DuluthCommunityNews

By ABEL GUSTAFSON
DCN Correspondent

In 1934, Mira Southworth planted her feet deep in the Park Point sand, settling down in a house near the end of the Point.

She named her house "Outermost House," since it was the closest house on the Point to the shore of Lake Superior. From there, she devoted her life to teaching and photography. She touched thousands of lives along the way.

Southworth spent much of her childhood in Minneapolis, after moving from Massachusetts when she was about 9 years old.

After receiving her B.A. from the University of Minnesota in 1909, Southworth took a job teaching English at Duluth Central High School. She took a brief hiatus in 1926 to return to the East Coast to earn her Master’s of Education degree at Harvard University. It was not long before Southworth was back at the front of a Central classroom.

She would often pack her car full of students who would hitch a ride to school with her. Margaret "Mugs" McGillis, a lifelong friend of Southworth, reminisced from her rocking chair: "She always took us to school if it was raining. She taught us all to drive even though she didn't drive too good herself, racing up that hill."

John DeRosier, a life-long Duluthian and one of Southworth’s former students, wrote in a 1999 letter to the Park Point Community Club, “When the new school year started, and the students were setting up their programs, Miss Southworth’s room was filled with students trying to get into one of her classes. Every seat was taken and the students were standing, completely lining the four walls. Miss Southworth would put the names of each student on a piece of paper, put the papers in a waste basket, and have someone draw out names of those allowed to stay. I was one of the lucky ones. The losers had to go to a different teacher. Believe me, there were many tears shed in that room.�

Along with her passion for teaching, Southworth had a love for photography. Founding Central's Camera Club in 1923, she served as the club's advisor for almost 30 years.

Her prolific collection of works feature breathtaking scenes from the Park Point area, the North Shore, and other locations along Lake Superior. Always accompanied by a crowd of young friends and followers, Southworth would roam the shores of Lake Superior, recording the changing landscapes and scenery, documenting history as it happened.

Photo by Mira Southworth.
"When we were kids, we used to go out and hold the light meter for her," said McGillis. "She could make a picture out of anything, even a blade of grass."

Southworth occasionally composed verses of poetry to accompany her work, writing them on the back of the photograph. Still more photographs have hand-written captions. Many of her photographs are tilted slightly to the left, as Southworth had a limp, causing her to stand unevenly.

During World War II, Southworth created postcards out of her photographs and sent more than 300 of them to servicemen from the Duluth area. An entire collection of her photography survives to this day in the house and care of "Mugs" McGillis.

Southworth retired from teaching in 1951, but continued to photograph the Lake Superior scenery she knew so well. She died in 1975 at the age of 92.

Southworth's outstanding work in the schools and in photography was memorialized on May 14th, 1999, when the Southworth Marsh, a small scenic wetland, was named after her.

The Park Point Community Club chose this date and place because May 14th was Southworth's birthday. The marsh is located right across the street from Outermost House.

Dave Johnson, former president of the community club, said that many of Southworth’s photos were taken in and around the marsh that now bears her name.

“She took some of the earliest photos of (Southworth Marsh),� Johnson said. “Her photos have an Ansel Adams look to them. She should be a local or regional legend.�

A Park Pointer to the end, Southworth spent her final days at the Surf & Sand Nursing Home, just three blocks from Outermost House.

McGillis smiled to herself knowingly, "Once you get sand in your feet, you can't leave.�

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By VERONICA WILSON
DCN Correspondent

The Woodland neighborhoods have no stoplights, and it takes about a mile and a half while traveling from Oxford Street to Calvary Road before a driver approaches a stop sign. Like many other neighborhoods in Duluth, there seem to be no stop signs at intersections directing traffic flow. Instead, the responsibility of stopping is rested on drivers.

“There’s a lot of waving,� said Steve Preston, owner of Falk’s Pharmacy in the Woodland area, speaking about the motions people give when allowing other drivers to pass at that particular intersection. “Everyone knows the person on the right has the right-a-way.�

Elysian Avenue and West Winona Street is one uncontrolled intersection in the Woodland area of Duluth. Drivers use hand gestures on one another, signaling who has the right-of-way. (Veronica Wilson / DCN)

Preston is correct, according to Minnesota state law: “When two vehicles enter an uncontrolled intersection from different highways at approximately the same time, the driver of the vehicle on the left shall yield the right-of-way to the vehicle on the right.�

“When I first came to Duluth I wondered ‘Why aren’t there any stop signs?’ � said Duluth police officer Erik Hanson. “Where I came from, everywhere had either a stop sign or a yield sign.�

“You go to the cities and it's either you have a stop sign or you don’t. I live on Lakeside, and it’s completely uncontrolled,� Preston said while trying to recall the few intersections on Lakeside that are controlled.

Although Hanson could only speculate and offer opinion as to why Duluth seems to have so many uncontrolled intersections he said, “We’re an older city and unless there are problems at an intersection, or a lot of requests, we don’t put up new signs.�

Since Duluth became a city, in 1870, its development has come a long way.

Historian Sheldon Aubut provided a quote by a Duluth immigrant: “Superior Street was a continuous succession of hills and gullies; to find a place for crossing the street was a question of great deliberation and caution, and to actually cross was an act of recklessness, forfeiting your life insurance.�

Historic Lake Avenue looked nothing as it does today.

Quoting Aubut’s Duluth tour transcript: “Lake Avenue was all swamp and couldn't be crossed. First Avenue East had a sidewalk that was made by driving stakes into the marsh and nailing planks to them. They were so uneven that a person walking them appeared to be drunk.�

Lifelong Duluthian and employee of Falk’s Pharmacy, Nancy Ness, remembers Duluth as always having numerous uncontrolled intersections. She said that for as long as she can remember, Duluth has always been made up of neighborhoods with few stop signs.

According to Ness, for the most part, it never seemed to be a problem because people are familiar with their neighborhoods.

“Being born and raised here, you get used to the way things are,� Ness said.

Preston has also been a Duluthian for years. He agrees that the lack of stop signs is not something that he sees as a problem or thinks much about because he has grown accustomed to the roads and its intersections.

Familiarity from Duluth drivers with neighborhood roads may be one reason for the lack of stop signs in residential areas.

Hanson speculates there are probably a higher number of stop signs in areas that see more tourists in Duluth. If there is more out-of-town traffic there will probably be more stop signs.

According to Duluth City Councilor Todd Fedora the city also tries to stay away from placing stop signs at three-way Ts, and where there is not heavy traffic flow. Instead, emphasis is centered around placing them at highly trafficked four-way intersections.

After contacting City Council members, the Minnesota Department of Transportation and other city representatives, no one was able to offer insight as to why many Duluth intersections remain uncontrolled.

The reason for the high number of uncontrolled intersections in Duluth is open for interpretation. There does not seem to be an easy answer.

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RELATED CONTENT: Johnson's Lakeside bakery: A look at the new and the old

BY APRIL HANSEN
DCN Correspondent

It’s 7 a.m.

The crisp morning air is met by a blend of roasting coffee as Johnson’s Lakeside Bakery is open for morning business.

The aged bakery cases accent the faded yellow paint on the walls that house three black and white photos of Lakeside.

John Keturi is sitting at the single table in the corner of the bakery that has stored childhood memories, war stories, repeated jokes and political monologue. He rests his wrinkled hands on the Super Quiz in the daily newspaper that he does every morning.

“What two states have the letter ‘X’ in them?� said Keturi. “This should be easy.�

His “Secular Values Voters� pin dangles on his jacket as he turns to greet the three other war veterans and retirees that have joined him at this table for years.

John Keturi, Bob Klein, Chuck Koenig and Dennis Hughes have met every morning at the bakery for over 30 years, since it opened in 1955.

Johnson’s Lakeside Bakery was once known as Gustafson’s Bakery, which was owned by Ted Gustafson and his son’s Bob and Bill, until 2003, when they sold the business after 48 years.

Bob Klein, a retired military and school engineer, has lived in the Lakeside area for 33 years. He’s been coming to the bakery for the past 20 years.

“The atmosphere has stayed the same,� said Klein. “They don’t bake in here anymore and some of the recipes have changed, but we still have been coming every morning,�

The bakery was bought by the owners of the Johnson’s Bakery, who also have a spot in West Duluth and was said to be the “natural successor� to Gustafson’s Bakery.

John Keturi remembers when he was asked to sit at the table after years of sitting at the bar counter that was there when the Gustafson’s owned the bakery.

“I finally was invited over and I’ve been here ever since,� said Keturi.

The range of topics has stayed the same over the years, only the names have changed. Politics, religion, book reviews, radio and television shows are just a few.

Chuck Koenig, who is known as “the boss� in the group, is a self-employed contractor and has lived in Duluth for over 60 years. He says that there isn't a topic that's off limits.

“Every subject possible,� he said. “Some that are even impossible.�

The newest member of the group, Dennis Hughes, is a retired Duluth postmaster who has lived in Duluth all his life and graduated from Duluth East High School and UMD. His knowledge of Duluth and experience with the Lakeside community brings a different perspective to the coffee table every morning.

Some community members have noticed the presence of the men. Bob Abrahamson is a worker at the Hardware Hank’s down the street from the bakery.

“They are there every morning trying to save the world,� he said.

Jennifer Sawyer currently works at the bakery and has been there for four years.

“They are a bunch of comedians,� she said. “They get into heated discussions sometimes, but their topics are still interesting.�

These four men have a long list of experiences that contribute to their morning conversations, from being Vietnam War veterans, husbands, fathers and grandfathers.

They not only have opinions on worldly affairs, but also the Lakeside Area. Chuck Koenig moved to Duluth to raise his daughters.

“It’s a very fine place to live with an amazing variety,� he said.

“A laid back bedroom community,� said John Keturi.

He adds that he thinks that Lakeside has gotten younger or else he has become older.

Johnson’s Lakeside Bakery has been the meeting spot for these four men for years, but is also a place for other customers and groups in the area. Another group of men meet every Friday morning.

“They are the characters,� said Klein. “ We are just the character flawed.�

Dennis Hughes, the lifelong Duluthian, is a living historical reference to this area.

“The activity of Lakeside largely remains unchanged,� he said. “There are fewer service stations, but core issues of the community remain.�

These well known community members’ morning coffee may be over around 9 a.m., but they still decide to come back to the bakery for lunch, some days, to have the soup and sandwich. Bob Klein brags about how when they order the soup they get more cracker packets than the normal customer.

“We are the three cracker packet guys,� said Klein.

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By KENDRA RICHARDS
DCN Correspondent

The coldness of the Duluth winter could never equal the coldness of hearts that February morning in 1907, when the faithful priest and worshipers of St. Mary Star of the Sea Parish found the doors locked—the doors of the church they had sacrificed so much to build. They begged and pleaded, but in vain; Rome wanted no part of them.

Central Hillside holds a church with a history—a long history full of sacrifice and struggle. St. Josephat's Polish National Catholic Church was home to a group of Polish immigrants who, like many others, came to this country in search of a better lifestyle.

What they found was excommunication.

In 1872, the Catholic community of Central Hillside built Sacred Heart Parish. The number of Polish Catholic immigrants was increasing dramatically, demanding a new church be built. With a desire to keep their Polish traditions, a group of Polish families built a separatist church called St. Joseph's parish in Gnesen township, 10 miles north of Duluth.

Back then this was an all-day commute, so in 1881, another group of Polish families decided to build a church closer to home—in fact, it is only a few blocks from Sacred Heart. They called it St. Mary Star of the Sea.

Having always considered themselves devoutly Catholic, the congregation respected the traditional Catholic customs, while interweaving them with their own beliefs and practices—things such as making committees and having all of the services spoken in Polish. This created organization and harmony in the parish.

“It helped to attach the Polish people to their church, and made of it a 'Polish Catholic church,'� said a 1947 40th anniversary church publication. “From within, it preserved the language and the patriotic spirit for the immigrant; from without, it organized large congregations, built tremendous churches, hospitals, and orphanages.�

However, this peace and harmony was not to last forever.

Roman Catholics did not like that the Polish were deviating from the strict and sacred Catholic traditions, so they created the American Roman Catholic Hierarchy in an attempt to “Americanize� the Polish churches. Parishes were forced to assign their property to the Bishop of the diocese, committees were outlawed, and pastors were forced to assume the position of the Bishop's administrator.

The Polish continued to fight for their religion that they held so dear, but to no avail. Eventually, priests were suspended, congregations were excommunicated, and church buildings were closed to public worship.

In such a position on that February morning in 1907, the Polish Americans of St. Mary Star of the Sea, with nowhere else to turn, decided to gather at a Lutheran church just a few blocks away—at least there they were welcome.

It was here that they prayed. According to the 50th anniversary church publication, they prayed that God would grant them a church of their own—one that would accept them for who they were and never lock them out. They prayed even while the Roman Catholic members of St. Mary Star of the Sea threw mud and rocks at their temporary location, breaking the windows, but not their spirits.

This time, their struggle was not in vain.

That group of faithful Polish Americans, after mortgaging off their houses and giving all they had to the cause, finally got their own church: St. Josephat's Polish National Catholic Church. Although it was a church that broke away from the Roman Catholics who would not accept them, they kept the title of “Catholic,� because that is what they have always been—they were not willing to give up their religion.

“Our church is Catholic, universal, because she teaches all the Gospel of Jesus Christ,� said a 1957 50th anniversary church publication. “The holy scriptures are the foundation of our church as also the traditions of the early church which have been handed down to us through centuries; the word 'Catholic' indicates our faith is for all peoples, regardless of race or color, and of any church which adheres to the Christian faith and Gospel, recognizing Christ as the sole head of the church—and conforming to the traditions of the Apostles is Catholic in the true meaning of the word.�

In fact, being Catholic is one of the biggest things the Polish identified with.

“The 'Catholic' church was so much of their spirit, that many considered a non-Catholic Pole not Polish,� said a 1947 49th anniversary church publication.

However, the Roman Catholics kept them separate, and it is so even to this day.

“They are outside of our union,� said Richard Partika, a retired Catholic priest of many churches in the Duluth area. “They broke away and became part of the national group that considered themselves very Catholic, but they are not part of our Catholic diocese.�

Robin Brazerol, current secretary of St. Josephat's, said that the Catholic Church does acknowledge the Polish Catholic Church, but only because they know the congregation considers themselves Catholic.

St. Josephat's church around the year 1920 on the left, and present day on the right. (Left photo courtesy of Northeast Minnesota Historical Center Archives; right photo by Kendra Richards)

“They see us as the same, but not equal,� said Brazerol. “They would allow a Roman Catholic to come into our church to take communion, but they would not let a Polish Catholic take it in one of their churches.�

The excommunication did not stop the Polish Catholics, and neither did the financial struggle that came with the new church. The faithful priests and worshipers continued to give all they had, and successfully kept this church alive—this church that still stands and functions on the corner of East Fifth Street and Third Avenue East.

“Yet she stands in silent witness to the devotion of that small group of Christian men and women who have built her, who have borne the burden of her cost and maintenance, and who now keep her,� said a 1957 50th anniversary church publication. “She is a shrine, sacred and apart, for the worship of the Almighty God and His only begotten son Jesus Christ.�

And their struggle was not a selfish one. As of November 2006, the Polish National Catholic Church has 126 Parishes in the United States and Canada, with a membership of 60,000, according to the official Polish National Catholic Church Web site.

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By BECKY EDWARDS
DCN Correspondent

Yarn in hundreds of different colors lines the winding shelves of the small shop. The store has a few customers wandering around, some picking out supplies, others admiring the knit hats and sweaters on display.

In the back of the shop, about half a dozen women sit on couches and chairs, all meticulously working on their individual knitting projects, some occasionally leaning over to admire the work of someone else or to ask for some advice on their own projects.

The Yarn Harbor is one of many shops in the Mount Royal Shopping Center that is located close enough to the University of Minnesota Duluth campus that many of the stores at any given time can be seen full of students.

Many of the knitters in this group are regulars who have lived in the area for a majority of their lives; they have become familiar with some of the changes that have taken place in the shopping center over the years.

Now on its third owner, Kathy Thomas, Yarn Harbor is about to hit its 10th anniversary. Thomas said that there are always classes going on, and free knitting anytime during store hours.

“It’s nice to do something you have a passion for,� Thomas said. “It’s just so rewarding to see the finished projects.�

Ellen Altman, one of the knitters, can think of plenty of stores that have come and gone throughout the years. One of the biggest changes that occurred, that gets many of the women talking, pertains to what used to be in the building that now holds the Pioneer National Bank.

Before it became a bank, the restaurant “Somebody’s House,� known for its variety of burgers, stood in its location. Despite the size of the restaurant, it was one of the biggest attractions for the shopping center area.

One popular item on the menu was the “Dareburger,� where customers were challenged to eat a hamburger that had the ingredients of vanilla ice cream, chocolate sauce, nuts and whipped cream. Some tried it, others didn’t.

“It was a great little burger restaurant,� Altman said. “It was a good business and the chef was well-known and featured in the newspaper.�

But like the yarn shop, the restaurant went through many different owners over the years: Partners Richard and Beatrice Ojakangas and Mr. and Mrs. Edward Alspach opened it in February of 1967, but by 1971, the restaurant was sold and switched over to two others before it closed in 1985.

With the changing buildings came the changing landscape. Altman remembers when some parts of Woodland Avenue had elm trees that would arch over the street.

“Some streets remind you of the way it used to be,� Altman said. “I think the trees were removed because of a mix of Dutch Elm disease and the need to widen the roads to accommodate the added vehicles.�

Some of the other concerns that are tied with growing communities pertain to the larger businesses taking over the smaller “mom and pop� type stores, which seems to have happened in Mount Royal.

Jody Ondich, another one of the frequent knitters in Yarn Harbor, thinks that the newer parts of town tend to have the chain restaurants, while the older ones still have the smaller, independent stores.

“Chains kick out other stores,� Ondich said. “There is a hardware shop that we go to on purpose, even though it’s more expensive. We want them to be there.�

Whether or not changes in the shopping center were made to appeal to the college crowd, a lot of the stores such as Bixby’s Café and Bulldog Pizza and Grill are usually full of students.

“It’s smart for businesses to cater to students and be aware of them and know what they want,� Altman said, her fingers moving quickly as she knits.

Mount Royal continued to change over the years. On June 13 of 1999, there was a grand opening of the newly designed Mount Royal Shopping Center, with a big celebration that included a clown, some live bands a picnic and a ribbon cutting.

“It was a good idea,� Altman said, referring to the change. “The whole neighborhood comes here. I go to Mount Royal and always see people I know and I never get out fast enough. There’s such a great combination of stores.�

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By KRISTEN KREBS
DCN Correspondent

The porch provides a place to sit. The porch has a role in the community. The porch is tradition.

Nearly every home in the East Hillside, one of Duluth’s oldest residential districts, features a front porch. Its tradition of informal existence has provided a stage where neighbors can gather together anytime to eat, drink, relax, and enjoy each other’s company.

Kevin Erickson, a home owner on the East Hillside, sat on his porch where he could see what’s going on in the street. “Hey, nice shoes,� he called out to a neighbor who walked by his house wearing two different shoes.

“We use our porch all the time--everyone in the house, friends, neighbors,� Erickson said.

Erickson sat in a chair on his porch smoking a cigarette in the company of his pomapoo, a dog no bigger than a football. Surrounding him was a swing, more chairs, and a small fence, designed not to keep neighbors away but to keep his dog from running into the street.

From the scratches on the floorboards of Erickson’s porch one could gather that it has been used. “(The porch is) a little warped,� he said. “It’s used a lot.� When the time comes, Erickson plans to restore his porch.

Like his porch, Erickson’s house looks aged. It was built in 1905 and its entire structure, including the porch, has stood through a history of rehabilitation initiatives in the East Hillside.

So, why do almost all of the houses in the East Hillside have porches?

“They’re old,� Frank Jurasek, a homeowner in the East Hillside said, smiling as he looked up and down the street at his neighbors’ homes.

Employment by lumbering, shipping, and mining industries grew Duluth’s population from 5,000 in 1880 to 100,000 in 1920. During that time, 70 percent of Duluth houses were built. Many of the job seekers settled on the Hillside, making it one of Duluth’s oldest residential districts. Home builders in the small lots of the East Hillside, most just 25 by 140 feet, attempted to maximize space by building multi-floored homes with extended front porches.

“I don’t like houses without porches. That's why I buy old houses,� Frank Jurasek said.

Jurasek lives on East Fourth Street in a home built in 1908. He has lived there for 30 years. In 1966 Jurasek and his wife, Razalia came to the United States from Yugoslavia to be closer to Razalia’s family. They’ve resided in two different houses since they moved to the United States, both in the East Hillside and both with porches.

Jurasek keeps his porch up by using it to display pots of pink, yellow and red geraniums.

Although such décor is not required for the porch culture in the East Hillside, a report on housing and redevelopment for the city Planning Commission from 1957 set standards for porch’s structure. The report read that “every inside and outside… porch… shall be so constructed as to be safe to use and capable of supporting the load that normal use may cause.�

Normal use, according to Bob Norstrom, a homeowner in the East Hillside, means socializing. “You socialize on the porch and you barbeque in the back,� Norstrom said. He would know; Norstrom has lived in the duplex that he owns on East 5th Street since 1953, before this ordinance even existed.

Another piece of Duluth history suggests that some homes in the East Hillside needed to be rehabilitated in order to provide safe living conditions. The 1970 Neighborhood Development Program (NDP) was initiated by the Housing and Redevelopment Authority of Duluth to carry out this function. The rehabilitation was to be in accordance with neighborhood needs. Thus, the NDP specifically stated that it would “recognize structural features which could contribute to its (a home’s) individuality, such as porches…�

Not all East Hillsiders recall this particular initiative or the houses involved in rehabilitation projects allocated by NDP. However, Norstrom remembered his experiences with some of the blighted times on the East Hillside.

Years ago “some kids started some tires under the porch on fire,� Norstrom said. “They burned the front of the house off.�

After the incident Norstrom rebuilt the front of his home, constructing a new porch to replace the ashes of his old one. “Gotta have a porch,� he said.

To revamp the structure he built a sitting area smaller than the original porch and added room for garden storage underneath it.

In an effort to preserve tradition and culture, the city of Duluth’s Department of Planning and Development published “Old House/ New House -- A guide to Rehabilitating Duluth’s Old Homes.� Homeowners like Norstrom have implicitly and intuitively taken the advice of this guide as exemplified in this excerpt.

“Porches have become an important part of American life, and Duluth is no exception. To tear down the porch is to destroy a real part of the house.�

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By CORY CLAESON
DCN Correspondent

RELATED CONTENT: A look back in time with old Central High

The old Duluth Central High School is considered a magnificent building. The school remains a prominent part of Duluth because of its unique design and architecture. But that is not the only reason the building is significant. The pleasant memories students have made over the years have contributed to the school's history.

The building, now known as Historic Old Central High School, stands above most of the city with its burgundy walls and clock tower. The school is distinguishable because it takes up an entire city block on the corner of Lake Avenue and Second Street. The tower stands some 230 feet in the air, according to Cities Architecture.

“The clock is the most unique part of the school and the structure is [historic] looking,� said Mary Cameron, a 1969 Duluth Central grad and current school board member.

The building, although well maintained, has some blemishes that may be visible to the average person. Throughout the inside and outside part of the tower you may find writings and signatures of the last graduates to attend the school. The tower itself was supposed to last 200-300 years, but you may spot on-going repair here and there.

While the blemishes may be minor nowadays, there was a concern back in the late '60s that the building would not hold up and therefore, the district decided to build a new Duluth Central.

“I would have never supported the new building and preferred they renovated the old building,� said Cameron.

The last class of the old high school was the class of 1971. After students moved out of the old and into the new, the debate started on what the school district should do with the empty building. Several ideas bounced around, but four stuck as main candidates: an administration building, a tourist showpiece, a St. Louis county welfare and social services department or a luxury apartment building, according to a 1971 Duluth News Tribune article.

“I loved it, I was very sad to see it go as a high school,� said Cameron.

Ultimately, the school district chose to use the high school as an administration building, but what would the school look like if they used it as a tourist center?

The tourist showpiece would have been very different in appearance from the structure that is still standing today. The main entrance would have been completely remodeled into a tourist information center and contained souvenirs for visitors. The parts of the building outside the tower would have been turned into plaza areas and possibly demolished. The only main piece of the school that would have remained intact would be the clock tower, which the Duluth Herald referred to as the “Big Ben� of Duluth, but even that would be modified to support an elevator that would bring people to the top. The top of the tower has a view of the Lake Superior shores.

It is hard to imagine the school being just a tower, but many people never wanted the school to be demolished. With the school board setting aside $85,000 to take out the school, people stood up and fought against the demolition. The building was saved so generations of Duluthians can have something to look back in the past at, according to the St. Louis County Historical Society.

The school board finally decided to make the school an administration building for the school district. Since the building was so old, the renovations were expensive and the price was close to $2 million, according to the school district.

Some of the observations of students from the last yearbook of the school stated that at times the pep band wasn’t allowed to stomp because the ceiling might cave in. Other features of the old school needing renovation were bats swooping down in auditoriums, no heat during subzero temperatures and a distinct smell of the hallways, according to the 1971 Zenith yearbook.

“High school is a very positive experience that builds lasting friendships,� said Chris Johnson, a 1981 new Duluth Central graduate.

Many Duluthians today wonder if it was necessary to move to the new school if they ended up renovating the old building anyways.

The current administration building at the old Duluth Central high school presently contains an alternative learning center, school board meetings, Indian education, and administration offices. There could potentially be classes at the school after floor, window, and circulation improvements were completed years ago.

The words “Central High School� still appear imprinted on the front of the school.

Posted by Zach Olson at 7:35 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

By VENESSA OSTERGAARD
DCN Correspondent

Walking through the streets of Duluth during the winter months is nowhere near what one would define as pleasant. But when you put ten minutes of cold fingers into perspective with what others on Duluth’s streets have to deal with, your gloves seem to warm up. For many residences in our port, money, food and shelter have a history of being hard to come by.

A few societies and organizations in Duluth have been working for over a century to warm the hearts and fingers of cold individuals.

Through the good times and struggles, The Duluth Bethel Society has been on the hill, serving the community and people just passing through for as long as anyone remembers. Presently it is a place where a troubled individual can transition from one life to the next. But this was not always the focus. As the days turned to years, the Duluth Bethel aged with the trends of the community. It started as a religious place in the early 1900s, but has been transformed to serve the needs of Northeastern Minnesota and the Central Hillside as crime continues to rise.

The Bethel society was founded in 1873 by Robert Smith, Captain Kitwood and pastors that preached to the lawless, roaring sailor hoards. Starting on the corner of Superior Street on dry-goods boxes, they tried to "promote temporal and spiritual welfare of seamen and their families,� as accounted by the National Register.

The Duluth branch is the oldest human services agency in Northeastern Minnesota. Originally it was established to serve seamen, miners, lumberjacks, their families and segments of the floating population who moved into the port of Duluth. The Bethel was a place where a person could find food and shelter when they needed it.

The first building was constructed in 1889 on the corner of Lake Avenue and Sutphin Street, the pervious site of KBJR News. In the early years, Bethel was home to a men's reading room, Sunday school, gospel meetings, cooking school, mothers' meetings, boys' club, sewing school and nursery.

Tom Dawson is the current executive director at Duluth Bethel.

“When the hard times of the Depression hit, Bethel was a place to stay and warm up with a meal and a prayer,� Dawson said.

The era of the Glensheen’s in Duluth ended at the turn of the century. A city that was once home to the most millionaires per capita was beginning to face a financial depression in the early 1900s. This was when Bethel began to change its focus from a church mission to a rescue mission. According to an overview of the Bethel’s history, efforts to help save drunks, criminals and social outcasts blossomed between 1905 and 1910.

In 1908 the depression Duluth was facing began to pick up speed. Bethel saw the need to help the community stay afloat. A bread line was established to feed the unemployed that swarmed the city. Hundreds of men came to Bethel for a warm meal and shelter. The chapel and corridors were transformed into lodging where men would bed down on crumpled old newspapers. A now infamous picture, jokingly titled "Zoo Men" by Dawson, depicts this scene of men trying to get some sleep in a less than ideal situation.

Photo courtesy of Tom Dawson, Duluth Bethel

The original Bethel was built in 1889 on Lake Avenue. To account for growth, the building went through several remodeling projects which included adding bathrooms, a fourth floor and lodging for the rising number of occupants coming into the port sanctuary. This building lasted 23 years.

In 1912 the current building was created to actually house members and visitors of the community. The cost of this addition was $80,000. It was built on top of the hill with a green light alerting sailors that it was a safe place for them to sleep.

Once the nationwide depression hit however, this was not even enough. Bethel was overflowing with homeless men in the 1930s. The city of Duluth asked Bethel to take on the task of caring for these men and it accepted its new responsibility for the community. The city contributed the use of the old city hall for added space in its endeavor.

The development of soup kitchen and shelter continued even after the depression lifted. In the early '70s it became known to the society that 95 percent of the people they fed and cared for were chemically dependent. It became apparent that progress to treating these problems should become Bethel’s next change.

The Bethel Society spent 50 years as a mission changing the lifestyles of many seamen, loggers and minors. Its goal was to get these individuals to live lives of chastity, faith and God. Today, Bethel still relies on faith and prayer as part of its rehabilitation. However now you must be sent to one of Bethel’s many rehabilitation programs by a judge.

Bethel found need to open a few chemical dependency programs, get involved with the county's drug courts and has a minimal corrections facility. This facility offers residential and non-residential programs. They are designed for people who are chemically dependent and need community correction. Courts can agree to let the prosecuted serve their sentences at Bethel or, as Dawson explained it as “somewhat of a house arrest,� where they can go to work, but are monitored through our center.

Warming hearts and hands has been the consistent factor throughout Bethel’s long history in Duluth. And for that reason it continues to be successful and dedicated to helping put lives back together.

Posted by Zach Olson at 6:55 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Related article: Casino prospers in old Sears building
By ALEX DE MARCO
DCN Correspondent

The addition of a 24-hour casino to any downtown community is enough to worry local business owners and residents. In 1985 when the Band of Lake Superior Chippewa bought what used to be the downtown Duluth Sears and Roebuck Company department store, (see Casino Prospers in Old Sears Building), questions of its effect on family values and local businesses, as well as the city of Duluth's budget, began to arise.

For 23 years, the Fond Du Luth Casino has sat at 129 East Superior Street in downtown Duluth, but even to this day the city’s residents are unsure if a casino is the proper way of revitalizing the downtown area of a small town.

Downtown Duluth business owner Jim Carlson has expressed his concern for some of the types of people who are attracted to the casino.

“We've had quite a bit of pan-handling going on up the street from it. And all the drunks that come out of it (at night) are all over the streets. It’s become a real problem,� said Carlson.

Carlson, the owner of The Last Place on Earth across the street form the Fond Du Luth Casino, also feels that some of the casino employees inadvertently take away some business from other downtown establishments.

“The night crew will come in and park at the meters in front of my store instead of the ramp because they stop enforcing them about the time they come in. It makes people not want to come in if they have to park a ways down the street,� said Carlson.

However, not everyone shares the same views on the effects of the casino as Carlson. The president of the Greater Downtown Council, Kristi Stokes, feels that the casino is only promoting the area.

“From our standpoint, the Casino has had a great impact on the downtown area. They draw in people and have been tremendous partners in promoting events like the Rock the Block summer concert,� said Stokes.

Even though it may be impossible to conclude whether or not the casino is an overall burden or benefit to the downtown area, the agreement between The Band of Lake Superior Chippewa and the city of Duluth to share the casino's revenue undeniably plays a large role in the debate.

“Last year, about $6.4 million in casino revenue went toward building up the $56 million in the city’s Community Investment Trust Fund,� wrote Brandon Stahl of the Duluth News Tribune on Sept. 12th, 2008.

“It has been a strong community partner who is helping to bring up our vibrant neighborhood,� said Stokes.

Re-negotiations between the city and the Fond Du Luth Casino are able to take place as soon as late next year.

“I believe the agreement with the city is up for re-negotiation (around) 2010 and I hope it goes through,� said Stokes, who is unsure of the negative aspects to the casino. “We have made great strides in this community and the casino has been an important part of that.�

Posted by Julia Davis at 6:10 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Related article: Debate continues over downtown casino
By ALEX DE MARCO
DCN Correspondent

When walking through the downtown Duluth business district one can't help but notice the overwhelming neon purple, blue, and yellow lights that shine from the Fond du Luth Casino. It has been one of the top attractions in downtown for over 20 years, but before the Band of Lake Superior Chippewa took over the property in 1985 the building had already been a part of downtown for over 50 years.

Nowadays the glowing neon signs of the Fond du Luth Casino light up the night at 129 East Superior Street, but from 1916 to 1927 G.G Hartley owned Kuglers Drug Store which occupied this part of downtown. Building permits show that the original building was demolished in 1929 and construction of the new Sears and Roebuck Company department store began.

Even with what a 1929 Duluth Herald article called “...delays caused when solid rock was struck in excavating for the new three story building to house the Duluth store,� Sears and Roebuck still opened in 1929 and first appeared in the city directory in 1930.

When Sears and Roebuck had closed its downtown store to become part of the expansion in Miller Hill Mall in the 1980s, the Band of Lake Superior Chippewa purchased the property, according to a July 10th, 1989 Duluth News Tribune article, for close to $3 million. Fond du Luth Casino employee Jackson Ripley says that the Fond du Luth Bingo and Gaming Hall opened in 1985 and expanded to include card games and slot machines in 1988.

“We haven't done too many renovations to the building over the years. We did some interior renovations in the '90s, where we had a tropical theme for five to six years, but then we changed it to our current theme. It is supposed to take on the persona of downtown Las Vegas, the older part of town.� said Ripley. “But we are hoping to do some more renovations in the future.�

Even though the building itself may not have changed much since its construction nearly 80 years ago, its surroundings undoubtedly have. There are some people who are uncertain if the addition of the casino to downtown has been a positive or negative aspect to the community, (see The Long Debate); whatever the effects of the Fond du Luth Casino, it has without doubt become a part of Duluth's history.

Posted by Julia Davis at 6:04 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Related story on West Duluth community center

By ALEXANDER RISSE
DCN Correspondent

Sometimes a place can define a community. It can bring people together, raise children and break down barriers. Dennis Sauve knows. He’s lived and worked down the street from such a place for decades.

Sauve is the owner of Twin Ports Cyclery, a bike shop on Third Street, in the Lincoln Park district of Duluth. Only a half-minute walk down the road from his shop is the Harrison Community Center.

“It’s the kind of place that really melds the community,� Sauve said. “People get to know their neighbors.�

Sauve has operated his bike shop next to the community center since 1978. He has been a member of committees that oversee the how the center is run. He said the center helped his son, “Manage the perils of adolescence very well.�

Sauve recalled a time when kids from Harrison would come to his shop where they could have their bikes worked on for free. He explained that the center has been essential for the culturally diverse neighborhood, recalling how kids of different races played basketball at the center.

“There are too many kids in the area not to have Harrison,� he said.

The Harrison Community Center was built in 1912 for use as a shelter for an ice skating rink. When it was condemned in 1968, due to structural problems, members of the community rolled up their sleeves and repaired the center. It was then that the community center as it is today was born.

Since then, Harrison has been a fixture for many of the area’s residents. Joe Perfetti, the president of the Harrison Community Club, said that the center is rented out on average of over 20 days a month. It is routinely the location of weddings, birthday parties and children’s programs. Dinners for seniors are also held at the center, giving them an opportunity to socialize with their neighbors.

Despite the major role that Harrison has played in the community over the years, it has recently been in limbo. For a long time heavy road construction blocked any major activities from being held there. When that was finally finished, the center was closed in early 2007 as a result of a fire that was lit in the basement.

“People were really upset,� Sauve said. “It was a shocker.�

Again, the community stepped in to save the building. Around $20,000 was raised when it became apparent insurance would not provide enough funds to repair the damage. Sauve and Perfetti see this as evidence of how central Harrison has become to Lincoln Park.

Located on Third Street, the Harrison Community Center is a central part of Lincoln Park. (Photo by Alexander Risse)

On Sept. 27, 2008, the Harrison Community Center re-opened its doors.

“It’s really good to have the center back and better than ever,� Sauve said. He pointed out a new kitchen and bathrooms that have been added to Harrison. Sauve is hopeful that the center will be back to its old busy self within the next few weeks.

Still, Harrison has challenges to face. Recently the city of Duluth cut funding to programs that help operate Harrison and other community centers.

Cheryl Hallamek works at the bike shop with Sauve. She said that her son, a recreation specialist at another local community center, was recently laid off due to the budget cuts. The same position was eliminated at Harrison. Hallamek and Sauve worry that these cuts will lead to the loss of supervised after-school and summer activities. Sauve feels that the city is too quick to cut such programs, and the absence of them will hurt the community.

In light of these recent budget issues, Perfetti said the Harrison Community Club is taking steps to move the center away from city funding. He said Community Development Block Grants (CDBG) may play a role in future funding. CDBG are allocated by the federal government, and help fund many community building programs around the country.

Sauve feels a strong sense of community in Lincoln Park. He believes that Harrison is a big reason for that. He remembers when the children of local families would settle only a few blocks from home. He said Harrison helps to keep that sense of community from disappearing. With any luck, Sauve will soon be back to fixing kids’ bikes as they grow up down the street at Harrison.

The basketball court at Harrison is a popular place among neighborhood kids. (Photo by Alexander Risse.)

Posted by David Buckner at 5:47 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

By CORY BELLAMY
DCN Correspondent

Kaytie Chernak walks around the sales floor at Duluth Pack in Canal Park, taking a moment to observe the store’s layout. The flooring is decked out in knotty pine, and there are several trophy animals mounted on the walls. In front of a giant fireplace, a customer sits in a chair and thumbs through a fancy catalog. The main sales kiosk resembles an old cabin, complete with decorative shingles on its roof.

“It’s supposed to feel like it did when it first opened,� Chernak said. “We really try to push the fact that we’ve been here 126 years on our customers.�

The store dates back to an 1882 patent obtained by a Canadian named Camille Poirer. The patent is for a backpack that was simply known as a “pack-strap� at the time. According to the original document, the bag is made from canvas and leather, and is held together by copper rivets. It was designed for use during canoe portages through the rugged wilderness. The pack utilizes a sternum strap for added support, as well as a strap that can be put over one’s head to help distribute the weight of the load being carried, now known as a “tumpline.�

According to a brief historical timeline given to Duluth Pack employees, this invention quickly became known as the original “Duluth Pack.� The document claims that Poirer sold the manufacturing rights to the Duluth Pack to Duluth Tent and Awning in 1911. Nearly 100 years after obtaining the rights to the pack, the company has operated out of the same factory and has made few changes in the production of the bags, despite competing with manufacturers of more technologically advanced and lighter materials.

How can this century-old design of a piece of canvas -- that is less than aesthetically pleasing -- continue to succeed today?

Current Duluth News Tribune outdoors writer Sam Cook offered his insight in a 1983 article which appeared in The Philadelphia Inquirer. Cook raved about the pack’s rich history and representation of the city for which it’s named. “That Duluth pack, faded and friendly as an old pair of jeans, is more than just a way to move gear across portage trails. It's a living piece of history,� Cook wrote.

Tom Sega became the majority owner and president of Duluth Pack in April of 2007. He got involved in the company after spending several years as a frequent customer of the business. He thinks the answer to the success of the packs is quite simple.

“I just got sick and tired of buying my kids new backpacks for school year after year. I knew I was paying twice as much as for other backpacks, but these ones never need to be replaced. The durability in the products speaks for itself,� Sega said, adding that each pack comes with a lifetime warranty on its craftsmanship, including zippers and rivets.

Despite making few alterations to the pack over the years, Duluth Pack has enjoyed prolonged success and continues to grow. The company produced two million catalogs this year, including 750,000 which were recently mailed out for the holiday shopping season.

Sega said Duluth Pack has also begun to enjoy international success. The company now has a distributor in Japan, as well as one in the United Kingdom. He also said shipments were made to all seven continents last year, including Antarctica.

According to an Associated Press story written in 2007, the store grossed over $5 million in sales in 2006. The article states that many of the company’s sales generate from its web site, a trend that has helped create the potential for new store locations. Some possible destinations mentioned in the piece are Minneapolis, Chicago, Seattle and Denver.

Even with the growth Duluth Pack continues to enjoy, the production quality of the famous backpacks will always play the biggest role, explained associate manager Katie Houman. She explained that each bag is handled by a particular sewer from start to finish. Once a bag is completed, it is shipped out with three tags attached to the inside. One tag denotes that the bag was made in the United States, a second shows the Duluth Pack seal and the third is marked with the sewer’s signature or initials. Houman said the sewers came up with the idea eight years ago as an added incentive to take pride in their work.

“We realize that we could be more efficient and produce greater volume,� Houman said. “What we try to do is eliminate extra steps in the production process, while still sticking with mainly hand-crafted materials.�

While looking to expand, and continuing to stand by the quality and durability that made it famous, Sega said Duluth Pack has always operated under the same principle. He said the company has always taken a string of items that mean very little individually to produce something special.

“We take some canvas, some leather, a little bit of hardware and thread, and create value," Sega said.

Posted by Julia Davis at 5:42 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

RELATED STORY: Duluth Olympians' passion stays home at Chester Bowl

By ASHLEE HARTWIG
DCN Correspondent

Surrounded by the changing fall colors and listening to the potato chip crunch of leaves underfoot, Jim Denney Sr. gazes up the hill at the ski jump known as Big Chester. Big Chester once stood out on this hillside like a lighthouse on the coast, but now trees have grown all around it to shroud its appearance.

“It makes me feel bad to see the jump in this condition,� said Denney.

Chester Bowl was appropriately nicknamed the Ski Jumping Capitol of the United States, stated a 1955 issue of the Duluth Sunday News Tribune. Big Chester stood as the icon of the area.

“Before there was Spirit Mountain, Chester Bowl was it,� Denney said. “Duluthians would point out the jumps to newcomers before they pointed out anything else.�

The jumps at Chester Bowl hold a special place in Denney’s heart. When he was a little boy, he and his dad would walk the short distance from his house to Chester Park whenever they could. Together, they’d watch the ski jumping tournaments.

“Back in the ‘50s and ‘60s, skiing was king up here,� said city park manager Thom Storm.

The tradition carried on with Denney when he became a father himself. His four boys, Jim Jay, Jeffery, John, and Joel, were surrounded by the sport since they could remember.

“Where else do you dump four boys in the middle of winter?� said Denney. “They couldn’t get enough of Big Chester in the Chester Bowl.�

Chester Bowl turned into more than a play place for two of Denney’s sons. Jim Jay is now a two-time Olympic skier and Jeffrey almost qualified for the Olympics as many times. Duluthian ski jumpers had prominently appeared in every major competition for 38 years, according to the minutes from a Duluth Ski Club meeting in 1942.

It didn’t stop there. Denney’s oldest son, Jim Jay, competed at Lake Placid in the 1980 Winter Olympics as well.

Big Chester stands quite differently now.

“It’s a landmark accompanied by a cell phone tower now,� Denney said. “Where it stands, our family used to have picnics.�

Not only is the site marred by a blinking signal tower, but, rust now covers the scaffolding. Fading sunlight pokes through the numerous holes that line the jumps’ runway. The top landing no longer sits in alignment with the support base, but instead leans precariously off to one side. Even the “No Trespassing� signs are tinged with rust.

In the last decade, Chester Bowl has shifted from a ski jumping hot spot to downhill skiing attraction.

“When my kids got started with ski jumping, there was no such thing as downhill. We jumpers got that going,� Dewey said.

However, due to lack of interest in ski jumping attention turned onto downhill skiing, which eventually lead to the downfall of Big Chester. Its current condition is why the city council wishes to tear the jump down.

“No one takes ski jumping seriously anymore,� Denney admitted. “Everybody’s busy, it’s hard to get the people to come out to support the sport because they’re all working two jobs or something like that.�

Even the big skiing names still living around the area are have difficulty coming together to find a way to save an icon from their past.

“The Storms’, the Hovlands, my family…we try to get together to chew the fat and make plans to fix up the Chester Bowl,� Denney said. “Usually it ends up being my sons’ and I cutting the grass.�

Big Chester now stands up on the hill of Chester Bowl bearing the weight of a grand time of old upon its slope. People of all ages still climb to the top despite its base being roped off.

UMD student Alex Rugowski has found himself sitting at the top of Big Chester once or twice a month since freshman year.

“I’d climb to the top of the jump with my iPod and clear my head,� said Rugowski, now a junior at UMD.

How much longer Big Chester will continue to stand there is not known, but many would notice its absence.

“Duluth would lose a piece of itself, and so would I,� said Denney.

Posted by Elizabeth Strawn at 5:10 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

RELATED CONTENT: A slideshow of the historic firestations in Duluth

It is the middle of the night and a house on the corner of 60th Avenue East and Wyoming Street is being consumed by a raging fire. As the flames begin to overwhelm the house and smoke bellows from the windows, a fire truck pulls up and two men step out of the truck prepared for the worst.

Within an hour, the flames have been suppressed and the situation is well under control.

Thanks to the two firefighters the fire is out and no one is seriously hurt. They are from Station No. 6 in Duluth’s Lakeside district.

Station No. 6 was first constructed in April of 1891 as a two-story, wooden-frame fire station that housed not fire trucks, but horses.

Today, nearly a century later, that station stands on the very same street corner of 51st Avenue East and Superior Street in Duluth’s Lakeside district, but with an updated look.

Capt. Jarry Keppers knows the history that goes along with Station No. 6. He was the captain there in Lakeside for 12 years from 1988-2000.

“Yeah, this is a pretty historic station,� said Keppers. “I’ve seen a lot of changes and a lot of people come and go from here over the years.�

But the history behind Station 6 goes way back before Kepper’s time as captain.

It was built in 1891 to provide fire protection for the growing and expanding Lakeside community. The station had a hayloft for its two horses. The horses’ job was to pull the 40-gallon engine to the fire.

According to “Fire and Ice,� a book co-written by Keppers about the history of the Duluth fire department, one of the favorite activities of the Lakeside residents at the time was to see the two fire horses as they were paraded up and down London Road. This was done to keep the horses well exercised and groomed.

King and Frank, as the horses were known throughout the community, were relied upon to pull the engine to the scene of the fire.

When motorized fire trucks finally did arrive in Duluth, it was Station 6 that was the first to have them. The original station on 51st Avenue and Superior Street had to be torn down and rebuilt because its condition was so terrible.

The chief at the time, Chief Joseph Randall, described the old building as a “cesspool� and that a “worse condition could not be imagined and still be inhabitable.�

The new station was opened on Aug. 1, 1911 as the first station built specifically to house motorized engines.

Today, the station still has its classic look but has benefited from a recent upgrade.

The Fire Station No. 6 in the Lakeside community
(Photo By Paul Budd/DCN)

In 2001, the station was expanded and renovated to allow for more living quarters for the firefighters on duty and created a new 38-by-48 foot truck bay which allows for easier access to Superior Street than previously.

Overall, the station was nearly doubled in size, however the original look and structure from the 1911 building was kept intact.

The station has always been important to the identity of the Lakeside area.

“This area is what Lakeside is known for,� said Rachel Johnson, a Lakeside resident. “That fire house is something people recognize and know and it would’ve been wrong for them to tear it down.�

The people who work inside the station have changed, along with how they do their job.

Keppers talked about some of those changes in terms of fighting fires today as opposed to 40 or 50 years ago.

“Attitude, qualifications, technology; all that stuff has really changed with firefighters over the years,� said Keppers. “We have these thermal imaging cameras today that are amazing. They make it so much easier to find people in fires.�

Current fire captain of Station 6, Capt. Steve Sauve, talked about the different approach firefighters have today. He said that safety regulations have changed the way they do their job.

"In the older days, you would see guys going into buildings without wearing their breathing support and eventually dying from lung problems,� he said. “It was really just a macho attitude they had back then.�

Posted by Brittney Silewski at 4:48 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

RELATED CONTENT: Big Chester remains an icon to the hopeful

By FATIMA JAWAID
DCN Correspondent

Here, the quiet echoes. The only sound that fills the air is that of the empty chair squeaking slightly with each gust of wind. Three ski jumps tower over the park, quiet and foreboding, daring anyone to come near. The alpine hills at Chester Bowl sit silent and still, waiting for ski season to start.

It’s a scene familiar to many Duluthians. For 82-year-old George Hovland, this is where it all began.

George Hovland Jr. was born about four blocks from the park and is called by some to be a Minnesota ski legend.

And he is, in every sense of the word.

Over the years Hovland has collected many titles. A Minnesota state high school ski champion, a four-time Central U.S.S.A. four-event champion, the first non-European to complete the 90-kilometer Swedish Vasalopet, a 30-time Birkebeiner finisher and even at the age of 25, a 1952 Olympian at Oslo, where he finished 12th in the Men’s 4 x 10 Kilometers relay.

But he doesn’t like to talk much about that. What he does like to talk about, even after all these years, is his one passion, skiing.

For as long as Hovland can remember, skiing has been a big part of his life.

“When I was growing up there wasn’t much to do during the winter in Duluth,� said Hovland. “It was either ski or play hockey and I wasn’t much of a hockey player.�

When Hovland was young his day revolved around skiing. When ski jumping was huge in the area, Hovland remembers taking every opportunity to practice jumping off the towering hills of Chester Bowl.

“I never really made the decision to ski,� said Hovland. “All the kids in the neighborhood would put their skis on at home, cut through the woods and practice our jumping until it got so dark you couldn’t see the kid in front of you. It was just something that was done.�

And every year when winter rolled around this pattern continued until the day he left for college.

To jump off the historic hills of Chester Bowl, that held numerous national competitions, was a real highlight in his life.

“There was a time that the ski tournaments in Duluth were the hardest to win,� says Kenneth Harkins. He was once a member of the U.S. Ski Team, and now is a professor of Physical Education at the University of Minnesota Duluth. “People used to travel from all over the world to ski here.�

As the days turned into months, and the months into years, Chester Bowl changed. It wasn’t the park that Hovland grew up with.

But through the years, Hovland saw it all.

He remembers when the hype over ski jumping started to decline and the jumps slowly emptied and faded with time.

He remembers one year in the late 1930s, when the biggest ski jump was torn down for steel as part of the war effort. The image of the towering jump falling at a 45-degree angle still burns in his mind.

He remembers when the times began to change and new technologies were brought to Chester Bowl. Each turn of the century brought changes to the park like newer improved ski trails, the addition of cross-country skiing, an automatic chairlift, and even a snow machine.

And as for some of those, Hovland was part of the change himself.

Almost 50 years ago, around the time when ski jumping lost its popularity, he joined forces with the Chester Bowl Improvement Club to help build the alpine hills that now line the park.

At the time, Hovland was working in construction. There was a lot of discussion in the club about building an alpine hill to renew the interest in skiing at Chester Bowl. Hovland started calling contractors and once the community caught a whiff of what was going on, Chester Bowl was alive during the winter once again.

“What a lot of people don’t know is mostly everything in Chester Bowl was donated,� he said. “The contractors started pouring in, and most of the work was done for free. The community really pulled together.�

As the years went by Hovland changed along with the park. He no longer ski jumps, but now spends his time running the Snowflake Nordic Ski Center in Duluth with his wife, Jane.

But the one thing that has never changed, the passion that has not dulled in Hovland’s 82 years, for the one place that started it all - Chester Bowl.

He still lives just five minutes away from the park.

“I just love it,� says Hovland. “ I lived in other houses, but they just aren’t the same.�

When this winter rolls around, visit Snowflake on a cold winter afternoon and you may just find Hovland skiing down the Nordic hills of the Center. After all these years, he has not outgrown the routine of skiing every day when he gets a chance. You may just see Hovland hitting the trails, full speed ahead.

Posted by Elizabeth Strawn at 4:42 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

By RYAN SWANSON
DCN Correspondent

As customers walk through the door, they are greeted with a friendly smile and often “Hello,� or “How are you?� Customers then stroll through the store finding various items to purchase. When they bring their items to the checkout counter the cashier strikes up some small talk, and customers leave with a smile like the one with which they were greeted.

This is the type of experience that customers have been accustomed to in the Fourth Street shops of the East Hillside. The various shops that line the street give the people of the Hillside an escape from the larger stores that take away the feeling of community from the shopping experience.

“We are a community store,� said Jake Haugen an employee of The Shanty Bottle Shop, a liquor store located on Fourth Street.

The Shanty Bottle shop has been located on the hillside since 1982, when they moved their store from an old location near Miller Hill Mall. They moved into what was formally another little shop, The House of Donuts.

The people that come into the store come in for the convenience of having the store so close to home. They do not have to travel very far to get what they need from a friendly community store.

“We get a lot of foot traffic in here,� said Haugen. “I know most of the people that come in here.�

A main reason that The Shanty Bottle Shop stays in business is the fact that it is a locally owned store in the heart of the community. “Some people have been in the community for up to 35 years,� said Pam Crotty, the owner of The Shanty Bottle Shop.

There is a fear that weighs on the mind of Crotty about her business. She fears that the larger stores might take away some of her customers because of the products that they are able to carry.

“The big box stores make it hard to compete,� said Crotty. “We just don’t have the funds and the space [like larger stores].�

Although Crotty might lose some customers to the larger stores, she feels that they will not drive her out of business.

“I’ll always have customers,� said Crotty.

She feels that the community is too dense to not have customers and that people enjoy a smaller and friendlier store. The history of The Shanty Bottle Shop is not yet over if you talk to the owner. She feels the store will live on in the East Hillside.

Karen Nelson is the owner of a newer store located on the Fourth Street stretch of small businesses. Nelson and her husband are the owners of the small retro store, Obscurities Retro, which carries vintage clothing, music, and other various items.

This store is not only a small store located in the hillside community, they are also involved with the community. According to the store’s MySpace page, they sell music made by local artists and give all the proceeds back to the artists themselves.

Nelson is aware of the larger businesses that present most of the shopping opportunities for consumers.

“I’d like to see more home-spun businesses,� said Nelson referring to stores like hers, which is actually located in her house.

These businesses remain a staple of Fourth Street because they are locally owned and part of the Central Hillside community.

These smaller businesses carry tradition with them, which the large corporate businesses generally do not. Crotty has been around the liquor business her whole life and it just seemed like the thing to do when she started her own store.

“When I was a young girl, my father was in the liquor business,� said Crotty.

Posted by dill0169 at 4:25 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

By LIZ ENKE
DCN Correspondent

In the middle of West Fourth Street stands a brick building whose salmon color seems to have washed away with time; but what else is to be expected after 20 years of existence. In this building’s case the famous saying holds true, “don’t judge a book by its cover.�

The Center for American Indian Resources (CAIR) was established in Duluth to better accommodate to the number of Native Americans living in the surrounding area as well as on the Fon du Lac Reservation.

There are over 18,000 pure blood and mixed blood Native American citizens in Minnesota with at least 1,000 living in Duluth’s Central Hillside. The Native Americans in Duluth belong to the Lake Superior Band of Minnesota Chippewa—the second largest group of American Indians in the United States.

Over the years it has been noted that many reservation areas are not able to provide sufficient resources for survival. CAIR provides social services, counseling and other human services to 2,300 patients a year.

The abundance of services and programs are noteworthy, but it is the staff that shapes and gives the clinic personality.

Patient Sharon Mathison has been coming and taking her son, now 28 years old, to the clinic for over 20 years.

“It’s more private for Native Americans,� said Mathison. “It’s more one-on-one. They know me by name, and it’s very cultural.�

In the waiting area Gloria Mirkovich can be found behind the welcoming window.

“Hi, do you have an appointment?� asked Mirkovich with a smile as a woman walked through the front door.

“Hi,� said the cheerful lady. “I just have some papers for you, and I was wondering if I could get a flu shot.�

“Yep! Come on back,� replied Mirkovich.

Mirkovich has worked at CAIR for the past 14 years. For the first five of them she worked in the pharmacy. Mirkovich is a licensed practical nurse and is now working in registration.

“I enjoy it,� said Mirkovich. “I get to know people really well.�

Mirkovich’s open-heartedness and inviting personality seems to be common among the staff at CAIR.

Behind the scenes and the hallways is where longtime employee Gale Omundson can be found.

As office manager, Omundson enjoys providing medical assistance to the community that she’s a part of.
Omundson began her career at the Min No Aya Win (MNAW) clinic in Cloquet 24 years ago.

After all those years at CAIR, Omundson says her favorite part of her job is the babies.

“I get to know families and have become really close friends with some of them,� said Omundson. “I love the babies and the elders.�

Six years ago, while working in Cloquet, she met a youngster who she immediately felt a connection with.

Omundson remembered that moment quite vividly.

“He was being carried out of the back door and I was going out that door,� said Omundson. “He couldn’t have been more than five days old.�

As it turned out the boy started going to school in Duluth. When Omundson transferred down to work at CAIR she continued to watch him grow.

“It’s fun to watch,� said Omundson. “I’ve seen him go through all of his sports events and sports physicals.�

Over the years Omundson has also developed a relationship with the boy’s mother.

“Oh yeah,� Omundson said with an innocent smile. “Mom will say, ‘do you remember when she helped you do this or sat and colored with you?’�

Time has gone by and the baby boy Omundson first met going through that back door is about to graduate high school.

“It’s like they're babies,� said Omundson, “then all of a sudden you turn around and they’re graduating!�

Prior to working in administration, she would fill in for employees at the front desk or registration that were gone. She said she misses how hands-on it was but working in more of a “behind-scene-setting� hasn’t deterred her from interacting with people.

“Sometimes the front desk will call me and say, ‘so-and-so is here and wants to see you,’ or ‘so-and-so’s baby is here and they want you to see them',� explained Omundson.

It is easy to infer that Omundson is very affectionate toward her job. But to better illustrate her strong work ethic and endearing personality, consider that Omundson drives 30 miles to and from work each day from Alborn, Minn.

To most, that length of a drive may sound ridiculous, but to Omundson it’s not an issue.

“I love it in the country. You drive [here] in the morning and you think of everything you need to do; you get your ducks in a row,� said Omundson. “Then on the drive home you think about everything you need to get done there.�

Omundson said she doesn’t see herself leaving CAIR anytime soon.

“Yep, I’ll probably retire here,� smiled Omundson.

Posted by claes019 at 4:11 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

By DAYNA LANDGREBE
DCN Correspondent

Nancy Needham has been in the East Hillside a long time. Thirty-nine years to be exact.

Through the years, Nancy has seen changes. She has raised children. Been through graduations, weddings, and divorces. She has seen moves, births and deaths—including the death of her own child. She got by with the help of five friends.

This group of six women lived within a block and a half of each other around Portland Square. They raised their kids together— and they did it without fathers.

“[The women] have been there through thick and thin. We became like extended family,� Sandy Robinson, one of the six friends said.

It was that family support that was needed for raising kids alone. And dealing with the death of a child.

Nancy’s son, Mitch, had never left Duluth. Born and raised, he had just graduated from the University of Minnesota Duluth and was living at home. He went to bed ill one evening and the next morning he was gone. Mitch died of a heart aneurism in the night. It was 2006.

“I don’t remember how [the women] got there, I don’t remember who I talked to,� Nancy said.

The friends called three other neighbors who had each lost children. They all gathered in the living room. And then they brought food.

“He was really healthy and just like that—he was gone. It was tough. Thank goodness for friends,� Nancy said.

Gene McKeever has been a resident of Duluth for 39 years, 14 of which were spent in the East Hillside. “All of us came to her home. And that was probably the saddest thing. We all went to support her,� Gene said.

That friendship created a community within a community. Potlucks, a mainstay for the group, were held almost once a month and in those days, keeping track of the kids was usually a topic of conversation.

“I mean we were all broke. But we’d call up one day, and one would say 'Well, I've got peas,' and one would say 'I've got soup, let's get the kids together and make lunch,'" Nancy said. “It was great. I mean we were poor as church mice at the time but we didn’t know it, I guess. We had a good time.�

Gatherings were held in the park for friends, family, and almost anyone who was there.

“We’d always buy extra hot dogs and ice cream cones, you know,� Sandy said. Eventually, kids started coming to her house looking for ice cream there too.
This was in the early 1990s when Sandy lived on East Fifth Street on Portland Square.

But almost two years ago, Sandy went to the deli at the grocery store and the boy behind the counter asked, “Are you the ice cream lady?� He was a neighborhood kid who grew up in the Hillside.

“I mean, what’s five bucks for a gallon of ice cream and some cones? I guess it’s just one of those random acts of kindness. You just do it,� Sandy said.

More than friends they were the caretakers; the neighborhood eyes and mothers to other kids too.

“All the moms in the neighborhood looked out for the kids and everybody knew everybody,� Nancy said.

She remembers coming home one evening to no kitchen chairs and silverware. “We said that either we’d been robbed or someone’s having a party. And it was—three houses down. But that’s the way it was,� she said.

Today, the neighborhood kids are grown. Joanne Chesser, another mom in the group, still goes to Portland Square. But now she brings her grandchildren.

Others, like Gene, have moved out of the Hillside but the group still gets together twice a year to celebrate Christmas and birthdays.

One Christmas, Nancy knitted five Afghan blankets—one for each friend. The holidays were busy and soon they came and went. “Finally I made a big pot of chicken something or other and I called them all up.� Nancy said.

She told them, “Alright, I made ya a present. You come up here and eat this stuff and take your present cause I haven’t got room!�

Nancy simply said, “It was stuff like that that we do.�

"Christmas Party" (L-R) Nancy Needham, Sandy Robinson, Gene McKeever, Toni Thorsted, Chris Odden, unknown, Joanne Chesser
Photo courtesy of Sandy Robinson

"The boys" (L-R) Mitchell Needham, Andy Anderson (Sandy's son), Anthony Bolton (Toni Thorsted's son), Ben Moore
Photo courtesy of Sandy Robinson

Posted by krebs068 at 3:49 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

By TRAVIS DILL
DCN Correspondent

A simple white bungalow sits along the steady incline of 12th Avenue East fighting for room to breathe amongst a patch of tightly placed residences in the East Hillside. It is similar to the houses that surround it as they all have been a part of the neighborhood for decades, but the story of this home’s history has become muddled by tenants shuffling through it year to year.

Miscellaneous boxes stacked in the porch from the four tenants of 1025 N 12th Ave. East and a mound of shoes circling a radiator in the entrance of the house indicate that this is indeed a rental property.

“We really don’t know much about the house,� tenant and UMD student Russell Thyen said.

“I think the house was built in the early 1900s, at least that’s what our old roommate told us,� tenant and UMD student Joe Engebretson said. “He found some information on a Website, but I don’t remember where.�

According to the St. Louis County Auditor’s report, the house was built in 1915 and much has changed over the home’s near century of history.

An untarnished deck is attached to the rear of the home that the renters seldom use. Neither Engebretson nor Thyen could guess when the deck was added, but they agreed it had to be much newer than the old oil tank sitting in the backyard.

“I think it’s about a 500-gallon tank,� Engebretson said.

The oil tank, slightly deteriorated by the harsh Duluth environment, is evidence that the home was once heated with oil. “Now the house is heated with natural gas,� Engebretson said.

Also reminiscent of the past is the garage of the house, which the tenants believe is evidence that an alleyway once ran behind the house.

“They closed off the alley behind the house for some reason,� Thyen said.

However, there is no record of an alley ever existing behind the home according to Duluth’s Office of Engineering. This may be explained by another common practice for residential properties in Duluth. “Sometimes, properties facing the avenue had private driveways in private easements to access the rear of the property,� city employee Bob Forbort said.

Whatever the reason for its desuetude, the space once used as a garage is now merely a barren room leading to the heart of the home’s basement.

The bare concrete floors of the basement and awkward placement of a water heater in the center of the basement make it hard to imagine a bedroom once sat next to the half bath at the bottom of the stairs.

Thyen doesn’t know when or why the bedroom was removed from the basement, but he was told they were and the hearsay of his old roommate lingers with him.

Moving to the main level of the house, the roommates disagree on the home’s history. Three carpeted rooms off of the central kitchen appear to be family rooms.

The one to the rear of the house, they agree, is an addition. Their proof rests in the electric registers used to heat the room. “It is my bedroom, but it is clearly converted from a family room,� Thyen said.

The roommates also agree that the room at the front of the house where they have set up a large television and a small conglomeration of seating has been part of the house since the original construction.

However, they disagree on the space between these rooms as Engebretson believes it is an older addition to the home.

“It has the same trim and windows as the front room, how would it be any newer?� Thyen asked.

It is clear that the roommates know little about the house except for what they can deduce and the hearsay of their former roommate.

This home is managed as a rental by Ship Rock Management. When contacted, Blake Shippee of Ship Rock Management declined to release any information on the property.

Engebretson and Thyen have lived in the house for a little over a year, and lost a roommate along the way. “Our old roommate moved back toward the cities to go to another school,� Thyen said.

They have filled the house as a new roommate has moved in over the course of the summer, and now they all attend classes at UMD.

None of the tenants use the home as their permanent address or expect to stay in the aging bungalow longer than needed to finish school.

Engebretson and Thyen moved in, gained little credible knowledge of the house and are not likely to share their knowledge with future tenants, adding only to the ambiguous nature of the house’s history.

This story may seem of little consequence, yet students are a large part of this community.

Council member Todd Fedora proposed repealing the 300 foot rule in a city council meeting two Mondays ago. Many students are renting residential homes such as Engerbretson and Thyen, and with a repeal of the 300 foot rule many more residences could be converted to rental properties.

One could ask if it possible to have a sense of community without knowing your own home.

Posted by krebs068 at 3:09 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

By MARK WARNER
DCN Correspondent

RELATED CONTENT: Bob Dylan: A rock legend's history with Duluth

Sometimes being a superfan causes one to do unbelievable things. Like wait in the pouring rain all night for tickets, drive hours cross country to see a 90-minute show or, as in Bill Pagel’s case, buy a house on eBay.

To say that this was just a house would be an understatement. This was Bob Dylan's original house. Dylan had only lived in Duluth for six years before moving to Hibbing. This was the house where the face of folk music was born. This is the city where the voice of a generation found its early inspiration.

And there it was on eBay. Dylan's house was up for grabs in Duluth.

The house was built in 1909 and when Pagel saw this ideal collectible up for sale in 2001, he pounced on it. Unfortunately, a small problem stood in the way of a happy ending to achieving ultimate fandom; he lost the bidding by $100.

Pagel’s dream of home ownership started when Kathy Burns wanted to end hers (SIDEBAR: Previous "Dylan House" owners). Burns, who lived in Minneapolis and had always been a Dylan fan bought the house after originally hearing about it on CNN. In fact, she was quoted saying she felt it could “make a great museum.� Unfortunately, this never came to be. After leaving for Maryland, Burns decided to put the home up for sale on eBay as an "experiment�.

The experiment proved to be successful. After being labeled as “a must have for the ultimate die-hard Dylan fan.� The house sold for $96,400-- higher than the asking price of $85,000, but not to the superfan.

It was Stephen Rouff of Minneapolis who appeared to have won the big prize. Luckily for Pagel, a legal issue arose and the initial agreement became void. Pagel got the house, and all was right.

After all, nobody has earned this marvelous piece of memorabilia more than Bill, according to local Dylan expert John Bushey.

“Bill Pagel’s probably got the biggest Dylan collection of anybody in Minnesota now, if not the world,� said Bushy. “His Web site will have a review for any Dylan show in the world up in two hours.�

Bushey knows a thing or two about collections. In addition to hosting a Dylan-based radio program for nearly 17 years, he recently sold his entire Dylan collection to the city of Hibbing. His used to be the largest; now Pagel holds that record.

“Mine was big, but now Bill’s got a little bit of everything,� said Bushey. “He even lives on Bob Dylan Drive.�

Coincidentally, the Duluth home resides mere blocks from Bob Dylan Way, the Duluth version of Hibbing’s Dylan Drive.

The house, that sits at 519 N. Third Ave., shows that great things do arrive in small packages. On the outside it looks like any other in Duluth’s Central Hillside. From the distance of an unanswered doorway, the inside appears unspectacular as well. With its creaky deck and chipping peach exterior, one would never expect that an American icon once learned to walk there.

Despite these obvious flaws, the house sold for $96,400-- $10,000 more than the asking price.

Bob Dylan’s family lived in the upper portion of this Duluth duplex built in 1909.
(Photo by Mark Warner)

“When you look at the historical value of a place like that, location is all that keeps the price that low,� Bushey said. “In a New York or L.A., that house goes for way more. There’s just not as much appeal to Duluth.�

That did not matter to Pagel. After buying the house, he left his pharmacy job in Madison, Wis., for a similar position in Hibbing. Several random door were paid to the house. While Pagel was never present for further comment, Bushy guessed that the new pad played a role in the move.

Today the house operates as a half-occupied duplex. In the unused upstairs portion, it has long been rumored that young Dylan engraved his initials inside. If true, that would have been an amazing feat of underage spelling for a 6-year-old Dylan. Almost as amazing as the length a superfan will go to feel closer to his hero.

Posted by enkex006 at 3:04 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

RELATED CONTENT: Community center faces challenges in Lincoln Park

By JORDAN HANSON
DCN Correspondent

West Duluth kids are getting into table tennis in a big way, and they are good at it – really good. The Valley Youth Center (VYC) on Central Avenue is encouraging their pingpong pursuit, from teaching kids how to play, to sponsoring and chaperoning trips to national competitions all across the country.

“We have one of the best table tennis programs in the nation right now,� said Angelo Simone, the VYC’s program director. “I bring whatever skill I have to the youth center, and these kids bring it to the next level.�

The VYC table tennis program supports its members by providing trips to national tournaments. One stipulation of this support, however, is that every traveler must have good grades to be able to go.

Simone gave the example of a former VYC table tennis participant who won a gold medal at the age of 8. Poor grades, however, threatened to keep him from pursuing various tournaments. According to Simone, this was enough to motivate the participant to improve his grades all throughout school and ultimately help him to graduate.

“I've seen a great increase in the grades of many kids who might have dropped out at age 16,� said Simone. “Some of these kids would never see anywhere past the Oneota Street Bridge. This gives them a chance to do things they would never have the opportunity to do, and that's what we're all about.�

Besides table tennis, the VYC also has an outdoor and indoor basketball court, a playground, a small track and field, a game room, pool tables, a snack room, a computer lab and a workspace.

For years, communities have used youth programs to combat the dangers of the outside world. The underlying intent is that if a child is kept occupied, he or she will be less susceptible to alcohol consumption, drug abuse, gang activity and violence.

The VYC has been operating under this ideal for 39 years. Because of the nature of today's society, many families consist of both parents having to work full time. This creates a need for programs like the VYC to step up to the plate and fill in for the parents.

Sarah Abbett, a 16-year-old from West Duluth, described the Valley Youth Center as the center of her community. She said that she is usually at the VYC every day, and most of her friends are too.

“This is where I feel at home,� Abbet said. “I really trust the people at the youth center.�

Simone, who has been working at the VYC for 25 years, said he wants to create a place where those kids will want to go which will also provide them with a safe environment. He has been a part of the VYC since age 7. He is now 45 years old.

“I think it just gives kids a comfortable feeling,� said Simone. “We've got enough vandalism, drugs, and high school dropouts out there. I see it as an outlet.�

Simone said the center has done a lot for the community, and the community has begun to really take notice. He pointed out that the VYC faced criticism when it moved into the Laura MacArthur West Elementary School building on Central Avenue.

The community seems to have changed its collective mind, though, as Simone was awarded this year's “West Duluth Hero Award� from the Duluth Local Initiatives Support Corporation.

This poem, "The Center," hangs at the YVC. It was written by Archie Horton Sr., formerly a youth boxing instructor at the YVC.

History of youth centers in West Duluth

The Valley Youth Center was started in 1969 as an affiliate of The Welch Center, Inc., according to their website. The United Way adopted the Welch Center in1981. In 1984, the Valley Youth Center moved to their current location.

Since becoming funded by the United Way, they have grown from 138 participants with an average of 38 per day to over 1,000 participants with an average of 150 participants per day.

Some of the growth of youth support in West Duluth can be attributed to an increase in government spending. Grant money from charitable pull-tabs has provided some money to youth groups in Duluth. According to a December 9, 2001, article in the Duluth News Tribune, the quarterly grant for youth programs in the city of Duluth at that time was $22,314 – $2,500 of which went directly to the Valley Youth Center for a year-round table tennis program.

The VYC has done their part in trying to protect the children of West Duluth from the dangers of the streets. Teens that are already at risk, however, needed extra support.

That’s why in 2003 a grant of $91,000 provided the funding for a branch of Duluth's Life House to be created in the Lincoln Park area of West Duluth, according the Duluth News Tribune. The facility was designed specifically to provide at-risk teenage girls a safe haven with the hopes of turning their lives around. Girls who are challenged with homelessness, drug or alcohol addictions, and teen pregnancy are all welcomed in by the house.

In the article, the president and chief executive officer of the Greater Minnesota Housing Fund at the time, Warren Hanson, said, “Duluth, like other communities in Greater Minnesota, has a severe shortage of crisis housing for at-risk youth.� It also said that there were only 16 beds available, and an estimated 400 applications are sent in for this kind of housing every year.

“West Duluth in general has a negative connotation,� said Ellari Mackey, who grew up in Denfeld. “But the youth are a major issue now. Things are starting to change.�

The consensus in the community seems to be that youth programs are vital to the interests of the neighborhood. Mike Jaros, Minnesota State Representative for West Duluth and all of district 7B, wholeheartedly agrees.

“More and more money should go into it,� said Jaros. “We used to fund a lot of youth programs.�

As many households across America can empathize with, lack of money has caused the government to cut back spending. Jaros tracked the state’s financial deficit to the turn of the millennium. When former Minnesota Gov. Jesse Ventura took office in 1999, the state had a budget surplus. Minnesota government officials then instituted a large tax refund. According to Jaros, this refund, combined with a contemporaneous decision to lower taxes, plummeted Minnesota into a huge deficit by the year 2003.

This shortage of funds hurt counties, cities, school districts and many programs around the state, leaving little money leftover for youth programs. Jaros believes that youth programs are essential for any community and said he is pushing for more support.

“I wish we had more money to fund these programs,� said Jaros. “Money can’t solve everything, but it is a necessary evil.�

DCN LINKS
Community center faces challenges in Lincoln Park By ALEXANDER RISSE, DCN Correspondent

Posted by Kathleen Grigg at 9:26 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Main article: Superfan goes to super lengths

Based on ownership records gathered from St. Louis County Records at the courthouse, the timeline of the "Dylan House" is as follows. No ownership records were kept before 1949.

1909- House is built

1949- Fannie Goldfine and family purchase house from Hyman Overman

1993- Paulina and Teodor Swierc buy the property from the Goldfine’s

1996- Kathy Burns becomes owner after hearing of it on CNN

2001- Bill Pagel finishes second in eBay auction, but ends up owning the house due to legal disputes

MARK WARNER

Posted by enkex006 at 8:20 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)