duluth, Minnesota on the shores of Lake Superior and has numerous large and smaller satellite tanks that comprise the 120,000 gallon facility...
; the Aerial Lift Bridge
Aerial Lift Bridge
The Aerial Lift Bridge is a major landmark in the port city of Duluth, Minnesota. The span is a vertical lift bridge, which is rather uncommon, but it began life as an extremely rare transporter bridge—the first of just two such bridges ever constructed in the United States...
, which spans the Duluth Ship Canal
Canal
Canals are man-made channels for water. There are two types of canal:#Waterways: navigable transportation canals used for carrying ships and boats shipping goods and conveying people, further subdivided into two kinds:...
into the Duluth-Superior Harbor; and Minnesota Point
Minnesota Point
Minnesota Point, also known as the Park Point neighborhood of Duluth, Minnesota, United States; is a long, narrow sand spit that extends out from the Canal Park tourist recreation-oriented district of the city of Duluth...
(known as Park Point locally), one of the world's longest freshwater sand spits, spanning 6 miles (9.7 km). The city is also the starting point for vehicle trips along Minnesota's famous North Shore
North Shore (Lake Superior)
The North Shore of Lake Superior runs from Duluth, Minnesota, United States, at the southwestern end of the lake, to Thunder Bay and Nipigon, Ontario, Canada, in the north to Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, in the east...
.
The city is named for Daniel Greysolon, Le Sieur du Luth
Daniel Greysolon, Sieur du Lhut
Daniel Greysolon, Sieur du Lhut was a French soldier and explorer who is the first European known to have visited the area where the city of Duluth, Minnesota is now located and the headwaters of the Mississippi River near Grand Rapids...
, the first known European explorer of the area.
Pre-founding
Native Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
tribes had occupied the Duluth area for thousands of years. The original inhabitants are believed to have been members of Paleo-Indian cultures, followed by the "Old Copper
Old Copper Complex
Old Copper Complex is a term used for ancient Native North American societies known to have been heavily involved in the utilization of copper for weaponry and tools. It is to be distinguished from the Copper Age , when copper use becomes systematic.The Old Copper Complex of the Western Great Lakes...
" people, who hunted with spear points
Clovis point
Clovis points are the characteristically-fluted projectile points associated with the North American Clovis culture. They date to the Paleoindian period around 13,500 years ago. Clovis fluted points are named after the city of Clovis, New Mexico, where examples were first found in 1929.At the right...
and knives
Knife
A knife is a cutting tool with an exposed cutting edge or blade, hand-held or otherwise, with or without a handle. Knives were used at least two-and-a-half million years ago, as evidenced by the Oldowan tools...
and fished with metal hooks. Around two thousand years ago, the Woodlands people, known for their burial mounds and pottery, occupied the area. They also cultivated wild rice
Wild rice
Wild rice is four species of grasses forming the genus Zizania, and the grain which can be harvested from them. The grain was historically gathered and eaten in both North America and China...
, a crop that continues to be harvested and sold today by Ojibwa
Ojibwa
The Ojibwe or Chippewa are among the largest groups of Native Americans–First Nations north of Mexico. They are divided between Canada and the United States. In Canada, they are the third-largest population among First Nations, surpassed only by Cree and Inuit...
tribes in the region. The Sioux
Sioux
The Sioux are Native American and First Nations people in North America. The term can refer to any ethnic group within the Great Sioux Nation or any of the nation's many language dialects...
inhabited the region until the middle of the 17th century. In about 1630, an Indian village known as Wi-ah-quah-ke-che-qume-eng was at present day Fond du Lac. The Ojibwa drove the Sioux
Sioux
The Sioux are Native American and First Nations people in North America. The term can refer to any ethnic group within the Great Sioux Nation or any of the nation's many language dialects...
out soon after 1654, when the "Chippewa" were forced from eastern seaboard areas by the Iroquois
Iroquois
The Iroquois , also known as the Haudenosaunee or the "People of the Longhouse", are an association of several tribes of indigenous people of North America...
."
Duluth's name in Ojibwe is "Onigamiinsing"("at the little portage") because of the small and easy portage across Minnesota Point
Minnesota Point
Minnesota Point, also known as the Park Point neighborhood of Duluth, Minnesota, United States; is a long, narrow sand spit that extends out from the Canal Park tourist recreation-oriented district of the city of Duluth...
between Lake Superior and Superior Bay forming Duluth's harbor. According to Ojibwa oral history
Oral history
Oral history is the collection and study of historical information about individuals, families, important events, or everyday life using audiotapes, videotapes, or transcriptions of planned interviews...
, Spirit Island, located near the Spirit Valley neighborhood, was the "Sixth Stopping Place" where the northern and southern branches of the Ojibwa Nation came together and then proceeded to their "Seventh Stopping Place" near the present city of La Pointe, Wisconsin
La Pointe, Wisconsin
La Pointe is a town in Ashland County in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. The town includes all of the Apostle Islands. There is also an unincorporated community named La Pointe on Madeline Island, the largest of the Apostle Islands . The population was 246 at the 2000 census...
.
In 1659, Pierre-Esprit Radisson
Pierre-Esprit Radisson
Pierre-Esprit Radisson was a French-Canadian fur trader and explorer. He is often linked to his brother-in-law Médard des Groseilliers who was about 20 years older. The decision of Radisson and Groseilliers to enter the English service led to the formation of the Hudson's Bay Company.Born near...
and Médard des Groseilliers
Médard des Groseilliers
Médard Chouart des Groseilliers was a French explorer and fur trader in Canada. He is often paired with his brother-in-law Pierre-Esprit Radisson who was about 20 years his junior...
went searching for furs in the Lake Superior region and visited the area that became today's Duluth. Daniel Greysolon, Sieur du Lhut, the city's namesake, arrived in 1679 to settle rivalries between two Indian nations, the Dakota and the Ojibwa, and to advance fur trading missions in the area. His work accomplished both objectives, with the Ojibwa becoming middlemen between the French
French people
The French are a nation that share a common French culture and speak the French language as a mother tongue. Historically, the French population are descended from peoples of Celtic, Latin and Germanic origin, and are today a mixture of several ethnic groups...
and the Dakota. As a result, the area prospered, and as early as 1692 the Hudson's Bay Company
Hudson's Bay Company
The Hudson's Bay Company , abbreviated HBC, or "The Bay" is the oldest commercial corporation in North America and one of the oldest in the world. A fur trading business for much of its existence, today Hudson's Bay Company owns and operates retail stores throughout Canada...
set up a small post at Fond du Lac
Fond du Lac (Duluth)
Fond du Lac is a neighborhood in Duluth, Minnesota, United States.Evergreen Memorial Highway serves as a main arterial route in the community.-History:...
.
Saint Louis River
The St. Louis River is a river in the U.S. states of Minnesota and Wisconsin that flows into Lake Superior. The largest U.S. river to flow into the lake, it is 179 miles in length and starts near Hoyt Lakes, Minnesota. The river's watershed is in area...
, was opened by Jean Baptiste Cadotte of the North West Company
North West Company
The North West Company was a fur trading business headquartered in Montreal from 1779 to 1821. It competed with increasing success against the Hudson's Bay Company in what was to become Western Canada...
. A fire destroyed the post in 1800, but a German émigré, John Jacob Astor
John Jacob Astor
John Jacob Astor , born Johann Jakob Astor, was a German-American business magnate and investor who was the first prominent member of the Astor family and the first multi-millionaire in the United States...
, constructed a post on the river's Minnesota side. The store initially floundered as a result of the Indians' insistence in trading with established English and French partners. However, Astor managed to convince the United States Congress
United States Congress
The United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress meets in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C....
to ban foreigners from trading in American territory. His American Fur Company
American Fur Company
The American Fur Company was founded by John Jacob Astor in 1808. The company grew to monopolize the fur trade in the United States by 1830, and became one of the largest businesses in the country. The company was one the first great trusts in American business...
was reformed in 1816-17. Hard times hit the post once again by 1839, because fashion-conscious Europeans were choosing silk hats over those made from beaver pelts.
Two Treaties of Fond du Lac
Treaty of Fond du Lac
The Treaty of Fond du Lac may refer to either of two treaties made and signed in Duluth, Minnesota between the United States and the Ojibwe Native American peoples.-1826 Treaty of Fond du Lac:...
were signed in the present neighborhood of Fond du Lac
Fond du Lac (Duluth)
Fond du Lac is a neighborhood in Duluth, Minnesota, United States.Evergreen Memorial Highway serves as a main arterial route in the community.-History:...
in 1826 and 1847. As part of the Treaty of Washington (1854) with the Lake Superior Band of Chippewa, the Fond du Lac Indian Reservation
Fond du Lac Indian Reservation
The Fond du Lac Indian Reservation is an Indian reservation in northern Minnesota near Cloquet in Carlton and St. Louis counties, with off-reservation holdings in Douglas County in Wisconsin...
was established upstream from Duluth near Cloquet, Minnesota
Cloquet, Minnesota
As of the census of 2000, there were 11,201 people, 4,636 households, and 2,967 families residing in the city. The population density was 317.9 people per square mile . There were 4,805 housing units at an average density of 136.4 per square mile...
. The Ojibwa population was relocated there.
Permanent settlement
Land run
Land run usually refers to an historical event in which previously restricted land of the United States was opened for homesteading on a first arrival basis. Some newly opened lands were sold first-come, sold by bid, or won by lottery, or by means other than a run...
," and led to the development of iron ore mining in the area.
Around the same time, newly-constructed channels
Channel (geography)
In physical geography, a channel is the physical confine of a river, slough or ocean strait consisting of a bed and banks.A channel is also the natural or human-made deeper course through a reef, sand bar, bay, or any shallow body of water...
and locks in the East permitted large ships to access the area. A road connecting Duluth to the Twin Cities was also constructed. Eleven small towns on both sides of the Saint Louis River
Saint Louis River
The St. Louis River is a river in the U.S. states of Minnesota and Wisconsin that flows into Lake Superior. The largest U.S. river to flow into the lake, it is 179 miles in length and starts near Hoyt Lakes, Minnesota. The river's watershed is in area...
were formed, establishing Duluth's roots as a city.
By 1857, copper resources became scarce and the area's economic focus shifted to timber harvesting
Timber
Timber may refer to:* Timber, a term common in the United Kingdom and Australia for wood materials * Timber, Oregon, an unincorporated community in the U.S...
. A nationwide financial crisis caused nearly three-quarters of the city's early pioneers to leave.
In the late 1860s, financier Jay Cooke
Jay Cooke
Jay Cooke was an American financier. Cooke and his firm Jay Cooke & Company were most notable for their role in financing the Union's war effort during the American Civil War...
(after whom the Jay Cooke State Park
Jay Cooke State Park
Jay Cooke State Park is a Minnesota state park located about ten miles southwest of Duluth, just outside the small town of Thomson. Jay Cooke is situated on the St...
is named) convinced the Lake Superior and Mississippi Railroad
Lake Superior and Mississippi Railroad
The Lake Superior and Mississippi Railroad is the name for two different railroads in Minnesota.-Historic railroad:The Lake Superior and Mississippi Railroad was the first rail link between the Twin Cities and Duluth and came into existence in 1863 when financier Jay Cooke selected Duluth as the...
to create an extension from St. Paul to Duluth. The railroad opened areas due north and west of Lake Superior to iron ore mining. Duluth's population on New Year's Day in 1869 consisted of fourteen families; by the Fourth of July, 3,500 people were present to celebrate.
Twentieth century
Victorian architecture
The term Victorian architecture refers collectively to several architectural styles employed predominantly during the middle and late 19th century. The period that it indicates may slightly overlap the actual reign, 20 June 1837 – 22 January 1901, of Queen Victoria. This represents the British and...
mansions welcomed family and friends to lavish social events. At the turn of the century, the city's port passed New York City and Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
in gross tonnage handled, elevating it to the leading port in the United States. Ten newspapers, six banks and an eleven-story skyscraper, the Torrey Building were also present.
In 1907, U.S. Steel
U.S. Steel
The United States Steel Corporation , more commonly known as U.S. Steel, is an integrated steel producer with major production operations in the United States, Canada, and Central Europe. The company is the world's tenth largest steel producer ranked by sales...
announced that a $5 million plant would be constructed in the area. Although steel production didn't begin until 1915, predictions held that Duluth's population would rise to 200,000–300,000. With the Duluth Works
Duluth Works
The Duluth Works was an industrial steel and cement manufacturing complex located in Duluth, Minnesota, in operation 1915 to 1987. The complex was operated by the United States Steel Corporation. Officially, the plant's purpose was to supply the growing Midwest with steel finished products....
steel plant came Morgan Park, a once-independent company town that now stands as a city neighborhood. The Diamond Calk Horseshoe Company
Diamond Calk Horseshoe Company
The Diamond Calk Horseshoe Company of Duluth, Minnesota, USA was founded in 1908 by blacksmith Otto Swanstrom. Initially manufacturing horseshoes with a special type of calk to improve the animals' foothold on slippery surfaces, the company successfully adapted to the development of motorised...
was founded in 1908 and later became a major manufacturer and exporter of wrenches and automotive tools. Duluth's huge wholesale Marshall Wells Hardware Company expanded in 1901 by opening branches in Portland, Oregon, and Winnepeg, Ontario; the company catalog totaled 2,390 pages by 1913. The Duluth Showcase Company, which later became the Duluth Refrigerator Company and then the Coolerator Company, was established in 1908. The Universal Atlas Cement Company, which made cement from slag that was a by-product of the steel plant, began operations in 1917.
The city experienced a large immigrant influx during the early twentieth century and became home to one of the largest Finnish communities in the world outside of Finland. For decades, a Finnish-language daily newspaper, taking the namesake of the old Grand Duchy of Finland's pro-independence leftist paper, Päivälehti
Päivälehti
Päivälehti was a newspaper in Finland, which was then a Grand Duchy under the Czar of Russia. The paper was founded in 1889 as the organ of the Young Finnish Party and published on six days a week....
, was published in the city. The Finnish IWW
Industrial Workers of the World
The Industrial Workers of the World is an international union. At its peak in 1923, the organization claimed some 100,000 members in good standing, and could marshal the support of perhaps 300,000 workers. Its membership declined dramatically after a 1924 split brought on by internal conflict...
(Industrial Workers of the World) community published a widely read labor newspaper Industrialisti
Industrialisti
Industrialisti was a Finnish-language newspaper published from Duluth, Minnesota, United States. Founded in 1914 under the same Sosialisti, the newspaper was politically linked to the Industrial Workers of the World. It was published daily, but was converted into a fortnigthly in its later...
. From 1907 to 1941, the Finnish Socialist Federation and then the IWW operated Work People's College
Work People's College
A Finnish Evangelical Lutheran Church of America folk school founded, September 1903, in Minneapolis, Minnesota served as a predecessor for Work People's College...
, an educational institution that taught classes from a working class, socialist perspective. Duluth was also settled by immigrants from Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Germany, Austria, Ireland, England, Italy, Poland, Hungary, Bulgaria, Croatia, Serbia, Ukraine, Romania, and Russia. Today, people of Scandinavian descent constitute a strong ethnic plurality of the population, accounting for about one-third of Duluth's residents.
In September 1918, a group calling itself the Knights of Liberty dragged Finnish immigrant Ollie Kinkkonen from his boarding house, tarred and feathered him, and lynched him. Kinkkonen did not want to fight in World War I and planned to return to Finland. His body was found two weeks later hanging in a tree in Duluth's Lester Park.
Another lynching in Duluth occurred on June 15, 1920 when three innocent black male circus workers were attacked by a mob and hanged after the alleged rape of a teenage girl. The Duluth lynchings
Duluth lynchings
The 1920 Duluth Lynchings occurred on June 15, 1920, when three black circus workers were attacked and lynched by a mob in Duluth, Minnesota. Rumors had circulated among the mob that six African Americans had raped a teenage girl...
took place on First Street and Second Avenue East, where today three 7 feet (2.1 m)-tall bronze statues of the men who were killed have been erected as a memorial.
In 1918, the Cloquet Fire
1918 Cloquet Fire
The 1918 Cloquet fire was a massive fire in northern Minnesota in October, 1918 caused by sparks on the local railroads and dry conditions. The fire left much of western Carlton County devastated, mostly affecting Moose Lake, Cloquet, and Kettle River. Cloquet was hit the hardest by the fires...
(named for the nearby town of Cloquet
Cloquet, Minnesota
As of the census of 2000, there were 11,201 people, 4,636 households, and 2,967 families residing in the city. The population density was 317.9 people per square mile . There were 4,805 housing units at an average density of 136.4 per square mile...
) burned across Carlton and southern Saint Louis Counties destroying dozens of communities in the Duluth area. The fire was the worst natural disaster in Minnesota history in terms of the number of lives lost in a single day. Many people perished on the rural roads surrounding the Duluth area, and historical accounts tell of victims dying while trying to outrun the fire. The National Guard
Minnesota National Guard
The Minnesota National Guard is composed of approximately 14,000 soldiers of the Minnesota Army National Guard and Airmen of the Minnesota Air National Guard, serving in 63 communities across the state. The Constitution of the United States specifically charges the National Guard with dual federal...
unit based in Duluth was mobilized in a heroic effort to battle the fire and assist victims, but the troops were overwhelmed by the enormity of the fire. In the aftermath of the fire, tens of thousands of people were injured or homeless; many of the refugees fled into the city for aid and shelter.
For the first half of the 20th century, the city was an industrial port boom town with multiple grain elevators, a cement plant, a nail mill, wire mills, and the Duluth Works
Duluth Works
The Duluth Works was an industrial steel and cement manufacturing complex located in Duluth, Minnesota, in operation 1915 to 1987. The complex was operated by the United States Steel Corporation. Officially, the plant's purpose was to supply the growing Midwest with steel finished products....
plant. In 1916, during World War I, a shipyard was constructed on the Saint Louis River. A new neighborhood, today known as Riverside, was formed around the operation. Similar industrial expansions took place during the Second World War
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, using Duluth's large harbor and the area's vast resources for the war effort. Tankers and submarine chasers (usually called "sub-chasers") were built at the Riverside shipyard. The population of Duluth proper continued to grow after the war, peaking at 107,884 in 1960.
Economic decline began in the 1950s, when high grade iron ore gave out on the Iron Range
Iron Range
The Iron Range is a region that makes up the northeastern section of Minnesota in the United States. "The Range", as it is known by locals, is a region with multiple distinct bands of iron ore...
north of Duluth: ore shipments from the Duluth harbor were the most important element of the city's economy. Low grade ore (taconite
Taconite
Taconite is a variety of iron formation, an iron-bearing sedimentary rock, in which the iron minerals are interlayered with quartz, chert, or carbonate...
) shipments, boosted by new taconite pellet technology, continued, but ore shipments were lower. By the late 1970s, foreign competition began to have a detrimental impact on the American steel industry. This eventually led to the closure of the U.S. Steel
U.S. Steel
The United States Steel Corporation , more commonly known as U.S. Steel, is an integrated steel producer with major production operations in the United States, Canada, and Central Europe. The company is the world's tenth largest steel producer ranked by sales...
Duluth Works
Duluth Works
The Duluth Works was an industrial steel and cement manufacturing complex located in Duluth, Minnesota, in operation 1915 to 1987. The complex was operated by the United States Steel Corporation. Officially, the plant's purpose was to supply the growing Midwest with steel finished products....
plant in 1981, causing a significant blow to the city's economy. The steel plant's closing forced the closing of the cement company, which depended on the steel plant for raw materials (slag). Duluth is often cited as "where the Rust Belt
Rust Belt
The Rust Belt is a term that gained currency in the 1980s as the informal description of an area straddling the Midwestern and Northeastern United States, in which local economies traditionally garnered an increased manufacturing sector to add jobs and corporate profits...
began." Other industrial activity followed suit with more closures, including shipbuilding
Shipbuilding
Shipbuilding is the construction of ships and floating vessels. It normally takes place in a specialized facility known as a shipyard. Shipbuilders, also called shipwrights, follow a specialized occupation that traces its roots to before recorded history.Shipbuilding and ship repairs, both...
, heavy machinery and the Duluth Air Force base. By the end of the decade, unemployment rates surged to 15 percent. The economic downturn was particularly hard on Duluth's west side, where the Eastern and Southern European immigrant workers had traditionally lived for decades.
With the decline of the city's industrial core, the local economic focus shifted to tourism
Tourism
Tourism is travel for recreational, leisure or business purposes. The World Tourism Organization defines tourists as people "traveling to and staying in places outside their usual environment for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business and other purposes".Tourism has become a...
. The downtown area was renovated with new red brick streets, skywalks, and new retail shops. Old warehouses along the waterfront were converted into cafés, shops, restaurants, and hotels. These changes fashioned the new Canal Park
Canal Park (Duluth)
Canal Park is a tourist and recreation-oriented district of Duluth, Minnesota, United States. Situated across the Interstate 35 freeway from Downtown Duluth, it is connected by the famous Aerial Lift Bridge to the Park Point sandbar and neighborhood...
as a trendy tourism-oriented district. The city's population, which had been experiencing a steady decline since 1960, has now stabilized at around 85,000.
At the beginning of the 21st century, Duluth has become a regional epicenter for banking, retail shopping, and medical care for northern Minnesota, northern Wisconsin, and northwestern Michigan. It is estimated that more than 8,000 jobs in Duluth are directly related to Duluth's two hospitals. Arts and entertainment offerings as well as year-round recreation and the natural environment have contributed to expansion of the tourist industry in Duluth. Some 3.5 million visitors each year contribute more than $400 million to the local economy.
The Untold Delights of Duluth
Early doubts about the potential of the Duluth area were voiced in the speech The Untold Delights of Duluth, made by former U.S. Representative J. Proctor KnottJ. Proctor Knott
James Proctor Knott was a U.S. Representative from Kentucky and served as the 29th Governor of Kentucky from 1883 to 1887. Born in Kentucky, he moved to Missouri in 1850 and began his political career there...
of Kentucky
Kentucky
The Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state, more specifically in the East South Central region. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth...
on January 27, 1871 in the U.S. House of Representatives. The speech against the St. Croix and Superior Land Grant lampooned Western boosterism
Boosterism
Boosterism is the act of "boosting," or promoting, one's town, city, or organization, with the goal of improving public perception of it. Boosting can be as simple as "talking up" the entity at a party or as elaborate as establishing a visitors' bureau. It is somewhat associated with American small...
, portraying Duluth as an Eden in fantastically florid terms. The speech has been reprinted in collections of folklore and humorous speeches and is regarded as something of a classic. The nearby city of Proctor, Minnesota, is named for Congressman Knott.
Duluth's unofficial sister city, Duluth, Georgia
Duluth, Georgia
Duluth is a city in Gwinnett County, Georgia and an increasingly more affluent and developed suburb of Atlanta. Unincorporated portions of Forsyth County also have Duluth as a mailing address, though this area is outside city limits...
, was named by Evan P. Howell
Evan Howell
Evan Park Howell was an American politician and early telegraph operator, as well as an officer in the Confederate Army during the American Civil War....
in humorous reference to Representative Knott's speech. Originally called Howell's Crossroads in honor of his grandfather, Evan Howell, the town had just finished getting a railroad to the town in 1871 and the "Delights of Duluth" speech was still popular.
Proctor Knott is sometimes credited with characterizing Duluth as the "zenith city of the unsalted seas," but the honor for that coinage belongs to journalist Thomas Preston Foster, speaking at a Fourth of July picnic in 1868.
Geography
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
, the city has a total area of 87.3 square miles (226.1 km²). It is Minnesota's second largest city in terms of land area, surpassed only by Hibbing
Hibbing, Minnesota
Hibbing is a city in Saint Louis County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 16,361 at the 2010 census. The city was built on the rich iron ore of the Mesabi Iron Range. At the edge of town is the largest open-pit iron mine in the world. U.S...
. Of its 87.3 square miles (226.1 km²), 68 square miles (176.1 km²) or 77.89% is land and 19.3 square miles (50 km²) or 22.11% is water. Duluth's canal connects Lake Superior
Lake Superior
Lake Superior is the largest of the five traditionally-demarcated Great Lakes of North America. It is bounded to the north by the Canadian province of Ontario and the U.S. state of Minnesota, and to the south by the U.S. states of Wisconsin and Michigan. It is the largest freshwater lake in the...
to the Duluth–Superior harbor and the Saint Louis River
Saint Louis River
The St. Louis River is a river in the U.S. states of Minnesota and Wisconsin that flows into Lake Superior. The largest U.S. river to flow into the lake, it is 179 miles in length and starts near Hoyt Lakes, Minnesota. The river's watershed is in area...
. The Aerial Lift Bridge, on which vehicles cross the canal, connects Canal Park
Canal Park (Duluth)
Canal Park is a tourist and recreation-oriented district of Duluth, Minnesota, United States. Situated across the Interstate 35 freeway from Downtown Duluth, it is connected by the famous Aerial Lift Bridge to the Park Point sandbar and neighborhood...
with Minnesota Point
Minnesota Point
Minnesota Point, also known as the Park Point neighborhood of Duluth, Minnesota, United States; is a long, narrow sand spit that extends out from the Canal Park tourist recreation-oriented district of the city of Duluth...
("Park Point").
Weather station
A weather station is a facility, either on land or sea, with instruments and equipment for observing atmospheric conditions to provide information for weather forecasts and to study the weather and climate. The measurements taken include temperature, barometric pressure, humidity, wind speed, wind...
, situated on Park Point, has an elevation of 607 feet (185 m), whereas the elevation of Duluth International Airport atop the hill is 1,427 feet (435 m)--820 feet higher.
As the city has grown, the population has tended to hug the Lake Superior shoreline, hence Duluth is primarily a southwest–northeast city. A considerable amount of development on the hill's upslope gives Duluth a reputation for steep streets. Some neighborhoods, such as Piedmont Heights
Piedmont Heights (Duluth)
Piedmont Heights is a neighborhood in Duluth, Minnesota, United States.Piedmont Avenue, Chambersburg Avenue, and Morris Thomas Road are three of the main arterial routes in the community. The neighborhood is located between Skyline Parkway and Haines Road....
and Bayview Heights
Bayview Heights (Duluth)
Bayview Heights is a primarily residential neighborhood in Duluth, Minnesota, United States. Although it is grouped by the city with the West Duluth communities, it often functions more as a part of the city of Proctor than of Duluth, due primarily to its hilltop location rather than the...
, are atop the hill, at times giving scenic views of the city. The Goat Hill neighborhood overlooking the "can of worms" freeway interchange above 22nd Avenue West is an example of this. Another is Skyline Parkway, a scenic road that extends from Becks Road above the Gary – New Duluth neighborhood near the western end of the city to the Lester Park neighborhood on the east side. Skyline Parkway crosses nearly the entire length of Duluth and affords breathtaking views of the famous Aerial Lift Bridge, Canal Park, and the many industries that inhabit the largest inland port. Most important, the tip of Lake Superior can be seen continuously from high on the brow of the hill. Perhaps the most rapidly developing part of the city is Miller Hill Mall and the adjacent big-box retailer shopping strip "over the hill"–the Miller Trunk Highway
Miller Trunk Corridor
The Highway 53 or Miller Trunk Corridor refers to a large agglomeration of retail development in Duluth, Minnesota on and around U.S. Highway 53, and by extension, State Highway 194 , and parts of the Arrowhead, Haines, and Maple Grove Roads...
corridor. The 2009–2010 road reconstruction project in Duluth's Miller Hill area improved transit movement through the U.S. Highway 53
U.S. Route 53
U.S. Route 53 is a north–south U.S. highway that runs for 403 miles from La Crosse, Wisconsin to northern Minnesota. It is the primary north–south route in northwestern Wisconsin, serving as a vital link between I-94 at Eau Claire, Wisconsin and the city of Duluth, Minnesota...
corridor from Trinity Road to Maple Grove Road. The highway project reconstructed connector roads, intersections, and adjacent roadways. Construction of a new international airport terminal is also underway as part of the government's Stimulus Reconstruction Program.
Climate
Demographics
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, 2.4% Native American, 1.1% Asian, 0.0% Pacific Islander, 0.3% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, and 1.8% from two or more races. 1.1% of the population was Hispanic or Latino of any race. The population's ancestry was 23.6% German
German American
German Americans are citizens of the United States of German ancestry and comprise about 51 million people, or 17% of the U.S. population, the country's largest self-reported ancestral group...
, 16.8% Norwegian
Norwegian American
Norwegian Americans are Americans of Norwegian descent. Norwegian immigrants went to the United States primarily in the later half of the 19th century and the first few decades of the 20th century. There are more than 4.5 million Norwegian Americans according to the most recent U.S. census, and...
, 15.3% Swedish
Swedish American
Swedish Americans are Americans of Swedish descent, especially the descendants of about 1.2 million immigrants from Sweden during 1885-1915. Most were Lutherans who affiliated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America ; some were Methodists...
, 10.6% Irish
Irish American
Irish Americans are citizens of the United States who can trace their ancestry to Ireland. A total of 36,278,332 Americans—estimated at 11.9% of the total population—reported Irish ancestry in the 2008 American Community Survey conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau...
, 7.1% Polish
Polish American
A Polish American , is a citizen of the United States of Polish descent. There are an estimated 10 million Polish Americans, representing about 3.2% of the population of the United States...
, 7.0% English, 5.1% Italian
Italian American
An Italian American , is an American of Italian ancestry. The designation may also refer to someone possessing Italian and American dual citizenship...
, 3.2% Scottish or Scotch-Irish, 1.5% Danish, and 0.4% Welsh according to the 2000 Census. Thus, slightly more than one-third of Duluth's residents were of Scandinavian (Norwegian, Swedish, or Danish) ancestry.
Among Duluth's households, 26.6% had children under 18, 41.4% were married couples living together, 11.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 43.9% were non-families. 34.5% of all households were one-person households, and 13.3% had someone 65 or older living alone. The average household size was 2.26 and the average family size was 2.90.
In the city the age distribution of the population shows 21.3% under the age of 18, 16.2% from 18 to 24, 26.1% from 25 to 44, 21.3% from 45 to 64, and 15.1% 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 93.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over there were 89.7 males.
Duluth's median household income was $33,766; median family income was $46,394. Males had a median income of $35,182, females $24,965. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
was $18,969. About 8.6% of families and 15.5% of all residents were below the poverty line, including 15.4% of those under 18 and 9.5% of those 65 or over.
Government
Don Ness
Don Ness is an American politician from Duluth, Minnesota, and the current mayor of that city. He is a member of the Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party.-Early life and education:...
.
Duluth is located in Minnesota's 8th congressional district
Minnesota's 8th congressional district
Minnesota's 8th congressional district covers the northeastern part of Minnesota. It is anchored by Duluth, Minnesota which is the fourth largest city in state. It also includes most of the Mesabi and Vermilion iron ranges. The district is best-known for its mining, agriculture, tourism, and...
, represented by Republican Chip Cravaack
Chip Cravaack
Raymond "Chip" Cravaack is the U.S. Representative for northeastern serving since January 2011. In his first try for political office, he upset 18-term Democratic incumbent Jim Oberstar by a margin of 4,400 votes to become the first Republican since 1947 to represent the district...
.
As of 2009, the city has a major budget deficit. The deficit has affected city services such as street maintenance, water service, and gas and sanitary sewer maintenance, and it has forced the reduction or elimination of many city-managed social programs. All of these compounded problems have resulted in city staff reductions. The sanitary sewer overflow problems have forced some residents to disconnect their home drainage systems from the sanitary sewer system at significant cost to the homeowner and have been a source of contention.
In 2004, Duluth was center to a separation-of-church-and-state legal battle between the city council, local residents, and the American Civil Liberties Union
American Civil Liberties Union
The American Civil Liberties Union is a U.S. non-profit organization whose stated mission is "to defend and preserve the individual rights and liberties guaranteed to every person in this country by the Constitution and laws of the United States." It works through litigation, legislation, and...
. The debate and eventual lawsuit revolved around a marble fixture on the lawn of City Hall. The fixture was inscribed with the Ten Commandments
Ten Commandments
The Ten Commandments, also known as the Decalogue , are a set of biblical principles relating to ethics and worship, which play a fundamental role in Judaism and most forms of Christianity. They include instructions to worship only God and to keep the Sabbath, and prohibitions against idolatry,...
. The city eventually agreed to remove the fixture. It it now resides on private property near the Comfort Suites Hotel on Canal Park Drive.
John Fedo
John Fedo is an American politician from Duluth, Minnesota, and a former mayor of that city. Prior to becoming the City's youngest mayor, he served on the Duluth City Council during the 1970s and owned a gas station in Duluth....
in an unflattering light with regard to responsibility in this. For decades local officials, including former mayor Gary Doty
Gary Doty
Gary Doty is an American politician from Duluth, Minnesota, and a former mayor of that city.-Early life:Doty was born in Duluth and was educated in the public school system there before going on to the University of Minnesota Duluth. After graduating in 1970 with a B.S...
, have acquired shared responsibility. The reason, according to the paper, is that unions are powerful in the area and winning their favor is a major factor in being elected.
During the 2000 presidential election, Green Party candidate Ralph Nader
Ralph Nader
Ralph Nader is an American political activist, as well as an author, lecturer, and attorney. Areas of particular concern to Nader include consumer protection, humanitarianism, environmentalism, and democratic government....
received over 7.0% of votes from Duluth residents, one of the highest Green Party percentages in the country for a city with a population of at least 85,000.
Economy
Arrowhead Region
The Arrowhead Region is located in the northeastern part of the U.S. state of Minnesota, so called because of its pointed shape. The predominantly rural region encompasses of land area and comprises Carlton, Cook, Lake and St. Louis Counties. Its population at the 2000 census was 248,425 residents...
Minnesota, northwestern Wisconsin, and the western Upper Peninsula of Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
. It is a major transportation center for the transshipment of coal, taconite, agricultural products, steel, limestone, and cement. In recent years it has seen strong growth in the transshipment of wind turbine components coming and going from manufacturers in both Europe and North Dakota and of oversized industrial machinery manufactured all around the world and destined for the tar sands oil extraction projects in northern Alberta.
Duluth is also a center for aquatic biology and aquatic science. The city is home to the EPA's Mid-Continent Ecology Division Laboratory and the University of Minnesota-Duluth. These institutions have spawned many economically and scientifically important businesses that support Duluth's economy. A short list of these businesses include ERA laboratories, LimnoLogic, the ASci Corporation
ASci Corporation
ASci is an American Corporation headquartered in McLean, Virginia with offices in Duluth, Minnesota, Bay City, Michigan and Vicksburg, Mississippi. The company conducts toxicology testing, environmental sampling and technology management services.-History:...
, Environmental Consulting and Testing, and Ecolab.
The city is a popular center for tourism. Duluth is a convenient base for trips to the scenic North Shore
North Shore (Lake Superior)
The North Shore of Lake Superior runs from Duluth, Minnesota, United States, at the southwestern end of the lake, to Thunder Bay and Nipigon, Ontario, Canada, in the north to Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, in the east...
via Highway 61
Minnesota State Highway 61
Minnesota State Highway 61 is a highway in northeast Minnesota, which runs from the junction of Interstate Highway 35 and Minnesota 61 in Duluth and continues northeast to its northern terminus at the U.S.-Canadian border near Grand Portage...
and to fishing and wilderness destinations in Minnesota's far north, including the Superior National Forest
Superior National Forest
Superior National Forest, part of the United States National Forest system, is located in the Arrowhead Region of the state of Minnesota between the Canada – United States border and the north shore of Lake Superior...
and the Boundary Waters Canoe Area. Tourists also may drive on the North Shore Scenic Drive to Gooseberry Falls State Park
Gooseberry Falls State Park
Gooseberry Falls State Park is a state park of Minnesota, USA, on the North Shore of Lake Superior. The park is located in Silver Creek Township, about 13 miles northeast of Two Harbors, Minnesota in Lake County on scenic Minnesota Highway 61. The Joseph N...
, Baptism Falls (Minnesota's largest waterfall), the vertical cliff of Palisade Head
Palisade Head
Palisade Head is a large rock formation on the North Shore of Lake Superior in the U.S. state of Minnesota. It is within Tettegouche State Park but not contiguous with the rest of that park...
, Isle Royale National Park
Isle Royale National Park
Isle Royale National Park is a U.S. National Park in the state of Michigan. Isle Royale, the largest island in Lake Superior, is over 45 miles in length and 9 miles wide at its widest point. The park is made of Isle Royale itself and approximately 400 smaller islands, along with any submerged...
(reached via ferry), Grand Portage National Monument
Grand Portage National Monument
Grand Portage National Monument is a United States National Monument located on the north shore of Lake Superior in northeastern Minnesota that preserves a vital center of fur trade activity and Anishinaabeg Ojibwe heritage....
in Grand Portage, and High Falls of the Pigeon River (on the Canadian border). Thunder Bay
Thunder Bay
-In Canada:Thunder Bay is the name of three places in the province of Ontario, Canada along Lake Superior:*Thunder Bay District, Ontario, a district in Northwestern Ontario*Thunder Bay, a city in Thunder Bay District*Thunder Bay, Unorganized, Ontario...
, Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
, can be reached by following the highway into Canada along Lake Superior.
Duluth is now working with Superior, Wisconsin, to bring Google Fiber
Google Fiber
Google Fiber is a project to build an experimental broadband internet network in Kansas City, Kansas and Kansas City, Missouri, following a selection process. Over 1,100 communities applied to be the first recipient of the technology....
internet to the Twin Ports
Twin Ports
The Twin Ports of Duluth, Minnesota and Superior, Wisconsin are located at the western part of Lake Superior and together are considered the largest freshwater port in the world. They are twin cities and seaports, connected to the Atlantic Ocean through the Great Lakes and the St. Lawrence...
.
Transportation
Interstate 35
Interstate 35 is a north–south Interstate Highway in the central United States. I-35 stretches from Laredo, Texas, on the U.S.-Mexico border to Duluth, Minnesota, at Minnesota Highway 61 and 26th Avenue East. Many interstates used to have splits or spurs indicated with suffixed letters , but I-35...
, which stretches south to Laredo, Texas
Laredo, Texas
Laredo is the county seat of Webb County, Texas, United States, located on the north bank of the Rio Grande in South Texas, across from Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas, Mexico. According to the 2010 census, the city population was 236,091 making it the 3rd largest on the United States-Mexican border,...
. U.S. Highways that serve the area are U.S. Highway 53
U.S. Route 53
U.S. Route 53 is a north–south U.S. highway that runs for 403 miles from La Crosse, Wisconsin to northern Minnesota. It is the primary north–south route in northwestern Wisconsin, serving as a vital link between I-94 at Eau Claire, Wisconsin and the city of Duluth, Minnesota...
, which stretches from La Crosse, Wisconsin
La Crosse, Wisconsin
La Crosse is a city in and the county seat of La Crosse County, Wisconsin, United States. The city lies alongside the Mississippi River.The 2011 Census Bureau estimates the city had a population of 52,485...
, to International Falls, Minnesota
International Falls, Minnesota
International Falls is a city in and the county seat of Koochiching County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 6,424 at the 2010 census....
, and U.S. Highway 2
U.S. Route 2
U.S. Route 2 is an east–west U.S. Highway spanning across the northern continental United States. US 2 consists of two segments connected by various roadways in southern Canada...
, which stretches from Everett, Washington
Everett, Washington
Everett is the county seat of and the largest city in Snohomish County, Washington, United States. Named for Everett Colby, son of founder Charles L. Colby, it lies north of Seattle. The city had a total population of 103,019 at the 2010 census, making it the 6th largest in the state and...
, to St.Ignace
St. Ignace, Michigan
Saint Ignace, usually written as St. Ignace, is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 2,678. It is the county seat of Mackinac County. From the Lower Peninsula, St. Ignace is the gateway to the Upper Peninsula.St...
, in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan
Upper Peninsula of Michigan
The Upper Peninsula of Michigan is the northern of the two major land masses that make up the U.S. state of Michigan. It is commonly referred to as the Upper Peninsula, the U.P., or Upper Michigan. It is also known as the land "above the Bridge" linking the two peninsulas. The peninsula is bounded...
. The southwestern part of the city has Thompson Hill, where travelers entering Duluth on I-35 can see most of Duluth, including the Aerial Lift Bridge
Aerial Lift Bridge
The Aerial Lift Bridge is a major landmark in the port city of Duluth, Minnesota. The span is a vertical lift bridge, which is rather uncommon, but it began life as an extremely rare transporter bridge—the first of just two such bridges ever constructed in the United States...
and the waterfront. There are two freeway connections from Duluth to Superior. U.S. Highway 2
U.S. Route 2 in Minnesota
U.S. Highway 2 is a highway in northwest and northeast Minnesota, which runs from the Red River at East Grand Forks and continues east to Duluth, where the route crosses the Richard I. Bong Memorial Bridge over the Saint Louis Bay. The route connects the cities of East Grand Forks, Bemidji, Grand...
provides a connection into Superior via the Richard I. Bong Memorial Bridge
Richard I. Bong Memorial Bridge
The Richard I. Bong Memorial Bridge, also known as the Bong Bridge, connects Duluth, Minnesota with Superior, Wisconsin via U.S. Highway 2. Opened on October 25, 1985, it is roughly 11,800 feet long. About 8,300 feet of that length is actually over water. It crosses over the Saint Louis Bay...
; and Interstate 535
Interstate 535
Interstate 535 is a long Interstate Highway spur route of Interstate 35 in Minnesota and Wisconsin, in the United States. It is paired with U.S...
is concurrent
Concurrency (road)
A concurrency, overlap, or coincidence in a road network is an instance of one physical road bearing two or more different highway, motorway, or other route numbers...
with U.S. 53
U.S. Route 53
U.S. Route 53 is a north–south U.S. highway that runs for 403 miles from La Crosse, Wisconsin to northern Minnesota. It is the primary north–south route in northwestern Wisconsin, serving as a vital link between I-94 at Eau Claire, Wisconsin and the city of Duluth, Minnesota...
over the John Blatnik Bridge
John A. Blatnik Bridge
The John A. Blatnik Bridge is the bridge that carries Interstate Highway 535 and U.S. Highway 53 over the Saint Louis Bay, a tributary of Lake Superior, between Duluth, Minnesota and Superior, Wisconsin. The bridge is long and rises up nearly above the water to accommodate the seaway shipping...
.
Minnesota State Highway 23
Minnesota State Highway 23 is a state highway that stretches from southwest to northeast Minnesota. At in length, it is the second longest state route in Minnesota, after MN 1....
runs diagonally across Minnesota, indirectly connecting Duluth to Sioux Falls, South Dakota
Sioux Falls, South Dakota
Sioux Falls is the largest city in the U.S. state of South Dakota. Sioux Falls is the county seat of Minnehaha County, and also extends into Lincoln County to the south...
. Highway 33
Minnesota State Highway 33
Minnesota State Highway 33 is a highway in northeast Minnesota, which runs from its interchange with Interstate 35 at Cloquet and continues north to its northern terminus at its interchange with U.S. Highway 53 at Independence...
provides a western bypass of Duluth connecting Interstate 35
Interstate 35 in Minnesota
In the U.S. state of Minnesota, Interstate 35 is a highway in southeast, east-central, and northeast Minnesota. The route runs north–south from the Iowa state line through the twin cities of Minneapolis and Saint Paul; where it splits into Interstates 35E and 35W; and ends in the city of...
, which comes up from the Twin Cities, to U.S. 53
U.S. Route 53
U.S. Route 53 is a north–south U.S. highway that runs for 403 miles from La Crosse, Wisconsin to northern Minnesota. It is the primary north–south route in northwestern Wisconsin, serving as a vital link between I-94 at Eau Claire, Wisconsin and the city of Duluth, Minnesota...
, which leads to Iron Range cities and International Falls. Highway 61
Minnesota State Highway 61
Minnesota State Highway 61 is a highway in northeast Minnesota, which runs from the junction of Interstate Highway 35 and Minnesota 61 in Duluth and continues northeast to its northern terminus at the U.S.-Canadian border near Grand Portage...
provides access to Thunder Bay
Thunder Bay
-In Canada:Thunder Bay is the name of three places in the province of Ontario, Canada along Lake Superior:*Thunder Bay District, Ontario, a district in Northwestern Ontario*Thunder Bay, a city in Thunder Bay District*Thunder Bay, Unorganized, Ontario...
, Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
, via the North Shore
North Shore (Lake Superior)
The North Shore of Lake Superior runs from Duluth, Minnesota, United States, at the southwestern end of the lake, to Thunder Bay and Nipigon, Ontario, Canada, in the north to Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, in the east...
of Lake Superior. Highway 194
Minnesota State Highway 194
Minnesota State Highway 194 is a highway in northeast Minnesota, which runs from its intersection with U.S. Highway 2 in Solway Township and continues east to its eastern terminus at its Mesaba Avenue interchange with Interstate Highway 35 in downtown Duluth. For part of its route, it runs...
provides a spur route
Spur route
A spur route is a short road forming a branch from a longer, more important route . A bypass or beltway is never considered a true spur route as it typically reconnects with the major road...
into the city of Duluth known as "Central Entrance" and Mesaba Avenue. Wisconsin Highway 13 reaches along Lake Superior's South Shore
South Shore (Lake Superior)
The South Shore of Lake Superior stretches from Superior, Wisconsin, USA at the southwestern end of the lake along the Upper Peninsula of Michigan to Sault Ste Marie, Michigan, USA in the east....
. Wisconsin Highway 35 runs along Wisconsin's western border for 412 miles (663 km) to its southern terminus at the Wisconsin
Wisconsin
Wisconsin is a U.S. state located in the north-central United States and is part of the Midwest. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michigan to the northeast, and Lake Superior to the north. Wisconsin's capital is...
– Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
border (three miles north of East Dubuque
East Dubuque, Illinois
East Dubuque is a city in Jo Daviess County, Illinois, United States. The population was 1,704 at the 2010 census, down from 1,995 at the 2000 census. East Dubuque is located alongside the Mississippi River. Across the river is the city of Dubuque, Iowa. About three miles north of the city is the...
).
Highway 61 and parts of Highways 2 and 53 are segments of the Lake Superior Circle Tour route that follows Lake Superior
Lake Superior
Lake Superior is the largest of the five traditionally-demarcated Great Lakes of North America. It is bounded to the north by the Canadian province of Ontario and the U.S. state of Minnesota, and to the south by the U.S. states of Wisconsin and Michigan. It is the largest freshwater lake in the...
through Minnesota, Ontario, Michigan, and Wisconsin.
Duluth International Airport
Duluth International Airport
Duluth International Airport is a city-owned, public-use airport located five nautical miles northwest of the central business district of Duluth, a city in St. Louis County, Minnesota, United States. It serves the Duluth-Superior area including Superior, Wisconsin...
serves the city and surrounding region with daily flights to Minneapolis, Detroit, and Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
, and weekly flights to Orlando
Orlando
Orlando is a major city in the U.S. state of Florida.Orlando may also refer to-Places:* in Florida** Orlando, a major city** Greater Orlando, the 27th-largest metropolitan area in the United States...
and Las Vegas
Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and is also the county seat of Clark County, Nevada. Las Vegas is an internationally renowned major resort city for gambling, shopping, and fine dining. The city bills itself as The Entertainment Capital of the World, and is famous...
. Nearby municipal airports are Duluth Sky Harbor
Sky Harbor Airport (Minnesota)
Sky Harbor Airport & Seaplane Base or Sky Harbor Airport is a public airport in Duluth, Minnesota, United States. It is located near the Wisconsin border, between Superior Bay and Lake Superior...
on Minnesota Point and the Richard I. Bong Memorial Airport in Superior. Both the Bong Airport and Bong Bridge are named for famed World War II pilot and highest-scoring American World War II air ace Major Richard Ira "Dick" Bong
Richard Bong
Richard Ira "Dick" Bong is the United States' highest-scoring air ace, having shot down at least 40 Japanese aircraft during World War II. He was a fighter pilot in the U.S. Army Air Forces and a recipient of the Medal of Honor...
, a native of nearby Poplar, Wisconsin
Poplar, Wisconsin
Poplar is a village in Douglas County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 552 at the 2000 census.U.S. Highway 2 serves as a main arterial route in the community.-Geography:Poplar is located at ....
.
Located at the western end of the St. Lawrence Seaway, the Duluth-Superior seaport is the largest and farthest-inland freshwater seaport in North America. By far the largest and busiest on the Great Lakes
Great Lakes
The Great Lakes are a collection of freshwater lakes located in northeastern North America, on the Canada – United States border. Consisting of Lakes Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie, and Ontario, they form the largest group of freshwater lakes on Earth by total surface, coming in second by volume...
, the port handles an average of 46 million short tons of cargo and over 1,100 visits each year from domestic and international vessels. With 49 miles (78.9 km) of waterfront, it is one of the leading bulk cargo ports in North America and ranks among the top 20 ports in the United States. Duluth is a major shipping port for taconite
Taconite
Taconite is a variety of iron formation, an iron-bearing sedimentary rock, in which the iron minerals are interlayered with quartz, chert, or carbonate...
pellets, made from concentrated low-grade iron ore and destined for midwestern and eastern steel mills. The former Duluth, Missabe and Iron Range Railway
Duluth, Missabe and Iron Range Railway
The Duluth, Missabe and Iron Range Railway is a railroad operating in northern Minnesota and Wisconsin that hauls iron ore and later taconite to the Great Lakes ports of Duluth and Two Harbors, Minnesota...
, now part of the Canadian National Railway
Canadian National Railway
The Canadian National Railway Company is a Canadian Class I railway headquartered in Montreal, Quebec. CN's slogan is "North America's Railroad"....
, operates taconite-hauling trains in the area. Duluth is also served by the BNSF Railway
BNSF Railway
The BNSF Railway is a wholly owned subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway Inc., and is headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas. It is one of seven North American Class I railroads and the second largest freight railroad network in North America, second only to the Union Pacific Railroad, its primary...
, the Canadian Pacific Railway
Canadian Pacific Railway
The Canadian Pacific Railway , formerly also known as CP Rail between 1968 and 1996, is a historic Canadian Class I railway founded in 1881 and now operated by Canadian Pacific Railway Limited, which began operations as legal owner in a corporate restructuring in 2001...
, and the Union Pacific Railroad
Union Pacific Railroad
The Union Pacific Railroad , headquartered in Omaha, Nebraska, is the largest railroad network in the United States. James R. Young is president, CEO and Chairman....
.
The local bus system is run by the Duluth Transit Authority
Duluth Transit Authority
The Duluth Transit Authority is the operator of mass transportation in Duluth, Minnesota. Service is also provided in Proctor, Minnesota and Superior, Wisconsin as well as the eastern edge of Hermantown, Minnesota. The organization was formed in 1969 by the Minnesota State Legislature...
, which serves Duluth and Superior. The DTA runs a system of buses manufactured by Gillig
Gillig
Gillig Corporation, formerly Gillig Bros., is a manufacturer of heavy-duty low-floor transit buses located in Hayward, California. Prior to 1993, Gillig had also been a manufacturer of school buses.-History:...
, including new hybrids.
Duluth is also served by Greyhound Lines
Greyhound Lines
Greyhound Lines, Inc., based in Dallas, Texas, is an intercity common carrier of passengers by bus serving over 3,700 destinations in the United States, Canada and Mexico, operating under the well-known logo of a leaping greyhound. It was founded in Hibbing, Minnesota, USA, in 1914 and...
and Jefferson Lines
Jefferson Lines
Jefferson Lines is a regional intercity bus company operating in United States. The company's name originates in the Jefferson Highway, a north-south route in the early National Auto Trail system which once ran from Winnipeg in Manitoba, Canada, south to New Orleans, Louisiana. The service to...
with daily service to the Twin Cities.
Utilities
Duluth gets electric power from Duluth-based Minnesota Power, a subsidiary of ALLETE Corporation. Minnesota Power produces energy at generation facilities located throughout northern Minnesota and a generation plant in North Dakota. The latter supplies electricity into the MP system by the Square ButteSquare Butte
Square Butte is the designation of a high voltage direct current transmission line in the USA between the Milton R. Young Power Plant near Center, North Dakota at and the Arrowhead converter station near Adolph, MN at . It was built by Minnkota Power Cooperative and Minnesota Power and went in...
HVDC line, which ends near the town.
Minnesota Power primarily uses western coal to generate electricity, but also has a number of small hydroelectric facilities, the largest of which is the Thomson Dam southwest of Duluth on the St. Louis River.
In December of 2006, Minnesota Power began purchasing all the energy generated from the new 50-MW Oliver Wind I Energy Center built by NextEra Resources near Center, N.D. In 2007, Minnesota Power entered into a second 25-year wind power purchase agreement with NextEra. A 48-MW facility was built adjacent to the initial Oliver County wind farm, and the new generators began commercial operation in November of 2007.
Construction began in 2010 on the 76-MW Bison Wind I Energy Center near New Salem, N.D. Bison I represents the first wave of Minnesota Power-constructed wind farms that will be built in south central North Dakota and linked to Minnesota. by way of a 465-mile direct current (DC) transmission line. ALLETE finalized an agreement Jan. 1, 2010 to purchase a 250-kilovolt DC line between Center, N.D. and Hermantown, Minn. (near ALLETE headquarters in Duluth) and phase out a long-term contract to buy coal-generated electricity now transmitted over the line.
Duluth has recently become, because of the wind energy demand, a port for wind energy parts shipments from overseas and the hub for shipments out to various wind energy sites in the midwest.
Media
Local newspapers include the BusinessNorth monthly, the Duluth News TribuneDuluth News Tribune
The Duluth News Tribune is a newspaper in Duluth, Minnesota. It is published by Forum Communications, which bought it in 2006 after The McClatchy Company acquired the News Tribunes previous owner, Knight Ridder.The present incarnation of the newspaper is the outcome of the merger and takeover of...
, the Duluth Budgeteer News
Duluth Budgeteer News
The Duluth Budgeteer News is a newspaper in Duluth, Minnesota. It is published by Forum Communications, which bought it in 2006.-History:...
, the free newspapers Transistor, The Zenith, and The Reader Weekly.
Locally based nationally distributed magazines include Cabin Life
Cabin Life
Cabin Life Magazine founded in April 2001, is a nationally distributed award winning magazine focused on the vacation home lifestyle for cabins, cottages, lakehomes and lodges....
, Lake Superior Magazine, and New Moon Magazine.
Locally based websites include PerfectDuluthDay.com and TwinPortsNightLife.com.
Education
University of Minnesota Duluth
The University of Minnesota Duluth is a regional branch of the University of Minnesota system located in Duluth, Minnesota, USA. As Duluth's public research university, UMD offers 13 bachelor's degrees in 74 majors, graduate programs in 24 different fields, a two-year program at the School of...
(UMD), The College of St. Scholastica
The College of St. Scholastica
The College of Saint Scholastica is a private college with its main campus located in Duluth, Minnesota. The College was founded in 1912 by a group of pioneering Benedictine Sisters who offered college courses to six young women. Today St. Scholastica educates more than 4,000 students annually and...
, Lake Superior College
Lake Superior College
Lake Superior College is a two-year community and technical college located in Duluth, Minnesota on Trinity Road.Lake Superior College, or "LSC" as it's informally known, offers pre-baccalaureate majors for students interested in transferring to 4-year educational institutions as well as more than...
, and Duluth Business University
Duluth Business University
Duluth Business University is a 300+ student privately owned and operated business college.Founded in 1891 in Duluth, Minnesota and known locally as DBU, the privately owned and operated school has always maintained a clear focus on career specific training...
. The UMD campus includes a medical school
Medical school
A medical school is a tertiary educational institution—or part of such an institution—that teaches medicine. Degree programs offered at medical schools often include Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine, Bachelor/Doctor of Medicine, Doctor of Philosophy, master's degree, or other post-secondary...
. The University of Wisconsin - Superior and Wisconsin Indianhead Technical College
Wisconsin Indianhead Technical College
Wisconsin Indianhead Technical College is a two-year technical college with campuses in Ashland, New Richmond, Rice Lake, and Superior, Wisconsin. There are also two branches in Hayward and Ladysmith. WITC also operates a learning center in Washburn County. WITC's administrative offices are in...
are in nearby Superior, Wisconsin
Superior, Wisconsin
Superior is a city in and the county seat of Douglas County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 26,960 at the 2010 census. Located at the junction of U.S. Highways 2 and 53, it is north of and adjacent to both the Village of Superior and the Town of Superior.Superior is at the western...
.
Most public schools are administered by Duluth Public Schools
Duluth Public Schools
Duluth Public Schools is a school district based in Duluth, Minnesota. It is also known as Independent School District #709.-High schools:As of September 2011, two high schools in the district serve grades 9-12....
. The schools have open enrollment. ISD 709 (Independent School District number 709) is now undertaking a reconstruction of all area schools under a program called the "Red Plan." The Red Plan's goals are the reconstruction of some older schools to meet new educational guidelines, and the construction of four new school buildings. The new schools will result in the redistricting of many students. As of 2009, the Red Plan was and is being contested in court by some citizens because of the cost of implementing the plan and because of the choice of construction management contractor.
Several independent and public charter schools
Charter school
Charter schools are primary or secondary schools that receive public money but are not subject to some of the rules, regulations, and statutes that apply to other public schools in exchange for some type of accountability for producing certain results, which are set forth in each school's charter...
also serve Duluth students. The largest is Marshall School, a private college preparatory school founded in 1972 and covering grades 4-12. Duluth has four Catholic schools with coverage up to grades 6 or 8, two Protestant schools, one Montessori school, and six other charter and private schools.
Arts
Tweed Museum of Art
The Tweed Museum of Art is a museum located on the campus of the University of Minnesota Duluth, in Duluth, Minnesota.It has a permanent collection of over 6,000 works covering a range of periods and cultures in art history, with particular strengths in American landscape painting. The Tweed was...
at the University of Minnesota Duluth
University of Minnesota Duluth
The University of Minnesota Duluth is a regional branch of the University of Minnesota system located in Duluth, Minnesota, USA. As Duluth's public research university, UMD offers 13 bachelor's degrees in 74 majors, graduate programs in 24 different fields, a two-year program at the School of...
, the Karpeles Manuscript Library Museum
Karpeles Manuscript Library Museum
The Karpeles Manuscript Library is the world’s largest private collection of original manuscripts and documents.The library was founded in 1983 by California real estate magnates, David and Marsha Karpeles, with the goal of stimulating interest in learning, especially in children...
, and smaller local art galleries. See the List of Museums in Duluth. The Duluth Public Library
Duluth Public Library
The Duluth Public Library is located in downtown Duluth, Minnesota. It is a part of the Arrowhead Library System and serves a population of 86,918.-Services:...
has three locations. Duluth is also home to a professional ballet company
Ballet company
A ballet company is a group of dancers who perform ballet, plus managerial and support staff. Most major ballet companies employ dancers on a year-round basis, except in the United States, where contracts for part of the year are the norm...
, the Minnesota Ballet
Minnesota Ballet
The Minnesota Ballet is a ballet company and school located in Duluth, Minnesota. Founded in 1965 by Donna Harkins and Jan Gibson as the Duluth Civic Ballet, the company has since expanded into a touring company with fourteen professional artists, who are locally based...
. Duluth shares a symphony orchestra--the Duluth Superior Symphony Orchestra http://www.dsso.com--with Superior, Wisconsin. In summer free concerts are often held in Chester Park, where local musicians play for crowds. The Bayfront Blues Festival is held in early August. Beginning in 2004, Duluth has celebrated Gay Pride
Gay pride
LGBT pride or gay pride is the concept that lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people should be proud of their sexual orientation and gender identity...
with a parade
Gay pride parade
Pride parades for the LGBT community are events celebrating lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender culture. The events also at times serve as demonstrations for legal rights such as same-sex marriage...
on Labor Day
Labor Day
Labor Day is a United States federal holiday observed on the first Monday in September that celebrates the economic and social contributions of workers.-History:...
weekend. The city celebrates the Homegrown Music Festival
Homegrown Music Festival
The Homegrown Music Festival is Duluth, Minnesota's annual showcase of local bands. The event has grown from featuring 10 acts in 1999 to 156 in 2011...
the first week in May each year. Started in 1998, the festival features over 130 local musical acts performing across the city. The Junior Achievement High School ROCKS - Battle of the Bands showcases middle school and high school bands from central Minnesota to the Canadian border and northern Wisconsin and takes place at the DECC in mid-April. Duluth is where the Northeastern Minnesota Book Awards
Northeastern Minnesota Book Awards
The Northeastern Minnesota Book Awards, or the NEMBA Awards, are awards presented annually for books that "substantially represent northeastern Minnesota in the areas of history, culture, heritage, or lifestyle."...
are given, honoring books about the region.
There also exists under a section of Interstate 35 a stretch of graffiti known as the Graffiti
Graffiti
Graffiti is the name for images or lettering scratched, scrawled, painted or marked in any manner on property....
Graveyard. It is known throughout Duluth. Many residents remember visiting the Graffiti Graveyard during their teenage years.
Parks and recreation
Duluth has numerous parks. These include six parks on Lake Superior: Brighton Beach Park, Leif Erickson Park, Canal Park on Park Point, the Lakewalk (connecting Canal Park and Leif Erickson Park via the lakeshore), Lafayette Park on Park Point, and Park Point Recreation Area at the end of Park Point, where a sand beach invites swimming in the lake. Duluth's other parks include Lester Park, Congdon Park, Hartley Park, Chester Park, the Rose Garden (next to Leif Erickson Park), Bayfront Festival Park, Cascade Park, Enger Park, Lincoln Park, Brewer Park, Fairmount Park, Indian Point Park, Magney–Snively Park, and Fond du Lac Park, as well as some small neighborhood parks and athletic fields. Lester Park, Congdon Park, Hartley Park, and Chester Park have trail systems, and three of these parks–all except Hartley–also have waterfalls, as does Lincoln Park. Hartley Park also has a nature center. Lester Park and Enger Park have public golf courses. Fairmount Park has the Lake Superior Zoo. Jay Cooke State ParkJay Cooke State Park
Jay Cooke State Park is a Minnesota state park located about ten miles southwest of Duluth, just outside the small town of Thomson. Jay Cooke is situated on the St...
, with its famous swinging bridge (a footbridge) across the Saint Louis River, lies southwest of Duluth, just beyond the city limits.
In addition to the two public golf courses (Lester Park and Enger Park), golfers can play at the Northland Country Club and the Ridgeview Country Club. Duluth also has 5 public tennis courts and 63 private tennis club courts. And the city has many indoor and outdoor ice rinks, including curling facilities.
Duluth hosts a 39 miles (62.8 km) segment of the Superior Hiking Trail, soon to be part of the North Country National Scenic Trail – the nation's longest hiking trail. This trail segment passes through or near Jay Cooke State Park, Ely's Peak, Bardon's Peak, the Magney–Snively old growth forest, Spirit Mountain, Enger Park, Point of Rocks, the Lakewalk, Chester Park, UMD's Bagley nature trails, and Hartley Park. It features fabulous views of the Saint Louis River, the Twin Ports, the Aerial Bridge, and Lake Superior.
Since 1977, Duluth has played host to Grandma's Marathon
Grandma's Marathon
Grandma's Marathon is an annual road race held each June in Duluth, Minnesota, in the United States. The course runs point-to-point from the town of Two Harbors on Scenic Route 61 and continues along Lake Superior into the city of Duluth...
, held annually in June. Named after its original sponsor, Grandma's Restaurant, it draws runners from all over the world. The course starts just outside Two Harbors, Minnesota
Two Harbors, Minnesota
As of the census of 2000, there were 3,613 people, 1,636 households, and 953 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,120.7 people per square mile . There were 1,631 housing units at an average density of 505.9 per square mile...
, runs down Old Highway 61 (the former route of Highway 61
Minnesota State Highway 61
Minnesota State Highway 61 is a highway in northeast Minnesota, which runs from the junction of Interstate Highway 35 and Minnesota 61 in Duluth and continues northeast to its northern terminus at the U.S.-Canadian border near Grand Portage...
along the North Shore
North Shore (Lake Superior)
The North Shore of Lake Superior runs from Duluth, Minnesota, United States, at the southwestern end of the lake, to Thunder Bay and Nipigon, Ontario, Canada, in the north to Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, in the east...
of Lake Superior
Lake Superior
Lake Superior is the largest of the five traditionally-demarcated Great Lakes of North America. It is bounded to the north by the Canadian province of Ontario and the U.S. state of Minnesota, and to the south by the U.S. states of Wisconsin and Michigan. It is the largest freshwater lake in the...
), and finishes in one of Duluth's tourism neighborhoods, Canal Park
Canal Park
Canal Park may refer to a place in the United States:* Canal Park , Minnesota, a neighborhood* Canal Park , a baseball stadium...
. The same route is also taken during the North Shore Inline Marathon, held in September and also drawing racers from all over the world.
The John Beargrease
John Beargrease
John Beargrease, born 1858 as the son of a minor Anishinaabe chief by the name of Makwabimidem , is best remembered as the winter mail carrier between Two Harbors, Minnesota and Grand Marais, Minnesota during the last two decades of the nineteenth century. John used a row boat and a dog sled to...
Sled Dog Marathon is Duluth's annual sled dog race, held in February. The race is named after the son of Anishinaabe
Anishinaabe
Anishinaabe or Anishinabe—or more properly Anishinaabeg or Anishinabek, which is the plural form of the word—is the autonym often used by the Odawa, Ojibwe, and Algonquin peoples. They all speak closely related Anishinaabemowin/Anishinaabe languages, of the Algonquian language family.The meaning...
Chief Makwabimidem. Beargrease was one of the first mail carriers between Two Harbors, Minnesota
Two Harbors, Minnesota
As of the census of 2000, there were 3,613 people, 1,636 households, and 953 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,120.7 people per square mile . There were 1,631 housing units at an average density of 505.9 per square mile...
, and Grand Marais, Minnesota
Grand Marais, Minnesota
Grand Marais is a city in Cook County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 1,351 at the 2010 census. It is also the county seat of Cook County...
. He and his brothers carried mail by dogsled, boat, and horse for almost twenty years between the two towns, which were unconnected by road. Marathon competitors can choose between two distances. The longer 400 miles (644 km) course takes a round trip from Duluth to the Boundary Waters Canoe Area. The 150 miles (241 km) course departs from Duluth and ends in Tofte, Minnesota
Tofte Township, Minnesota
Tofte Township is one of the three townships of Cook County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 226 at the 2000 census.-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, the township has a total area of 162.6 square miles , of which, 154.6 square miles of it is land and...
. The marathon was first held in 1980. It is regarded as a training ground for Alaska's larger and more elite Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race.
The city is home to Duluth Curling Club, Duluth Yacht Club and the Duluth-Superior Sailing Association.
Sites of interest
The noted Glensheen Historic EstateGlensheen Historic Estate
The Glensheen Historic Estate is a historic mansion on Lake Superior owned by the University of Minnesota Duluth. Glensheen sits on of lake front property, has 38 rooms and is built in the Jacobean architectural tradition, inspired by the Beaux-Arts styles of the era. The mansion was...
, built by wealthy businessman Chester Adgate Congdon
Chester Adgate Congdon
Chester Adgate Congdon , lawyer and capitalist, was born in Rochester, New York, on the 12th of June, 1853, his parents being Sylvester Laurentius and Laura Jane Congdon...
, can be found on the shore of Lake Superior and is open to tours year-round. The Aerial Lift Bridge
Aerial Lift Bridge
The Aerial Lift Bridge is a major landmark in the port city of Duluth, Minnesota. The span is a vertical lift bridge, which is rather uncommon, but it began life as an extremely rare transporter bridge—the first of just two such bridges ever constructed in the United States...
, spanning the short canal
Canal
Canals are man-made channels for water. There are two types of canal:#Waterways: navigable transportation canals used for carrying ships and boats shipping goods and conveying people, further subdivided into two kinds:...
into Duluth's harbor, is a vertical lift bridge
Lift bridge
A vertical-lift bridge or lift bridge is a type of movable bridge in which a span rises vertically while remaining parallel with the deck....
. It was originally an exceedingly rare aerial transfer bridge--a bridge that slides a basketlike "gondola" back and forth to transfer people and vehicles from one side to the other. Historic Central High School
Historic Central High School (Duluth)
The Historic Central High School in the U.S. city of Duluth, Minnesota was built in 1892 of locally-mined Sandstone at a cost of $460,000. It features a 230 foot clock tower with chimes patterned after Big Ben in London; the clock faces are each 10½ feet in diameter, overlooking the...
towers over the harbor and features an 1890s classroom museum. The wreck of the Thomas Wilson
Thomas Wilson (shipwreck)
The Thomas Wilson was a whaleback freighter built in 1892 and used to haul bulk freight on the Great Lakes. The ship sank in the harbor of Duluth, Minnesota, on Lake Superior, on 7 June 1902, after a collision with the George Hadley...
, a classic early 20th century whaleback
Whaleback
A cargo steamship of unique design, with a hull that continuously curved above the waterline from vertical to horizontal leaving, when fully loaded, only the rounded portion of the hull above the waterline, was unofficially called a "whaleback". With sides curved in towards the ends, it had a...
ore boat, lies underwater less than a mile outside the Duluth harbor ship canal. The USCGC Sundew (WLB-404)
USCGC Sundew (WLB-404)
The USCGC Sundew is a sea going buoy tender . An Iris, or C-class vessel, it was built by Marine Ironworks and Shipbuilding Corporation in Duluth, Minnesota. Sundews preliminary design was completed by the United States Lighthouse Service and the final design was produced by Marine Iron and...
, a former USCG Seagoing Buoy Tender
USCG Seagoing Buoy Tender
The Seagoing Buoy Tender is a type of U.S. Coast Guard cutter originally designed to service aids to navigation, throughout the waters of the United States, and wherever U.S. shipping interests require. The Coast Guard has maintained a fleet of seagoing buoy tenders dating back to its origins in...
, is a museum ship
Museum ship
A museum ship, or sometimes memorial ship, is a ship that has been preserved and converted into a museum open to the public, for educational or memorial purposes...
along the Duluth waterfront, as is the 610' long William A Irvin.
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| Great Lakes Aquarium Great Lakes Aquarium Great Lakes Aquarium is one of few aquariums in the United States that focuses on freshwater exhibits . It is housed in a three-story building in Duluth, Minnesota on the shores of Lake Superior and has numerous large and smaller satellite tanks that comprise the 120,000 gallon facility... |
Glensheen Historic Estate Glensheen Historic Estate The Glensheen Historic Estate is a historic mansion on Lake Superior owned by the University of Minnesota Duluth. Glensheen sits on of lake front property, has 38 rooms and is built in the Jacobean architectural tradition, inspired by the Beaux-Arts styles of the era. The mansion was... |
The Thomas Wilson Thomas Wilson (shipwreck) The Thomas Wilson was a whaleback freighter built in 1892 and used to haul bulk freight on the Great Lakes. The ship sank in the harbor of Duluth, Minnesota, on Lake Superior, on 7 June 1902, after a collision with the George Hadley... |
Aerial Lift Bridge Aerial Lift Bridge The Aerial Lift Bridge is a major landmark in the port city of Duluth, Minnesota. The span is a vertical lift bridge, which is rather uncommon, but it began life as an extremely rare transporter bridge—the first of just two such bridges ever constructed in the United States... |
William A Irvin | Duluth sign |
| Looking east from a public walkway |
Professional sports history
Duluth fielded a National Football LeagueNational Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
team called the Kelleys (officially the Kelley Duluths after the Kelley-Duluth Hardware Store) from 1923–1925 and the Eskimos (officially Ernie Nevers' Eskimos after the early NFL great, their star player) from 1926-1927. The Eskimos were then sold and became the Orange Tornadoes (Orange, New Jersey
Orange, New Jersey
The City of Orange is a city and township in Essex County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the township population was 30,134...
). This bit of history became the basis for the 2008 George Clooney/Renee Zellweger movie, "Leatherheads
Leatherheads
Leatherheads is a 2008 American sports comedy film from Universal Pictures directed by and starring George Clooney. The film also stars Renée Zellweger, Jonathan Pryce and John Krasinski and focuses on the early years of professional American football....
."
The Duluth-Superior Dukes of the Northern League Independent Professional Baseball played in West Duluth's Wade Stadium
Wade Stadium
Wade Stadium is a baseball field located near the intersection of Grand Avenue and 34th Avenue West in the West Duluth neighborhood of Duluth, Minnesota. The stadium was built in 1941 and holds 4,200 people. It is the home of the Duluth Huskies of the Northwoods League...
from the league's inception in 1993 until 2002 when the team moved to Kansas City, Kan., and became the Kansas City T-Bones
Kansas City T-Bones
The Kansas City T-Bones are a professional baseball team based in Kansas City, Kansas, in the United States. The T-Bones are a member of the American Association of Independent Professional Baseball, which is not affiliated with Major League Baseball...
. The Dukes were Northern League champions in 1997. An earlier Northern League, based in the Midwest, was also in operation off and on from 1902 to 1971, the longest stint being 1932-1971. The Dukes were a farm team for the Detroit Tigers from 1960–1964 and several other teams in later years before the Northern League folded in 1971. The Dukes produced notable players such as Denny McLain, Bill Freehan, Gates Brown, Ray Oyler, Jim Northrup, Mickey Stanley, John Hiller, and Willie Horton, all of whom were members of the 1968 world champion Detroit Tigers.
Duluth is also home to Horton's Gym, the home gym of professional boxers
Boxing
Boxing, also called pugilism, is a combat sport in which two people fight each other using their fists. Boxing is supervised by a referee over a series of between one to three minute intervals called rounds...
Zach "Jungle Boy" Walters
Zach Walters
Zach Walters, alias Jungle Boy, is a light heavyweight professional boxer from Minnesota.-Personal life:Zach Walters was born in Taolagnaro Madagascar. He now calls Duluth, Minnesota his home.-Professional career:...
and Andy Kolle
Andy Kolle
Andy Kolle alias Kaos is a middleweight professional boxer from Minnesota.-Professional career:Kolle made his professional debut with a 3rd round knockout win against Nick Whiting on March 6, 2004. As of November 2010 Kolle’s professional record was 23-2 with 17 wins by knockout...
, as well as a number of other professional prizefighters.
Amateur sports
The University of Minnesota DuluthUniversity of Minnesota Duluth
The University of Minnesota Duluth is a regional branch of the University of Minnesota system located in Duluth, Minnesota, USA. As Duluth's public research university, UMD offers 13 bachelor's degrees in 74 majors, graduate programs in 24 different fields, a two-year program at the School of...
Bulldog hockey
Ice hockey
Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...
games are a major event in town during the cold Duluth winters. Games used to be televised locally, and thousands watched the games in person at the Duluth Entertainment Convention Center (DECC). A new hockey arena, Amsoil Arena, opened Dec. 30, 2010, adjacent to the DECC. Several Bulldogs, including hockey great Brett Hull
Brett Hull
Brett Andrew Hull is a former Canadian-American NHL player and the former Executive Vice President of the Dallas Stars. He is the son of Bobby Hull and nephew of Dennis Hull, both former NHL players. Hull is also known as "The Golden Brett," which is a play off of his father's nickname, "The...
, have gone on to success in the National Hockey League
National Hockey League
The National Hockey League is an unincorporated not-for-profit association which operates a major professional ice hockey league of 30 franchised member clubs, of which 7 are currently located in Canada and 23 in the United States...
. The UMD women's ice hockey team has won five NCAA Division I national championships (2001–03, 2008, 2010.) The 2010 title game against Cornell University lasted through nearly three full overtimes and was the longest women's ice hockey championship game in NCAA history. The 2003 women's Frozen Four tournament was played at the DECC with the Bulldogs claiming their third consecutive national title by defeating Harvard University via a dramatic double-overtime goal by Nora Tallus in front of a sellout home crowd. The 2008 Frozen Four tournament was also held at the DECC and saw the Bulldogs claim their fourth national title with a 4-0 shutout of the Wisconsin Badgers. On April 9, 2011, the Bulldog men's team defeated Michigan
University of Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
to win their first national championship in school history. The Women's Frozen Four tournament will be held at Amsoil Arena in 2012.
The Duluth Huskies
Duluth Huskies
The Duluth Huskies are an amateur baseball team playing in the Northwoods League, a collegiate summer baseball league. They have been operating in Duluth, Minnesota since 2003. The Huskies play home games at Wade Stadium in Duluth, which was built in 1941. The team plays 70 games throughout the...
is a college summer wood bat league baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
team based in Duluth and playing in the Northwoods League
Northwoods League
The Northwoods League is a collegiate summer baseball league comprising teams of the top college players from North America and beyond. All players in the league must have NCAA eligibility remaining in order to participate...
. The team plays its home games at Wade Stadium
Wade Stadium
Wade Stadium is a baseball field located near the intersection of Grand Avenue and 34th Avenue West in the West Duluth neighborhood of Duluth, Minnesota. The stadium was built in 1941 and holds 4,200 people. It is the home of the Duluth Huskies of the Northwoods League...
. The roster includes some of the top college baseball players in the country. The Huskies play 34 home games each summer between June and August.
The Duluth–Superior Shoremen is a semi-professional football team based in Duluth's Public Schools Stadium. It is in the Mid-American Football League and placed second in that league's championship game in 2005.
The Duluth Xpress is an amateur baseball team that plays its games at the Ordean Middle School baseball field. The team is made up of current and former college players and former professional players. The Xpress competes in the Arrowhead League, a class B league in Minnesota town team baseball
Town Team Baseball
Town Team Baseball is a variety of amateur baseball played in the United States. In Town Team baseball, sometimes also called townball, the teams represent either a given city or town, or a commercial enterprise which sponsors the team...
.
The Duluth Padres Baseball Club plays its home games at Bulldog Park on the campus of the University of Minnesota Duluth. The Padres is an amateur team composed of former high school players and current and former college players. The team competes in the Upper 13 League of the Wisconsin Baseball Association. The team was established in 2007 and played its first three seasons in Proctor, Minnesota, as the Proctor Padres. The Padres moved to Duluth in 2010 and changed its name to the Duluth Padres in 2011.
Dynamo Duluth plays bandy
Bandy
Bandy is a team winter sport played on ice, in which skaters use sticks to direct a ball into the opposing team's goal.The rules of the game have many similarities to those of association football: the game is played on a rectangle of ice the same size as a football field. Each team has 11 players,...
. Duluth one of only a few places in the country where that sport is playeds. All league matches are played at Guidant John Rose Minnesota Oval
Guidant John Rose Minnesota Oval
The Guidant John Rose Minnesota Oval is an outdoor ice rink in Roseville, Minnesota, United States. It is claimed to be the largest artificial outdoor skating surface in the North America. The facility was constructed from June to December 1993...
in Roseville
Roseville
-United States:*Roseville, Arkansas, in Logan County, Arkansas*Roseville, California*Roseville, Illinois*Roseville, Michigan*Roseville, Minnesota*Roseville, Ohio*Roseville, Pennsylvania*Roseville Township, Minnesota*Roseville, Newark, New Jersey...
.
The Harbor City Roller Dames, a 19+ league, was founded in 2007 and is Duluth–Superior's first women's flat-track roller derby
Roller derby
Roller derby is a contact sport played by two teams of five members roller skating in the same direction around a track. Game play consists of a series of short matchups in which both teams designate a scoring player who scores points by lapping members of the opposing team...
league. There is also a second derby league in the Duluth–Superior area called Duluth Derby Divas. Unlike HCRD, it is an 18+ league.
Grandma's Marathon
Grandma's Marathon
Grandma's Marathon is an annual road race held each June in Duluth, Minnesota, in the United States. The course runs point-to-point from the town of Two Harbors on Scenic Route 61 and continues along Lake Superior into the city of Duluth...
is a marathon ran between Two Harbors
Two Harbors, Minnesota
As of the census of 2000, there were 3,613 people, 1,636 households, and 953 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,120.7 people per square mile . There were 1,631 housing units at an average density of 505.9 per square mile...
and Duluth in June and ends at Canal Park
Canal Park (Duluth)
Canal Park is a tourist and recreation-oriented district of Duluth, Minnesota, United States. Situated across the Interstate 35 freeway from Downtown Duluth, it is connected by the famous Aerial Lift Bridge to the Park Point sandbar and neighborhood...
.
Films, television shows and recordings in Duluth
- The Crash Test DummiesCrash Test DummiesThe Crash Test Dummies is a Canadian folk rock/alternative rock band from Winnipeg, Manitoba, widely known for their 1993 single "Mmm Mmm Mmm Mmm".The band is most identifiable through Brad Roberts and his distinctive bass-baritone voice...
recorded Songs of the Unforgiven (2004) during a live performance at the Sacred Heart Church in Duluth - TV Series: Power, Privilege & Justice, Mystery in the Mansion (2005) – Filmed at Glensheen Mansion and aired on truTV
- TV Series: Mystery Diagnosis (2005) – Aired on the Discovery ChannelDiscovery ChannelDiscovery Channel is an American satellite and cable specialty channel , founded by John Hendricks and distributed by Discovery Communications. It is a publicly traded company run by CEO David Zaslav...
- Battleground Minnesota ( 2005) – Documentary movie about the 2004 presidential elections in Minnesota
- Sydämeni laulu(1948) – Finnish documentary movie
- Minnesota: Land of Plenty (1942) – Documentary short subjectShort subjectA short film is any film not long enough to be considered a feature film. No consensus exists as to where that boundary is drawn: the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences defines a short film as "an original motion picture that has a running time of 40 minutes or less, including all...
by James A. FitzpatrickJames A. FitzpatrickJames A. Fitzpatrick was a movie producer, director, writer, and narrator, best remembered for making indian documentaries. After completing training in dramatic arts, he worked, for a while, as a journalist... - Iron WillIron WillIron Will is a 1994 family adventure film directed by Charles Haid. The film stars Mackenzie Astin, Kevin Spacey, David Ogden Stiers, George Gerdes, Brian Cox, Penelope Windust, and August Schellenberg.-Plot:...
(1994) – Walt Disney PicturesWalt Disney PicturesWalt Disney Pictures is an American film studio owned by The Walt Disney Company. Walt Disney Pictures and Television, a subsidiary of the Walt Disney Studios and the main production company for live-action feature films within the Walt Disney Motion Pictures Group, based at the Walt Disney...
movie filmed in Duluth. - You'll Like My Mother (1972) – Feature film shot on location in and around Duluth, principally at Glensheen Historic EstateGlensheen Historic EstateThe Glensheen Historic Estate is a historic mansion on Lake Superior owned by the University of Minnesota Duluth. Glensheen sits on of lake front property, has 38 rooms and is built in the Jacobean architectural tradition, inspired by the Beaux-Arts styles of the era. The mansion was...
. - Far North(1988) – Feature film shot on location in and around Duluth.
Set in Duluth
The short lived 1996 sitcom The Louie Show was set in Duluth. Louie AndersonLouie Anderson
Louie Perry Anderson is an American stand-up comedian. Anderson created the cartoon series Life with Louie, has written three books, and was the initial host of the second revival of the game show Family Feud, from 1999 to 2002....
played psychotherapist Louie Lundgren. The opening title sequence featured downtown Duluth buildings.
The 1983 Gore Vidal
Gore Vidal
Gore Vidal is an American author, playwright, essayist, screenwriter, and political activist. His third novel, The City and the Pillar , outraged mainstream critics as one of the first major American novels to feature unambiguous homosexuality...
novel Duluth
Duluth (novel)
Duluth is the name of a 1983 novel by Gore Vidal. He considers it one of his best works, as did Italo Calvino, who wrote, "Vidal's development...along that line from Myra Breckinridge to Duluth, is crowned with great success, not only for the density of comic effects, each one filled with meaning,...
was set in a stylized version of Duluth.
The 2008 American sports comedy film Leatherheads
Leatherheads
Leatherheads is a 2008 American sports comedy film from Universal Pictures directed by and starring George Clooney. The film also stars Renée Zellweger, Jonathan Pryce and John Krasinski and focuses on the early years of professional American football....
, starring and directed by George Clooney
George Clooney
George Timothy Clooney is an American actor, film director, producer, and screenwriter. For his work as an actor, he has received two Golden Globe Awards and an Academy Award...
, was set in Duluth. (Leatherheads was actually filmed in North
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
and South Carolina
South Carolina
South Carolina is a state in the Deep South of the United States that borders Georgia to the south, North Carolina to the north, and the Atlantic Ocean to the east. Originally part of the Province of Carolina, the Province of South Carolina was one of the 13 colonies that declared independence...
.) The film featured a fictitious football team called the Duluth Bulldogs
Duluth Bulldogs
The Duluth Bulldogs is a fictionalized American professional football team in the movie, Leatherheads. George Clooney, the actor also plays on the team....
.
Thomas M. Disch
Thomas M. Disch
Thomas Michael Disch was an American science fiction author and poet. He won the Hugo Award for Best Related Book – previously called "Best Non-Fiction Book" – in 1999, and he had two other Hugo nominations and nine Nebula Award nominations to his credit, plus one win of the John W...
's 1965 alien-invasion novel The Genocides
The Genocides
The Genocides is a 1965 science fiction novel written by American author Thomas M. Disch. It was nominated for the Nebula Award for Best Novel in 1965.-Plot summary:...
is set primarily in a fictional community in adjacent Lake County
Lake County, Minnesota
Lake County is a county located in the U.S. state of Minnesota. As of 2010, the population was 10,866. Its county seat is Two Harbors. Lake County was founded on February 20, 1855, as Superior County, though its name was changed on March 3, of that year to St. Louis County. On March 1, 1856, St...
called Tassel. A pivotal scene in the beginning of chapter four treats the incineration of the city of Duluth by the extraterrestrial invaders' machines with some detail, even mentioning downtown Duluth's Alworth Building and including a group of characters' escape along Highway 61.
Notable residents and natives
- Mason AguirreMason AguirreMason Singer Aguirre is an American snowboarder. He competes in halfpipe, slopestyle and superpipe, but consistently places higher in halfpipe and superpipe competitions.-Career:...
, professional snowboarder, attended 2006 Winter Olympics - Dorothy Arnold (Olson)Dorothy Arnold (Olson)Dorothy Arnold was an American film actress and the first wife of baseball star Joe DiMaggio. Her 20-year movie career began with 1937’s Freshies and ended with 1957’s Lizzie.-Early life:...
, American actress and the first wife of baseball player Joe DiMaggioJoe DiMaggioJoseph Paul "Joe" DiMaggio , nicknamed "Joltin' Joe" and "The Yankee Clipper," was an American Major League Baseball center fielder who played his entire 13-year career for the New York Yankees. He is perhaps best known for his 56-game hitting streak , a record that still stands... - Maria BamfordMaria BamfordMaria Bamford is an American stand-up comedian and voice actor. She is best known for her portrayal of her dysfunctional family and self-deprecating comedy involving jokes about depression. Her comedy style draws upon surrealism and incorporates voice impressions that good-naturedly mock various...
, comedian and actor - Margaret Culkin BanningMargaret Culkin BanningMargaret Frances Culkin Banning was a best-selling American author of thirty-six novels and an early advocate of women's rights. Banning was born in Buffalo, Minnesota, the daughter of William E. Culkin, who served in the Minnesota state senate from 1895 to 1899. She was also the first woman...
, best-selling author of 36 novels, early women's rights advocate - Bill BerryBill BerryWilliam "Bill" Thomas Berry is a retired American musician, multi-instrumentalist, best known as the drummer for the alternative rock band R.E.M. In addition to his drumming duties, Berry played many other instruments including guitar, bass guitar, and piano, both for songwriting and on R.E.M....
, drummer for the band R.E.M. - Carol BlyCarol BlyCarol Bly was a teacher and an award-winning American author of short stories, essays, and nonfiction works on writing...
, author - Chester Adgate CongdonChester Adgate CongdonChester Adgate Congdon , lawyer and capitalist, was born in Rochester, New York, on the 12th of June, 1853, his parents being Sylvester Laurentius and Laura Jane Congdon...
, lawyer and capitalist - Irving CopiIrving CopiIrving Marmer Copi was an American philosopher, logician, and university textbook author....
, Philosopher, logician and textbook author - John H. DarlingDarling's ObservatoryDarling's Observatory was a private observatory built by Mr. J. H. Darling in Duluth, Minnesota. The site of the observatory was on West 3rd St. between 9th and 10th avenues in Duluth, MN, and sat about 325 feet above Lake Superior . Plans for the building were drawn by Richard E. Schmidt of...
, engineer and astronomer - Dan DevineDan DevineDaniel John Devine was an American football player and coach. He served as the head coach football coach at Arizona State University from 1955 to 1957, the University of Missouri from 1958 to 1970, and the University of Notre Dame from 1975 to 1980, compiling a career college football mark of...
, Captain of UMD football team, later coached Notre Dame and Green Bay Packers - Bob DylanBob DylanBob Dylan is an American singer-songwriter, musician, poet, film director and painter. He has been a major and profoundly influential figure in popular music and culture for five decades. Much of his most celebrated work dates from the 1960s when he was an informal chronicler and a seemingly...
, Grammy and Academy Award winning folkFolk musicFolk music is an English term encompassing both traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. The term originated in the 19th century. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers....
singer inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of FameRock and Roll Hall of FameThe Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum is a museum located on the shore of Lake Erie in downtown Cleveland, Ohio, United States. It is dedicated to archiving the history of some of the best-known and most influential artists, producers, engineers and others who have, in some major way,...
(1988) - Kara GoucherKara GoucherKara Goucher is an American long-distance runner.-Personal life:Goucher was born in Queens, New York. When she was 4 years old her family moved to Duluth, Minnesota after her father was killed by a drunk driver on the Harlem River Drive...
, distance runner and 2008 Olympian - Roger GrimsbyRoger GrimsbyRoger Grimsby was an American journalist, television news anchor and actor. Grimsby is known as one of the pioneers of local television broadcast news.-Early life:...
, journalist, television news anchor and actor - Brett HullBrett HullBrett Andrew Hull is a former Canadian-American NHL player and the former Executive Vice President of the Dallas Stars. He is the son of Bobby Hull and nephew of Dennis Hull, both former NHL players. Hull is also known as "The Golden Brett," which is a play off of his father's nickname, "The...
, professional hockey player, played for UMD - Bill IrwinBarney IrwinBarney William Irwin is a professional wrestler best known as Bill Irwin.-Professional wrestling career:Bill Irwin started wrestling in 1979 in the National Wrestling Alliance's Central States territory and in World Class Championship Wrestling...
, professional wrestler, best known for his stint in the WWFWorld Wrestling EntertainmentWorld Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. is an American publicly traded, privately controlled entertainment company dealing primarily in professional wrestling, with major revenue sources also coming from film, music, product licensing, and direct product sales...
as "The Goon." - Robert IsabellRobert IsabellBruce Robert Isabell was an American event planner who was behind lavish and innovative events including weddings and funerals of the richest and most famous...
(1952–2009), event planner. - Peggy KnudsenPeggy KnudsenPeggy Knudsen was an American character actress.-Biography:Born Margaret Ann Knudsen in Duluth, Minnesota, she made her Broadway debut in My Sister Eileen. She began her film career in 1946 in A Stolen Life opposite Bette Davis...
, film actress, appeared in The Big SleepThe Big Sleep (1946 film)The Big Sleep is a 1946 film noir directed by Howard Hawks, the first film version of Raymond Chandler's 1939 novel of the same name. The movie stars Humphrey Bogart as detective Philip Marlowe and Lauren Bacall as the female lead in a film about the "process of a criminal investigation, not its...
and A Stolen Life - Don LaFontaineDon LaFontaineDonald Leroy "Don" LaFontaine was an American voiceover artist famous for recording more than 5,000 film trailers and hundreds of thousands of television advertisements, network promotions, and video game trailers. His nicknames included "Thunder Throat" and "The Voice of God"...
, voiceover artist famous for recording film trailers, television advertisements, network promotions and video game trailers. - Sinclair LewisSinclair LewisHarry Sinclair Lewis was an American novelist, short-story writer, and playwright. In 1930, he became the first writer from the United States to be awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature, "for his vigorous and graphic art of description and his ability to create, with wit and humor, new types of...
, author and Nobel laureate, wrote the novel Cass TimberlaneCass TimberlaneCass Timberlane is a novel written by Sinclair Lewis, published in 1945. It is Sinclair Lewis' nineteenth novel and one of his last.It was made into a romantic drama film starring Spencer Tracy and Lana Turner, directed by George Sidney, and released in 1947.Timberlane is a minor character in...
while resident in Duluth - The Seven Iron BrothersSeven Iron BrothersThe Seven Iron Men, Ather known as Merritt Brothers, were known as iron-ore pioneers in the Mesabi Range and the creation of what is now known as Mountain Iron. Their story was told, in part, by the book Seven Iron Men by Paul de Kruif....
, the Merritt brothers of Duluth, discovered iron ore in 1890 in the Mesabi Iron Range. - Dan MurphyDan MurphyDan Murphy is best known as the guitarist for the American band, Soul Asylum. He is also a member of Golden Smog.-History:...
, Soul AsylumSoul AsylumSoul Asylum is an American alternative rock band that formed in Minneapolis, Minnesota in 1983.The band originally formed in 1981 under the name Loud Fast Rules, with the original line-up consisting of Dan Murphy, Dave Pirner, Karl Mueller and Pat Morley. The latter was replaced by Grant Young in...
band member and founder - Lorenzo MusicLorenzo MusicLorenzo Music was an American actor, voice actor, writer, television producer and musician. His best-known roles include voicing the animated cartoon cat Garfield, and Carlton the doorman on the CBS sitcom Rhoda...
, voice actor, though born in Brooklyn, New York, was raised and educated in Duluth - Gena Lee NolinGena Lee NolinGena Lee Nolin is an American actress and model. She is best known for her television appearances on The Price Is Right and Baywatch in the 1990s.-Career:...
, TV Actress - David OreckDavid OreckDavid Oreck is an American salesman, entrepreneur, and businessman. He is the founder of the Oreck Corporation, makers of vacuum cleaners and air purifiers, and is known through his appearances as a spokesman in Oreck television commercials and infomercials.-Early life:David Oreck was born close...
, entrepreneur and businessman - Charlie ParrCharlie ParrCharlie Parr is an American country blues musician, born in Austin, Minnesota, United States. He started his music career in Duluth, Minnesota. His influences include Charlie Patton, Bukka White, Reverend Gary Davis, and Dave Van Ronk. He plays a National resonator guitar, a fretless open-back...
, folk musicFolk musicFolk music is an English term encompassing both traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. The term originated in the 19th century. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers....
ian - Jeno PaulucciJeno PaulucciJeno F. Paulucci was an American businessman and entrepreneur famous for starting over seventy companies during his long career. Paulucci's most well-known ventures included his frozen food company, Michelina's Inc., and food products such as Jeno's Pizza Rolls and the Chun King line of Chinese food...
, businessman - Ellen PenceEllen PenceEllen Pence is a scholar and a social activist. She co-founded the Duluth Domestic Abuse Intervention Project, an inter-agency collaboration model used in all 50 states in the U.S. and over 17 countries...
,scholar and social activist. Created the Duluth Model of intervention in domestic violence - Chris PlysChris PlysChristopher Plys is an American curler. Plys, who started to curl in 1998, used to curl with Aanders Brorson, Matt Perushek, and Matt Hamilton. He has been in six State Curling Championships, taking first in the years 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, and 2009...
, Olympic curler - Rick RickertRick RickertRick Rickert is an American-born basketball player. He is a 2001 graduate of Duluth East High School where he was a basketball star and highly recruited college prospect. He was named 2001 Minnesota Mr...
, basketball player for the New Zealand BreakersNew Zealand BreakersThe New Zealand Breakers are a professional basketball team competing in the Australasian National Basketball League. The Breakers joined the NBL for the 2003/04 season as one of two expansion clubs. The club is based in the city of Auckland, New Zealand and play their home games at the North... - John ShusterJohn ShusterJohn Shuster is an American curler and Olympic medalist from Chisholm, Minnesota. He received a bronze medal at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin...
, Olympic curlingCurlingCurling is a sport in which players slide stones across a sheet of ice towards a target area. It is related to bowls, boule and shuffleboard. Two teams, each of four players, take turns sliding heavy, polished granite stones, also called "rocks", across the ice curling sheet towards the house, a...
medalist - Phil Solem, musician
- Erik SommerErik Sommeris a contemporary artist living in New York. Best known for his cement paintings, his work is about the passing of time, chance, and beauty, and are often compared to abandoned buildings, eroding stone or forgotten structures. His pieces often feature paint peeling off the canvas, and are...
, artist - Alan SparhawkAlan SparhawkAlan Sparhawk is the guitarist and vocalist for American band Low.-Biography:George Alan Sparhawk was born in Seattle, Washington and grew up in Utah. He met Mimi Parker when he was 9, after his family moved to Minnesota. Sparhawk began writing his own compositions around the age of 13...
and Mimi Parker founding members of the alternative rock group LowLow (band)Low is an American indie rock group from Duluth, Minnesota, formed in 1993. As of 2010, the group is composed of Alan Sparhawk and Mimi Parker , both founding members, and Steve Garrington .... - Trampled by TurtlesTrampled By TurtlesTrampled By Turtles is a progressive bluegrass band from Duluth, Minnesota. The group is most famous for its high-tempo, fast-paced songs but also features lead vocalist Dave Simonett's lyric writing abilities in slower ballads. Their high-energy concerts have attracted an ever-growing,...
, a bluegrassBluegrass musicBluegrass music is a form of American roots music, and a sub-genre of country music. It has mixed roots in Scottish, English, Welsh and Irish traditional music...
band, hails from Duluth and refers to the city in several songs - Butch WilliamsButch WilliamsWarren Milton "Butch" Williams is a retired professional ice hockey player who played 108 games in the National Hockey League in 1974–76. He is the younger brother of former NHL player Tommy Williams. He played for the California Golden Seals and St. Louis Blues and also represented the United...
, NHLNational Hockey LeagueThe National Hockey League is an unincorporated not-for-profit association which operates a major professional ice hockey league of 30 franchised member clubs, of which 7 are currently located in Canada and 23 in the United States...
player - Tom WilliamsTom WilliamsTom Williams may refer to:*Tom Williams , head football coach at Yale University*Tom Williams *Tom Williams , English-Cypriot football player...
(1940–1992), NHLNational Hockey LeagueThe National Hockey League is an unincorporated not-for-profit association which operates a major professional ice hockey league of 30 franchised member clubs, of which 7 are currently located in Canada and 23 in the United States...
player, 1960 Winter Olympics1960 Winter OlympicsThe 1960 Winter Olympics, officially known as the VIII Olympic Winter Games, were a winter multi-sport event held between February 18 and 28, 1960 in Squaw Valley, California, United States. In 1955 at the 50th IOC meeting, the organizing committee made the surprise choice to award Squaw Valley as...
gold medalist
Sister cities
Duluth has four sister cities as designated by Sister Cities InternationalSister Cities International
Sister Cities International is a nonprofit citizen diplomacy network that creates and strengthens partnerships between United States and international communities. More than 2,000 cities, states and counties are partnered in 136 countries around the world...
:
Petrozavodsk
Petrozavodsk
Petrozavodsk is the capital city of the Republic of Karelia, Russia. It stretches along the western shore of the Lake Onega for some . The city is served by Petrozavodsk Airport. Municipally, it is incorporated as Petrozavodsky Urban Okrug . Population:...
, Russia Växjö
Växjö
Växjö is a city and the seat of Växjö Municipality, Kronoberg County, Sweden with 64 200 inhabitants in 2010. It is the administrative, cultural and industrial centre of Kronoberg County. Furthermore it is the episcopal see of the Diocese of Växjö. It has a population of about 64 200, out of a...
, Sweden Ōhara
Ohara, Chiba
was a town located in Isumi District, Chiba Prefecture, Japan.Ōhara was formed on March 31, 1955 by the merger of the villages of Tōkai, Azuma and Namihana...
, now Isumi, Japan Thunder Bay
Thunder Bay
-In Canada:Thunder Bay is the name of three places in the province of Ontario, Canada along Lake Superior:*Thunder Bay District, Ontario, a district in Northwestern Ontario*Thunder Bay, a city in Thunder Bay District*Thunder Bay, Unorganized, Ontario...
, Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
, Canada
See also
- Darling's ObservatoryDarling's ObservatoryDarling's Observatory was a private observatory built by Mr. J. H. Darling in Duluth, Minnesota. The site of the observatory was on West 3rd St. between 9th and 10th avenues in Duluth, MN, and sat about 325 feet above Lake Superior . Plans for the building were drawn by Richard E. Schmidt of...
- Duluth Model
- List of people from Duluth, Minnesota
- Neighborhoods of Duluth, MinnesotaNeighborhoods of Duluth, MinnesotaThe city of Duluth, overlooking Lake Superior in the U.S. state of Minnesota has several distinct neighborhoods.- Central :*Canal Park*Central Hillside*Downtown Duluth*East Hillside*Park Point- Eastern Duluth :*Chester Park / UMD*Congdon Park...