Timeline

1854		Doty and Superior counties changed to Newton and St. Louis counties
1854		Treaty of LaPointe signed in Wisconsin by federal officials and Ojibwe leaders opens northern Minnesota to settlement by non-Indians
1854		Itasca County divided into Itasca, Doty and Superior counties
1855		Minnesota Point lighthouse built near Superior entry
1856		St. Louis County becomes present St. Louis County and Lake County Village of Duluth platted
1857		Minnesota Legislature authorizes formation of the Minnesota Point Ship Canal Co.
1857		First North Shore newspaper established, the North Shore Advocate
May 23, 1857		Carlton County formed
May 23, 1858		Minnesota is granted statehood
1859		U.S. Land Office moved from North Shore to Portland (later part of Duluth)
1860-1869 [Top of Page]
1861		Civil War begins when Confederates fire on Fort Sumpter
1861		Vermilion Trail from Duluth to Lake Vermilion is begun
July 2, 1863		First Minnesota Volunteers Regiment plays a crucial role in the Battle of Gettysburg
1865		Iron ore discovered on what would become the Mesabi Iron Range
1865		Gold discovered near Lake Vermilion leads to rush of people to Northeastern Minnesota
April 9, 1865		Civil War ends as Gen. Robert E. Lee surrenders
April 14, 1865		President Lincoln assassinated
1867		Fur trader Peter J. Peterson builds a frame house in Fond du Lac neighborhood of what will later be Duluth (now city's oldest residence)
April 24, 1869		The Minnesotan newspaper begins publication in Duluth
November 12, 1869		First telegraph link between Duluth and the rest of the world
1870-1879 [Top of Page]
1870		Federal census lists Carlton County population at 266
March 5, 1870		Duluth incorporated as a city
1871		Duluth ship canal cut through Minnesota Point
March 9, 1874		Cook County created from part of Lake County
1876		Duluth and Winnipeg Railroad incorporated
1878		Duluth's population estimated at 1,200
1880-1889 [Top of Page]
1880		Duluth population 7,800, Lake County 106
1882		St. Luke's Hospital opened in Duluth in response to a severe typhoid problem
1885		Minnesota census lists Duluth's population at 18,036
1885		The Iron Port newspaper published in Two Harbors
1888		Village of Two Harbors organized
1890-1899 [Top of Page]
1890		Federal census lists Cook County population at 98
1891		Merritt family members discover large iron ore deposit on what will become the Mesabi Iron Range
1893		First iron ore shipped from Duluth
1893		City of Virginia burns in fire
1894		West Duluth merges with Duluth
November 27, 1896		Nov. 27 --Duluth's first grain elevator, elevator A, destroyed by fire
1898		Companies A, C and G of the Minnesota Third Infantry Volunteer Regiment leave Duluth for service in Spanish-American War
April 19, 1898		April 19 -- U.S. declares war on Spain
1900-1909 [Top of Page]
1900		Federal census lists Duluth population of 52,969
1/31/1901		Fighting against Filipino rebels ends along with U.S. role in Spanish-American War
1902		Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing founded in Two Harbors
1902		State Normal School established in Duluth
1907		Two Harbors incorporated
1907		Gilbert established
1909		Superior National Forest established
1910-1919 [Top of Page]
1910		Federal census lists Duluth's population at 78,466
1913		Construction of housing begins for U.S. Steel plant in Morgan Park
July 28, 1914		July 28 - Austria declares war on Serbia to begin World War I
1915		Armory built in Duluth on London Road
1915		First steel manufactured and shipped from Duluth
1916		Alexander McDougall creates shipyard to build ships for European nations at war with Germany
1916		Minnesota Third Infantry Regiment of Duluth National Guard called to active duty for Mexican border fighting
1916		Army recruiting office established in Virginia
April 6, 1917		April 6 - U.S. declares war on Germany
April 8, 1917		April 8 - First group of soldiers (Minnesota Third Infantry, soon to become 125th Field Artillery) leaves Duluth for wartime service
October 11, 1918		Oct. 11 - All public buildings in Duluth closed due to influenza epidemic
October 12, 1918		Oct. 12 - Cloquet-Moose Lake fires begin
November 11, 1918		Nov. 11 - Armistice ends World War I
1919		David Wisted American Legion Post founded in Duluth to honor World War I casualty from city
1919		Joshua B. Culver Post, Grand Army of the Republic, puts up "Patriotism Guards the Flag" monument in front of St. Louis County Courthouse in Duluth
1920-1929 [Top of Page]
January 16, 1920		Jan. 16 - Federal law prohibits sale of alcohol
1920		Federal census puts Duluth population at 98,917
1920		Blue Goose bus service, predecessor of Greyhound, established in Hibbing
1922		St. Louis County Historical Society founded
1922		Miller Trunk Highway from Duluth to Iron Range opens
1929		Bridge over Duluth ship canal becomes lift bridge
1930-1939 [Top of Page]
1930		St. Louis County population 204,596
1932		Harry J. Madsen Veterans of Foreign Wars Post established in Moose Lake
September 5, 1932		Sept. 5 - Former members of Company C, Third Minnesota Regiment, establish a Last Man's Club
1933		U.S. Civilian Conservation Corps established to provide jobs and complete public projects
December 5, 1933		Dec. 5 -- Prohibition of sale of alcohol ends
1935		U.S. Works Progress Administration established to provide jobs and complete public projects
1939		Enger Tower dedicated in Duluth
1940-1949 [Top of Page]
1940		Cook County population 3,030
December 7, 1940		Dec. 7 - USS Paducah and Naval reservists from Duluth activated for duty
1941		Eight shipyards in Duluth and Superior build 276 ships from 1941-45
February 10, 1941		Feb. 10 - 125th Field Artillery Battalion of National Guard, Duluth, is activated for World War II duty
October 3, 1941		Oct. 3 - Duluth Civilian Defense Council formed to help provide security for city
December 7, 1941		Dec. 7 - U.S. enters World War II after Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor
1942		Civil Defense unit created in Two Harbors
July 23, 1942		July 23 - "Buy-a-Bomber" show in Duluth draws national radio coverage
1943		More than 3,000 boys and girls in Carlton County organized into a Junior Red Cross unit to help the war effort
1943		Loggers across Northeastern Minnesota are urged to work three extra days cutting trees to help meet the wartime demand for wood pulp
1944		June 6 - D-Day invasion of Normandy
May 8, 1945		May 8 - War in Europe ends with surrender by Germans
August 6,9, 1945		Aug. 6, 9 - Atomic bombs dropped on Japan
September 2, 1945		Sept. 2 - War in Pacific ends with surrender by Japan
1946		Cold War is recognized as reality in speech by British Prime Minister Winston Churchill
1947		Duluth State Teachers College becomes the University of Minnesota-Duluth
1950-1959 [Top of Page]
1950		Federal census lists Carlton County population of 24,584
June 25, 1950		June 25 -- Korean War begins as North Korea invades South Korea
August 21,1950		Aug. 21 - B Company of Marine Reserve leaves Duluth for duty in Korean War
September 15, 1950		Sept. 15 - Landings by First Marine Division at Inchon change the tide in Korean War
October 25, 1950		Oct. 25 -- Chinese Communists enter Korean War and many members of First Marine Division, including B Company Marines, are trapped near Chosin Reservoir
1951		Duluth Air Force Base opens, staffed by 179th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron of Air National Guard
1959		General Outdoor Advertising Co. donates billboards in Duluth and on Iron Range to inform residents of radioactive fallout procedures
1960-1969 [Top of Page]
1960		First fallout shelter in a private home opens in Duluth
1961		Air Force Bomarc missile base opens at French River
November 22, 1963		Nov. 22 - President John F. Kennedy assassinated
August 4, 1964		Aug. 4 -- Report of attacks on U.S. Navy ships in Gulf of Tonkin leads to start of Vietnam War
1968		The 109th Light Equipment Maintenance Company of Army National Guard created in Duluth
October 16, 1965		Oct 16 -- Duluthian David Wheat, a Navy pilot, is shot down over North Vietnam and becomes a prisoner of war
October 15, 1969		Oct. 15 - Anti-Vietnam War rally held at UMD
1970-1979 [Top of Page]
1970		Federal census lists Carlton County population of 28,072
1972		Air Force Bomarc missile base at French River closes
January 27, 1973		Jan. 27 -- United States agrees to remove troops from Vietnam
February 12, 1973		Feb. 12 -- David Wheat freed after being a prisoner of war in North Vietnam for more than seven years
April 30, 1975		April 30 -- Fall of Saigon to North Vietnam ends Vietnam War
1980-1989 [Top of Page]
1980		Air Force radar station at Finland closes
1982		Duluth Air Force base closes
1983		The 148th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron at Duluth Air National Guard Base returns to an air defense mission
October 25, 1983		Oct. 25 -- U.S. forces rescue American citizens during unrest in Grenada
December 20, 1989		Dec. 20 -- U.S. forces invade Panama and capture Gen. Manuel Noriega
1990-1999 [Top of Page]
August 2, 1990		Aug. 2 -- Iraqi troops invade Kuwait, an action that leads to Persian Gulf War
October 12, 1990		Oct. 12 - Members of 109th Light Equipment Maintenance Company of Army National Guard in Duluth activated for service in Persian Gulf War
November 21, 1990		Nov. 21 -- Members of 477th Medical Company of Army Reserve in Duluth activated for service in Persian Gulf War
February 27,1991		Feb. 27 - Persian Gulf War ends after bombing and invasion of Iraq by coalition troops
April, 1991		April -- Members of 109th Light Equipment Maintenance Company return to Duluth
May 23, 1991		May 23 -- Members of 477th Medical Company return to Duluth
1993		U.S. peace-keeping forces join other nations' troops in Bosnia
1999		June -- Troops of the United States and other NATO nations bomb Serbia and Kosovo, with peace-keeping forces arriving later
November 11, 1999		Nov. 11 - Veterans' Memorial Hall opens at the Depot in Duluth