- June 2, 1874: Duluth’s South Breakwater Light burned for the first time. The light — an octagonal cast-iron lantern housing a fifth-order Fresnel lens — stood atop a wooden pyramid tower on south pier of Duluth’s three-year-old ship canal. It cast a red beacon visible 12.5 miles away. In 1877, the light was upgraded with a fixed red fourth-order Fresnel lens. In 1900, the lens was placed in the new South Pier lighthouse.
- June 23, 1984: Duluth’s Curling Club destroyed by fire. The historic 1912 building at 1338 London Road had sat vacant since 1976 and was awaiting demolition. It had survived a 1979 arson attempt and a fire just a week earlier. The blaze was first reported about 1:45 a.m., and by 2:15, the entire block-long building was engulfed in flames. The fire blazed out of control until 5.
- June 7, 1928: The steamship America wrecked. For decades, the America had brought mail and goods to those living on the North Shore and Isle Royale, returning to Duluth with fish caught by commercial fisherman. She struck a reef near Isle Royale’s Washington Harbor, skidding over the rocks four times and ripping a hole in her hull just below the engine room. All 31 passengers and crew disembarked before she slid off into deep water.
- June 8, 1891: Cornerstone laid for Duluth High School. From 4,000-7,000 Duluthians showed up to watch workman lay the cornerstone of the new school, known today as “Old Central.” More than 1,000 school children sang “America,” and the names of every child enrolled in Duluth schools were placed in a copper box and buried beneath the cornerstone. Old Central closed as a school in 1971 and now serves as the school district’s administrative offices.
- June 10, 1889: Duluth’s Spalding Hotel opened for the first time. The building, at 424 West Superior Street, was the largest hotel in Duluth when it opened. Namesake investor William Witter Spalding and other prominent Duluthians attended its gala opening. The Duluth Evening Herald called it “unequaled in all its appointments in all the land.” The Spalding stood six floors above Superior Street, seven over Michigan Street. It was demolished in September, 1963.
- June 12, 1853: Chester Adgate Congdon born in Rochester, N.Y. Congdon attended Syracuse University, where he met fellow student Clara Hesperia, whom he later married. Congdon taught school in Chippewa Falls, Wis., before moving to St. Paul to practice law. In 1892, the Congdons moved to Duluth, where Congdon became wealthy working for the Oliver Mining Company. Congdon was elected to the Minnesota House of Representatives in 1909 and 1911. He died in 1916.
- June 13 1871: Injunction arrives to stop development of Duluth’s ship canal. The directive came at the request of Superior, Wis. Despite the legends (a telegram arrives Friday, May 28; Duluthians dig canal by hand in two days; injunction arrives too late Monday, May 31), by June 13, the canal had already been mechanically dredged into a waterway 50-feet wide and 8-feet deep. Lawsuits followed and were later dismissed in 1877.
- June 15, 1920: Duluthians lynch three innocent men. The victims, Elmer Jackson, Elias Clayton and Isaac McGhie, were in Duluth working for the John Robinson Show Circus. They were falsely accused of raping 19-year-old Duluthian Irene Tusken. A mob of several thousand people stormed Duluth’s Police Headquarters and Jail and took Jackson, Clayton, and McGhie to the southeast corner of First Street and Second Avenue East, where they hanged them from a light pole.
- June 22, 1903: Silent screen star (Beatrice) Marguerite De La Motte born in Duluth. When she was 11, her family moved to San Diego. By 1918, she was “discovered” by actor Douglas Fairbanks. The two co-starred in “The Mark of Zorro” (1920), “The Three Musketeers” (1921) and “The Iron Mask” (1929). De La Motte went on to appear in 58 films, retiring in 1942. She died March 11, 1950, in San Francisco.
- June 27, 1977: Elisabeth Congdon and Velma Pietila were killed at Glensheen. Congdon’s adopted daughter, Marjorie LeRoy Caldwell, and her second husband, Roger Caldwell, were charged with the crimes. Caldwell was convicted, but Marjorie was acquitted, which led to Caldwell’s release. He maintained his innocence, but later killed himself. Marjorie became a serial arsonist and spent time in Minnesota and Arizona prisons. She now lives in Tucson.
Story and photos courtesy Zenith City Online. Discover more atwww.zenithcity.com.
http://www.duluthnewstribune.com/pursuits/3757795-month-duluth-history