Archive Dive with the Superior Telegram

For this episode of Archive Dive, we dig into the history of what you could call the bridges of Douglas County. Telegram reporter Maria Lockwood is joined by local historian and retired librarian Teddie Meronek as they discuss the history and importance of these bridges in connecting Superior and Duluth and Wisconsin and Minnesota. "When you think about it, you're not only building it in the water, but you're building it in these two communities that the weather is not always the best and they did it in a timely manner," said Meronek. "In those days, you had no safety harnesses and people weren't wearing safety harnesses when they built that bridge." The John A. Blatnik Bridge, originally named the High Bridge, opened in 1961. It was named for United States Congressman John Blatnik of Minnesota. An estimated 3,000 people from both sides gathered at the main span for the opening ceremony. Over the years, the bridge has been renamed, widened and reinforced. It is currently slated to be replaced, funded in part by the largest grant that the federal government has ever awarded. "My favorite picture is of the two men when they put in the beam, the high beam above the Blatnik Bridge," said Meronek. The two men, one from Wisconsin and one from Minnesota, got together in the center of the bridge and shook hands because the two cities were now united with this beam." The Richard I. Bong Memorial Bridge opened to traffic in 1984 for a construction cost of $70 million. Named for America's Ace of Aces, it is longer than the Blatnik Bridge by 425 feet. The Bong Bridge replaced the 1927-era Arrowhead Bridge. "Bruce Hagen, who was mayor at the time, said 'I want people every time you drive over this bridge, I want you to think about how it was built,'" said Meronek. "He (Hagen) said, 'I don't mean construction because it was named after a World War II hero.' He wanted people to think, this is what we're remembering with this bridge. We're remembering this man and everyone else who served this country during World War II." There is also the Oliver Bridge, which dates back to 1910. "Through it all, the Oliver Bridge is still there and we should salute the Oliver Bridge because it's still serving its purpose," said Meronek. "The steel plant isn't there anymore but, railroads still travel over it and if we're down to one bridge when they start building the new bridge, are a lot of people going to take that way to Duluth?" You can hear these stories and more in this episode. New episodes of Archive Dive are published monthly. Listen wherever you get your podcasts. Episodes are edited and produced by Duluth News Tribune digital producers Wyatt Buckner and Dan Williamson. If you have an idea for a topic you’d like to see covered, email Maria Lockwood at mlockwood@superiortelegram.com.

We dig into the history of two of Superior’s architectural siblings. The Broadway and the Palace theaters. Both the Broadway, which opened in 1912, and the Palace, which opened in 1917, were designed by brothers George and Cornelius Ward (C.W.) Rapp. The Palace stood until 2006 when it was raised by the city in the midst of a legal battle. The Broadway had a shorter shelf life. What did these sister spaces look like and what famous faces graced their stages? To get the answers, Telegram reporter Maria Lockwood is joined by frequent guest Teddie Meronek, a fellow theater enthusiast who also happens to be a local historian and retired librarian, as they take us on a trip through time, discussing all things Broadway and Palace. "(They were) Amazing buildings. I can't believe that we had two of them in this town," said Meronek. “What surprises me about both of these buildings is that they were Rapp and Rapp theaters and I think anybody interested in theater history or the history of old theaters knows that name because they were one of the most famous theatre architectural firms in the country. They built a lot of theatres in Chicago especially because they were originally from Illinois.” Among the topics that Maria and Teddie discuss in this episode include how the theaters were used; some of the local talents and attractions that performed there; the size and designs of the buildings; and they answer the question of if film legend Judy Garland ever performed in Superior. New episodes of Archive Dive are published monthly. Listen wherever you get your podcasts. Episodes are edited and produced by Duluth News Tribune digital producers Wyatt Buckner and Dan Williamson. If you have an idea for a topic you’d like to see covered, email Maria Lockwood at mlockwood@superiortelegram.com.

The old post office in Superior has worn many hats since it was completed in 1908. In addition to a courthouse and post office, it has been home to the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, Douglas County Historical Society, Internal Revenue Service, Federal Bureau of Investigation and it currently houses a theatre company. Now known as the Superior Entrepreneurship Center, the building has been turned into a one-stop shop for economic development. For this month's episode of "Archive Dive," Telegram reporter Maria Lockwood and retired librarian and local historian Teddie Meronek dive into the history of the Superior landmark, which was designed by architect Earl Barber. They also discuss other buildings that Barber put his stamp on. The building cost more than $300,000 to build and adjusted for today's cost, it would have been approximately $10,000,000. Many people have thought the building was only a post office, not knowing about the federal courthouse upstairs. In fact, while most locals have referred to it in recent years as the "old post office," its official name was the Federal Building. Meronek remembers going to the post office, but she never went upstairs. After getting involved with the Superior-Douglas County Leadership group and attending a meeting on the second floor, she got her first glimpse, noticing a lot of marble and a beautiful view. “That was the first time I had been above the first floor in that building,” Meronek said. “I got up there and I thought, ‘This is Superior’s best-kept secret.’ It was the most gorgeous room I had ever been in. I thought, ‘Why hasn’t anybody really used this before,’ not knowing anything of the history.” So when did she start diving into the history of the building? “As soon as I got back to the library after that,” said Meronek with a laugh. "Everybody should get a chance to see it one time in their life because it is Superior's best-kept secret. Really." New episodes of Archive Dive are published monthly. Listen wherever you get your podcasts. Episodes are edited and produced by Duluth News Tribune digital producers Wyatt Buckner and Dan Williamson. If you have an idea for a topic you’d like to see covered, email Maria Lockwood at mlockwood@superiortelegram.com.

In this month’s episode of Archive Dive, we look at how a federal program helped shape Superior. During the bleakest days of the Great Depression, President Franklin D. Roosevelt created the Works Progress Administration, or WPA. The New Deal agency employed millions of job seekers, with an average salary of about $41.57 per month. Through public works projects like the airport, a baseball stadium and Itasca School, the program helped shape Superior’s landscape. But, it also helped preserve its history. For this episode, Telegram reporter Maria Lockwood is joined by local historian and retired librarian Teddie Meronek as they look at the benefits of the program and the challenges of the times. Some of the buildings and projects remain today. The Great Depression started in 1929 and things had changed throughout the country, including in Superior. "I don't think we can even imagine what it was like back then," said Meronek. "So many people were out of work." Meronek also said, “If you look through old newspapers, in the late 1920s, you see that Superior was booming,there were all these new businesses opening up. You go and you look a couple of years later and they are all gone, so it was tough times. The WPA did not start until 1935, so there was a gap there. Four or five years where it was hard for everyone. No jobs. No money. The WPA came in and things started to change.” In her research, Mereonek found that in 1935, the average unemployment rate across the United States was 20 percent. “You have to find a solution and they came up with the WPA,” said Meronek. “It put people to work in Superior. They built things like the sewer system, they put in sidewalks, the repaved streets and they built buildings.” Maria and Teddie will also discuss how parks, artists and musicians benefited; who the materials belong to; the story of a freckle contest; Wheel Day; and much more. Meronek even shares an interesting story about her parent's Honeymoon as they were married during the Great Depression. New episodes of Archive Dive are published monthly. Listen here or wherever you get your podcasts. Episodes are edited and produced by Duluth News Tribune digital producers Wyatt Buckner and Dan Williamson. If you have an idea for a topic you’d like to see covered, email Maria Lockwood at mlockwood@superiortelegram.com.

In this month’s episode of Archive Dive, we dive into the history of notable graduates of East High School and Nelson Dewey School. The list includes two Superior mayors, a football legend, the last of the great press agents and a woman who wrote music books for children. Telegram reporter Maria Lockwood is joined by local historian and retired librarian Teddie Meronek as they discuss the building of both schools, how the students and teachers survived the Great Depression and World War II, as well as the rivalry that grew between East High School and Central High School and much more. "What people don't know about East End now is that - I grew up in East End so I remember that it was just like a small town, and the schools in East End weren't built next to businesses, they were built in neighborhoods and they were all surrounded by homes," said Meronek. "East End had a high school, it had a public grade school and two parochial schools, within blocks of each other and their business district included a movie theater and East End had the only branch library - an actual library building - and we had a dime store, dry cleaners and a bank, two drug stores, two hardware stores, restaurants, two hair salons, dentists, doctors - I mean, it was like a small town in itself." New episodes of Archive Dive are published monthly at superiortelegram.com. Listen here or wherever you get your podcasts. Episodes are edited and produced by Duluth News Tribune digital producers Wyatt Buckner and Dan Williamson. If you have an idea for a topic you’d like to see covered, email Maria Lockwood at mlockwood@superiortelegram.com.

In this month’s episode of Archive Dive, Telegram reporter Maria Lockwood and local historian and retired librarian Teddie Meronek explore the lives of three famous photographers with ties to Superior. David Francis Barry, Ray Jones and Esther Bubley. Barry was a noted photographer of the American west, who specialized in Native American portraits. He also captured the people and places of the Twin Ports with his lens after opening a photography business in Superior. Jones rose to glamorous heights and won several Academy Awards as the head of Universal Studio’s still photography department during the golden age of Hollywood. Bubley was a freelance photographer who found her niche as a photojournalist, balancing corporate clients with magazine work. Her intimate photos of everyday people graced publications such as Life and the Ladies Home Journal. New episodes of Archive Dive are published monthly. Listen here or wherever you get your podcasts. Episodes are edited and produced by Duluth News Tribune digital producers Wyatt Buckner and Dan Williamson. If you have an idea for a topic you’d like to see covered, email Maria Lockwood at mlockwood@superiortelegram.com.

The Hotel Superior reigned supreme as the place to stay, until a new development until the Androy Hotel came along. In this month's episode of Archive Dive, Telegram reporter Maria Lockwood is joined by local historian and retired librarian Teddie Meronek as they look back on what gave the Hotel Superior it's edge, the community fundraising campaign that built the Androy Hotel and the notable people connected to both. "Everybody started building at once," said Meronek. "You not only have the Hotel Superior in downtown, you have the Euclid in East End, which was a big hotel. But then, you had the Broadway Hotel, which most people if they remember the building at all, remembers it as the Broadway Flats, because it eventually turned into apartments and that was on Hammond Avenue and Broadway, the intersection there. So, there were a lot of big hotels being built because there were a lot of people coming into Superior at that time, setting up businesses and starting businesses and coming into to entertain at the Grand Opera House." What made the Hotel Superior the place to stay in Superior? "It was kind of fancy. If you see pictures of it's dinning room and that. It was a very Victorian-looking hotel that we would consider, y'know, rather nice. Anybody who was anybody who came through Superior and needed a hotel room probably stayed there, because it was downtown," Meronek said. A few decades after the Hotel Superior, the Androy Hotel, dubbed "the Million Dollar Hotel," opened. “They started talking about the Androy Hotel in 1922, and so, by that time, the Hotel Superior was over 30 years old and it was from a different era," said Meronek. "These were the roaring 1920s and there were a group of businessmen that thought that they needed a hotel in downtown Superior. The Hotel Superior wasn’t in downtown. It was at the fringes of downtown Superior, they were talking about the business district downtown.” It was people that were in the association of commerce and the commercial club, those men who got together and said, ’We need something for the businessman. Downtown Superior needs to make a statement.’” Also in this episode, Maria and Teddie discuss how the Hotel Superior helped the Grand Opera House; an urban legend involving actors going to and from the hotel and the opera house; some of its early amenities; a connection to the Titanic; the efforts to raise money to build the Androy Hotel; how Superior teased Duluth about getting a downtown hotel and how Duluth responded; some interesting fundraising events at the Androy Hotel; how both hotels served another housing need in the 1960s; and more. New episodes of Archive Dive are published monthly. Listen here or wherever you get your podcasts. Episodes are edited and produced by Duluth News Tribune digital producers Wyatt Buckner and Dan Williamson. If you have an idea for a topic you’d like to see covered, email Maria Lockwood at mlockwood@superiortelegram.com.

For this month’s episode of Archive Dive, we dip into a true crime as we discuss the unsolved 1897 murder of Joseph Blackburn. An eccentric and a recluse, Blackburn became wealthy providing supplies to lumbermen in the timber-rich area near Gordon. Not one to trust in banks, he was rumored to keep a chest of gold. When he was killed by a blow from behind, robbery was the suspected reason. Searches for the fabled treasure went on for years and even led a judge to exhume the body of Blackburn’s wife Mary, who had been buried in a glass-lidded coffin. But gold was never found. Telegram reporter Maria Lockwood is joined by Doug MacDonald as well as Brian Finstad, both of the Gordon-Wascott Historical Society, as they explore Blackburn’s life, death and possible suspects, including one who was acquitted and another who gained infamy out west. The murder happened 126 years ago, in October 1897. MacDonald, who is the great-great grandson of Antoine and Sarah Gordon, the founders of Gordon, is also related to Blackburn, a great-great-great uncle, as Blackburn was Antoine Gordon’s brother-in-law. Blackburn, who was in his mid-60s when he died, has been the subject of a lot of fascination and speculation over the years, including why he wasn’t a fan of banks. “I am fortunate being related through my grandfather and his dad, William Gordon, that we got a lot of first-hand information,” says MacDonald. “Not just rumor, but facts. He didn’t believe in paper money, he only believed in hard (money), which backs itself, gold and silver. Anybody can print, but you can’t make gold or silver.” Other members of MacDonald's family, at one point, owned Blackburn's home, after it was moved about 10 miles near Wascott. “We would go around as kids, knocking on the walls, looking for his (Joseph’s) money,” says MacDonald. “I can remember as a kid, saying to my dad, ‘Dad, maybe it’s up in the crawl space where the rafters are at?’ Dad goes, ‘No, I have already checked it.’” “It is interesting when you read the articles about the murder, you can tell that people were sort of following day-by-day of this whole drama because the articles get longer and more elaborate,” says Finstad. “It is also the name Blackburn and buried gold and the wife in the glass coffin and murdered with a pole axe, it all is just such a dramatic story and it is kind of ironic for someone who just kind of wanted to be left alone in the wilderness and was known for being reclusive that he ends up having the most dramatic story ever that over 100 years later that we are still talking about.” New episodes of Archive Dive are published monthly. Listen here or wherever you get your podcasts. Episodes are edited and produced by Duluth News Tribune digital producers Wyatt Buckner and Dan Williamson. If you have an idea for a topic you’d like to see covered, email Maria Lockwood at mlockwood@superiortelegram.com.

This month's episode of Archive Dive features the second part of a two-part series looking back on the life of the legendary Bud Grant. When the Pro Football Hall of Famer and former Minnesota Vikings head coach passed away March 11, 2023, it prompted an outpouring of sympathy from throughout Minnesota and his hometown of Superior, Wisconsin. The 95-year old Grant was an all-around athlete at Superior Central High School and beyond. In his later years, Grant enjoyed the outdoors and time with family at his cabin in Gordon. For this episode, Superior Telegram reporter Maria Lockwood is joined by University of Wisconsin-Superior Communicating Arts senior lecturer and longtime sportscaster Tom Hansen, who grew up going to Vikings' practices at the old Midway Stadium in St. Paul. Hansen was often in the same vicinity as Grant when he worked as a ticket taker and security for Vikings games at the old Metropolitan Stadium and early days of the Metrodome, but he would get to know Grant during his broadcasting career. Hansen interviewed him at special appearances in the Twin Ports and occasionally at University of Minnesota Duluth football games, where some of Grant's grandchildren played. "Every sport he (Grant) touched, he was magical," says Hansen. "Superior was a big part of who he was and where he came from. " Among Grant's athletic achievements, he played football, basketball and baseball at the University of Minnesota, before turning pro and playing in the National Basketball Association with Minneapolis Lakers from 1949-1951, winning a championship with them in 1950. Grant then went on to compete in the National Football League for two seasons with the Philadelphia Eagles and the Canadian Football League with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers for four seasons, playing on the offensive and defensive sides of the ball for both teams. After his playing career, he went on to coach the Blue Bombers for ten seasons, guiding them to six Grey Cup appearances, including four championships. In 1967, he became the head coach for the NFL's Minnesota Vikings and went on to guide them for 18 seasons, leading them to four Super Bowl appearances. In 1983, Grant was selected to the Canadian Football Hall of Fame and in 1994, Grant received his biggest athletic honor when he was selected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio. "It is the character that always drew me to Bud," says Hansen. "That there was the right way of doing things, there was the wrong way of doing things, but there wasn't a 'short cut' way of doing things. You had to earn that spot on the team, you had to earn that spot being a good teammate or being a captain. There are no short cuts in some of those things and so, his character really stood out." Among the many players Grant coached was Superior native Doug Sutherland, who played defensive tackle for the Vikings from 1971-80. Sutherland passed away April 5, 2022 at the age of 73. The Vikings announced that they will be honoring Grant all season long, including with special patches on their jerseys for their 2023 season opener Sunday, Sept. 10 at home against Tampa Bay. When Grant passed away March 11, 2023, it was 56 years to the day when he was hired as the Vikings head coach in 1967. New episodes of Archive Dive are published monthly. Listen here or wherever you get your podcasts. Episodes are edited and produced by Duluth News Tribune digital producers Wyatt Buckner and Dan Williamson. If you have an idea for a topic you’d like to see covered, email Maria Lockwood at mlockwood@superiortelegram.com.

This month's episode of the Superior Telegram's Archive Dive podcast features the first part of a two-part series looking back on the life of the legendary Bud Grant. Digital Producer Dan Williamson fills in this month for Maria Lockwood as he's joined by one of Grant's grandchildren, Natalie Grant, currently a reporter/multimedia journalist at KXLY-TV (ABC) in Spokane, Wash., and a former Northern News Now anchor/reporter in Duluth/Superior. Natalie is the daughter of the late Bruce Grant, a former Minnesota Duluth quarterback. Born Harry Peter Grant, Jr., on May 20, 1927 in Superior, Bud Grant is remembered as a hall of fame coach who guided the Minnesota Vikings for 18 seasons, including four Super Bowl appearances. On March 11, 2023, Grant passed away at the age of 95. May 21st, the day after what would have been his 96th birthday; numerous friends, fans and family members memorialized him at a public celebration of life at U.S. Bank Stadium. The Vikings first NFL season was in 1961 and Grant would become the team’s head coach in 1967, retiring in 1983, but coming out of retirement for one more season in 1985. In 1994, he was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. 2023 marks the first Vikings season since 1966 without Grant directly connected to the team - either as the head coach, former coach or consultant. "He was grandpa to me," says Natalie Grant. "Honestly, he was a stoic guy, but he also loved a smile and loved to laugh. He loved his family more than anything. But, yeah, for me, he was just grandpa. I was born in 1996 and he was inducted into the (Pro Football) Hall of Fame a couple of years before that, so I kind of missed in my lifetime of him being this big NFL coach in a sense, and so to me, I didn't quite realize how big of a deal he was to the state of Minnesota until I was a lot older." The Vikings were a big part of his amazing life filled with athletic achievements, but there was more to his life than football. He was a U.S. Navy vet and an avid outdoorsman, spending as much time as he could at his cabin in Gordon. What he was most passionate about though was a large, family. Bud and his wife Pat had six children and from there, many grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Some of the family members, including Natalie, eventually found their way to the Northland. "That's something that my grandpa that I really connected on whenever I would go visit him out at his cabin in Gordon, we'd sit and we'd talk and he'd share stories about growing up in Superior and how the city looked a lot different than it did now. " In this podcast, Natalie shares many special stories and memories of her grandfather, including the best advice he ever gave her. "You learn more when listen rather than talking," says Natalie Grant. "That's something that I really try to apply in a lot of situations in my life, especially being a journalist. That, I think is something that has been really impactful for me in my life." Maria returns next month for part two of our series, as she’ll be joined by another NNN alum, longtime sportscaster and current Communicating Arts senior lecturer at the University of Wisconsin Superior, Tom Hansen as they “dive” into more about the great Bud Grant. New episodes of Archive Dive are published monthly. Listen here or wherever you get your podcasts. Episodes are edited and produced by Duluth News Tribune digital producers Wyatt Buckner and Dan Williamson. If you have an idea for a topic you’d like to see covered, email Maria Lockwood at mlockwood@superiortelegram.com.

In this month’s episode of Archive Dive, we explore Central High School. The school, which opened in 1910, educated a roster of famous students, including football legends Ernie Nevers and Bud Grant, author Gordon MacQuarrie, photographer Esther Bubley and America’s Ace of Aces Major Richard I. Bong. The building itself made history in 1928 when it became the Summer White House for President Calvin Coolidge. Despite a grassroots effort to save the historic building, it was torn down in 2004. Telegram reporter Maria Lockwood is joined by retired librarian and local historian Teddie Meronek as they look back at the history and impact that the school, it’s staff and students had on the community. Meronek co-wrote a book titled “Central A to Z - The History of a Superior School.” While not a student at Central, she was one of many supporters who tried to save the building. “I thought it was important to support it because the Wisconsin Historical Society doesn’t put up a marker in front of a building unless it’s important, and there was (one) in front of Central designating it as the Summer White House,” says Meronek. “There was something so iconic about it when you knew the history of it and you knew the people who had gone to school there and you’re thinking, what did they have in the water there at Central where there are just all these amazing people that came out of that school?” Meronek also felt the architecture made the building stand out. “When you think about it, there is some of the best architecture in Superior on Belknap (Street). There was Central, there is the old courthouse, there’s the Hammond Avenue Presbyterian Church, there is the Masonic Lodge which is now the Elks, there’s that great Belknap Electric building which was built as a duplex back in the 1890s and then, you go down to Belknap and Tower (Avenue) and there is Globe News. I just thought that this is a stupendous piece of real estate here that has all these great buildings and so, to see Central go was really, really sad.” Also during this episode, Maria and Teddie discuss how Earl Barber won the competition to design the building and why well-known architect Carl Worth didn’t; what name did the school start out as, the additions in the 1920s and 1930s; the contributions from Webster Chair Factory owner Andrew Webster, the significance of the James J. Hill statue out front; the story of Lulu Dickinson and a strike; Principal Clifford Wade and the tributes after his death; the Summer White House and what other future presidents visited Central High School; how was Central used after Superior High School was built; the Central and East rivalry; and much more. New episodes of Archive Dive are published monthly. Listen here or wherever you get your podcasts. Episodes are edited and produced by Duluth News Tribune digital producers Wyatt Buckner and Dan Williamson. If you have an idea for a topic you’d like to see covered, email Maria Lockwood at mlockwood@superiortelegram.com.

This month’s episode of Archive Dive focuses on Antoine and Sarah Gordon, who founded the town of Gordon. The couple played a key role in growing the community following the end of the fur trade era. Their 1858 log cabin, which served as a home, hotel and trading post for the stage coach line, is listed on the Wisconsin Register of Historic Places. Telegram reporter Maria Lockwood is joined by Antoine and Sarah’s great-great-grandson Doug MacDonald, as well as Brian Finstad — both of the Gordon-Wascott Historical Society — as MacDonald shares stories of Antoine and Sarah that were passed along in his family. Antoine (pronounced An-twine) was born in 1812 in Sandy Lake, Minnesota and died in 1907. Sarah was born in 1827 in Burnett County, Wisconsin and died in 1911. They met on Madeline Island, married in 1843 and went on to have three daughters and two sons. Antoine was community-minded and involved in many things, including as a storekeeper in Gordon. He founded a mission that became the Catholic Church. He also started the first school in Gordon. This, despite the fact that he didn’t have much schooling of his own. “He really only had not even a six-month education, but yet, he spoke five languages,” says MacDonald. “Latin, Sioux, Chippewa, English, French.” What brought Antoine and Sarah to the Gordon area? “He was up and down the St. Croix River trading in years past,” says MacDonald. “He thought that it (Gordon area) was a choice spot apparently and apparently, it was.” Finstad jokes that Antoine and Sarah “founded the best town in Douglas County.” “I think they are some of the most interesting historical figures of the area,” says Finstad. “In their time, they had wide influence. They were so well-connected, if not related, to people in sort of fur-trade era society and the local native communities. Their story is just an interesting story. They moved around a lot and they were well-connected and had a lot of interesting events.” Also in this episode, Maria, Doug and Brian discuss when Antoine walked from Gordon to Crow Wing in Minnesota in the 1860s to see his cousin, Chief Hole-in-the-Day, what came out of that visit and did Antoine’s 12-year old son William make the trip; how Antoine and Sarah met; what was Gordon before it became a town; Antoine’s generous heart; how he helped the area during a smallpox outbreak; where can we see Antoine and Sarah’s influence today in Gordon; the process of getting the log cabin listed on the historic register; who owns their log cabin these days; stories of Antoine and Sarah’s grandson Father Phillip Gordon; Antoine’s penmanship and letter writing style; Sarah’s involvement in the fur trade; and much more. New episodes of Archive Dive are published monthly. Listen here or wherever you get your podcasts. Episodes are edited and produced by Duluth News Tribune digital producers Wyatt Buckner and Dan Williamson. If you have an idea for a topic you’d like to see covered, email Maria Lockwood at mlockwood@superiortelegram.com.

Let's take a trip back to the heyday of Superior ship building. In May 1943, the famous Dionne quintuplets visited Superior to launch five cargo ships — at once — at the Walter Butler Shipyards. At the age of 8, the Canadian girls were the first quintuplets known to survive their infancy and were bonafide superstars. Telegram reporter Maria Lockwood is joined by retired librarian and local historian Teddie Meronek as they discuss the quintuplets’ visit and the importance of Superior’s shipbuilding industry during World War II. The Dionne quintuplets — Yvonne, Annette, Cécile, Émilie and Marie — were born May 28, 1934 near Callander, Ontario, Canada. They were celebrities in their home country and around the world, as they were frequently featured in newspapers and their images and likenesses could be found on products, toys and more. "When I do the mural tour at the Superior Public Library, I always tell people they were the Kardashians for the 1930s,” Meronek said. The five cargo ships would be going to England for the war effort during World War II. With five ships to be launched, they hoped the five Dionnes could christen them. "They said they were going to be named after them (Dionne quintuplets), but the names of the ships were decided long before they were even built,” said Meronek. "There was this old story that if you change the names after they had been originally named that it was bad luck for anyone who sailed on them, so they didn't name them after the girls. But together, they called them the Quint Fleet." On May 9, 1943, which was Mother’s Day, the Dionnes took part in a two-hour ceremony that featured dignitaries from Wisconsin, Minnesota and Canada. The sisters, whose primary language was French, sang "God Bless America" in English. An estimated crowd of between 18,000 and 25,000 attended, and witnessed the most ship launches in one day — not just in Superior, but anywhere. It was great publicity for Superior, Meronek said. It had the attention of Gordon MacQuarrie, a Superior native and reporter for the Milwaukee Journal (now the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel). “Gordon MacQuarrie said this was the biggest day in Superior since (President) Calvin Coolidge came here to set up his Summer White House (in 1928),” said Meronek. Also in this episode, Maria and Teddie discuss if then-President Franklin D. Roosevelt considered attending the launch; comparisons between Walter Butler Shipbuilders and Globe Shipbuilding Company; what liquid was in the bottles that the Dionnes used to christen the ships; why the Superior Telegram didn’t have photographs of the Dionne quintuplets’ visit; the unique lives of the famous quintuplets; and more. New episodes of Archive Dive are published monthly. Listen here or wherever you get your podcasts. Episodes are edited and produced by Duluth News Tribune digital producers Wyatt Buckner and Dan Williamson. If you have an idea for a topic you’d like to see covered, email Maria Lockwood at mlockwood@superiortelegram.com.

This month’s episode of Archive Dive focuses on two Superior Central High School graduates who made a name for themselves in the literary arena. Gordon MacQuarrie was a newsman, reporter and the nation’s first outdoors writer. An avid hunter and angler, MacQuarrie is credited with establishing the modern school of outdoor writing. His magazine stories of the Old Duck Hunters Association Inc, a fictional group based on friends, family and neighbors in the Barnes area, remain popular today. John William “J.W.” Beecroft graduated with MacQuarrie from Central. Beecroft began his career as associate for Crowell Publishing and went onto become the sole editor for Doubleday’s Literary Guild, the Book League of America and the Dollar Book Club. As an editor, he made choices that influenced what millions of Americans read. Telegram reporter Maria Lockwood is joined by retired librarian and local historian Teddie Meronek as they discuss the early and professional lives of MacQuarrie and Beecroft. “If you look into the history of Central High School, you know that there were extraordinary people that came from Superior, Wisconsin,” says Meronek. “Small town, big things.” While it doesn’t appear their paths crossed often, MacQuarrie and Beecroft shared similarities of having parents from Canada, working on the high school yearbook, graduating from Central High School in 1919 and spending part of their post-secondary education at the Superior Normal School, now known as the University of Wisconsin-Superior. One was an extrovert and the other was an introvert, but both provided reading enjoyment to many readers in the region and across the nation. Also in this episode, Maria and Teddie talk about some of the other notable names during the time period of the late 1910s and early 1920s that were Central graduates; MacQuarrie’s interest in music; and Beecroft’s interest in the theater; and much more on MacQuarrie and Beecroft. MacQuarrie died in 1956. Beecroft died 10 years later in 1966. New episodes of Archive Dive are published monthly. Listen here or wherever you get your podcasts. Episodes are edited and produced by Duluth News Tribune digital producers Wyatt Buckner and Dan Williamson. If you have an idea for a topic you’d like to see covered, email Maria Lockwood at mlockwood@superiortelegram.com.

This month’s episode of Archive Dive focuses on the Grand Foot Path, a trail that traverses from St. Croix Falls to Madeline Island. Known by many names over the years, it was used for travel by foot, horseback and via stagecoach as the area developed. Echos of the foot path remain as various trails in Douglas County. Telegram reporter Maria Lockwood is joined by Brian Finstad, historian with the Gordon-Wascott Historical Society, as they discuss the trail's Native American origins, and how it grew it become an important travel circuit Finstad, a native of Gordon, grew up with the foot path "in his backyard" as segments went right through property his family owned. "It is always interesting to me that there were communities that were very historically connected together because of how people traveled that today, we don't think of as very connected," said Finstad. "The Grand Foot Path (St. Croix Trail, Bayfield Trail, Stagecoach Line) fell out of use when the railroads came to the area. As soon as the railroads came in, it very quickly disappeared. Even in the 1880s, you'll find that they were already writing about it as it was something from long ago history." Also in this episode, Maria and Brian look at how the foot path influenced business, careers and traveling; its multiple names; why it had the attention of a U.S. Senator from Minnesota; why it was national news in newspapers in the 1850s and 1600s; why it's hard to find mentions of it in Wisconsin and Minnesota stagecoach history; where you can see segments of the trail; the significance of Gordon's Moccasin Road; plans for an auto tour of the trail, and much more. New episodes of Archive Dive are published monthly. Listen here or wherever you get your podcasts. Episodes are edited and produced by Duluth News Tribune digital producers Wyatt Buckner and Dan Williamson. If you have an idea for a topic you’d like to see covered, email Maria Lockwood at mlockwood@superiortelegram.com.

We take a peek inside of one of Superior’s grandest buildings, the Grand Opera House. Buildings designed by Carl Wirth anchored downtown Superior in the late 1800s. His most elaborate design was the Grand Opera House on Belknap Street. The lavish theater opened in 1890 and entertained Superior residents for years before it was destroyed by fire. In this month’s episode of Archive Dive, Telegram reporter Maria Lockwood is joined by local historian and retired librarian Teddie Meronek to discuss the history of the opera house and its next door neighbor, the New Jersey Block. Also designed by Wirth, the New Jersey Block is now known as the Globe News Building. “If there is a building that I could rebuild in Superior, it would be the Grand Opera House,” said Meronek. What was it that set it apart? “It was so exotic,” said Meronek. “Because it was a Moorish design. It had all kinds of fancy exterior decorations and stained glass.” It cost $75,000 to build the 1,200-seat Grand Opera House, which hosted its first performance August 11, 1890 for an opera called "Martha." During its existence, the theater was the site of plays, vaudeville acts, wrestling and boxing matches, high school graduations and more. It also hosted a memorial service after President William McKinley was assassinated in 1897 while President Theodore Roosevelt spoke there running on the Bull Moose ticket. The building was supposed to be fireproof, but dealt with fires in 1909 and 1911. A fire in 1939 was ultimately its demise. During this episode, topics include how the Grand Opera Houses' interior looked; the dismay over a loss of a valuable piece of equipment; the role then-Superior Telegram owner John T. Murphy had with the Grand Opera House; the early days of the New Jersey Block; the mystery of when Globe News officially became Globe News and more. New episodes of Archive Dive are published monthly. Listen here or wherever you get your podcasts. Episodes are edited and produced by Duluth News Tribune digital producers Wyatt Buckner and Dan Williamson. If you have an idea for a topic you’d like to see covered, email Maria Lockwood at mlockwood@superiortelegram.com.

Fire destroyed two storied Superior warehouses one bitterly cold day, Jan. 6, 2022 . No one was injured, but Superior Mayor Jim Paine called it “a terrible tragedy for the city.” In this month's podcast, Telegram reporter Maria Lockwood is once again joined by local historian and retired librarian Teddie Meronek as they discuss the history of the Osborne Warehouse and the Twohy Mercantile Building, also know as the Bayside Warehouse, which were built in the 1890s. Built with large pieces of timber, which was slower to burn, both were prominently mentioned in newspaper articles as being fire safe. "They must have thought they were safe and they were, if you really think about it, as they were over 100 years old when they burned down, 120 years old," said Meronek. "I would have loved to have seen them in their hey day of what they looked like.” The buildings had so much life and so many different businesses come through their doors. The Osborne Warehouse was the first one to be built, with construction beginning in the fall of 1892. It was not financed by Osborne, but by the Land and River Improvement Company and was used as a grocery wholesale center. But with internal issues, it was never utilized by Osborne. It would be utilized by the Bemis Company, which made bags. Other companies would use it as a warehouse, but really didn’t have a stable occupant until Sivertson Fisheries in the 1970s. Near the Osborne Warehouse was another grocery warehouse, The Twohy Mercantile Building. Built in 1894, it was financed by Edmund Twohy, who was also the first fire chief of Superior. Within the warehouse, there was a cigar manufacturing center. Twohy went into business with Peter Eimon, and eventually left the business. Years later after Eimon opened a warehouse on Winter Street, Twohy would return to the original building and the grocery wholesale business. In this episode, they'll discuss the other businesses that occupied the buildings, the financial panic in the United States in the 1890s, the connection President Franklin D. Roosevelt's family had to Superior, could Superior have been "the Chicago of the North" and more. New episodes of Archive Dive are published monthly. Listen here or wherever you get your podcasts. Episodes are edited and produced by Duluth News Tribune digital producers Wyatt Buckner and Dan Williamson. If you have an idea for a topic you’d like to see covered, email Maria Lockwood at mlockwood@superiortelegram.com.

Did you know that Superior hosted royals during the World War II era? The Crown Prince and Princess of Norway visited Superior, not once, but twice during that time. Newspapers of the day were filled with information about the royal visitors and their activities and the Crown Prince even took in a Superior Blues baseball game at their newly built stadium. In this month's podcast, Telegram reporter Maria Lockwood is joined by local historian and retired librarian Teddie Meronek as they look back at the visits from Prince Olav and Princess Martha. The first visit was in 1939 during a goodwill tour of the United States for the royals. That included a few days in Superior, coincidentally at the same time the city observed its 50th birthday of being an incorporated city. “One of the factors was because of the large Scandinavian population in the Twin Ports,” says Meronek. Maria and Teddie also discuss another reason for the royals' visit, which included time in Duluth for a dedication of a well-known monument. While the 1939 trip involved celebrations, the tone was different in 1942 as World War II was underway. Germany had attacked Norway, with the royal family able to escape. Prince Olav and Princess Martha again found themselves in Superior as part of an organized trip to get support from allies as the U.S. was now part of the war. “Prince Olaf and Princess Martha wanted to make it perfectly clear that they didn’t want a lot of celebration. It had to be a simple visit because of what was going on in the world," says Meronek. “The prince spoke about what had happened and that we all needed to stick together.” The people of Superior asked the royals to visit again and they said they would. Ultimately, they didn't return to Superior. However, their son, King Harold V, along with his wife, Queen Sonja, visited Duluth in 2011. New episodes of Archive Dive are published monthly. Listen here or wherever you get your podcasts. Episodes are edited and produced by Duluth News Tribune digital producers Wyatt Buckner and Dan Williamson. If you have an idea for a topic you’d like to see covered, email Maria Lockwood at mlockwood@superiortelegram.com.

We follow the trail of a portrait of a local veteran who lost his life in World War I. The portrait of Henry Blomberg was taken down during a renovation of Old Main on the University of Wisconsin-Superior campus. But the name for the portrait was lost. Years later, the portrait’s identity was discovered. In this month’s episode, retired librarian and local historian Teddie Meronek joins Telegram reporter Maria Lockwood to guide us through the mystery. Blomberg was born in Superior on Aug. 3, 1892 and after moving with his family to Aitkin, Minnesota, returned to Superior in 1914 to attend college as 22-year-old non-traditional student. During his time on campus, Blomberg was an active in sports, the student newspaper and was president of the debate team. He also joined the Wisconsin National Guard, and after his 1916 graduation went with a group that was patrolling the United States/Mexico border. After graduating with a two-year degree in education, he spent a year teaching in Virginia, Minnesota. The U.S. would soon join World War I and having registered for the draft, Blomberg went to Texas to train and would eventually go into battle in France in 1918 with the U.S. Army’s 32nd Division. Blomberg performed many acts of heroism, including in the battles of Juvigny and Argonne. It was at Argonne on Oct. 5, 1918 where Henry lost his life, just five weeks before the end of the war. After his death, Lt. Blomberg was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross which, after the Medal of Honor, is the nation's highest military honor. (Superior native Dick Bong also earned the Distinguished Service Cross in 1943). Blomberg’s friends with the Superior Normal School debate team commissioned a painting of him, at a cost of about $300, and presented it to the college, where it hung in the auditorium for many years. But during a renovation, the portrait was taken down and put into storage and in the process, the name plate was lost. Without the name plate, it would be difficult to identify the person in the painting. Almost 100 years after Blomberg’s death, Meronek wrote an article about him, and in this episode, she shares how her writing helped lead to the rediscovery of the portrait, which now hangs with a name plate on UW-Superior’s campus. “That just makes me happier than anything I think I’ve ever done in all my time at the library,” says Meronek. “Every time I’m in Old Main, I stop and say hello to Henry.” Throughout this episode, Meronek goes into detail about Blomberg’s life, time in school, his military career, his untimely death and more. New episodes of Archive Dive are published monthly. Listen here or wherever you get your podcasts. Episodes are edited and produced by Duluth News Tribune digital producers Wyatt Buckner and Dan Williamson. If you have an idea for a topic you’d like to see covered, email Maria Lockwood at mlockwood@superiortelegram.com.

We unspool the story of a 1892 stained glass window that was meant to showcase Douglas County at the 1893 World’s Fair in Chicago. Designed by Tiffany Studios, it included whaleback ships, grain elevators and a bird’s eye view of Superior. When Douglas County commissioners traveled to see it displayed in the Wisconsin Building, they hated it. They called it a “perfect botch,” demanded Tiffany remove the window and commissioned a new one. No photographs of the window exist, just a sketch. Where it is now remains a mystery. We’ll also learn about the only passenger whaleback ever built, the S.S. Christopher Columbus, which was built in Superior and ferried passengers to and from the Chicago World’s Fair. It was over 100 years after the Chicago World's Fair in the 1990s when local historian and retired librarian Teddie Meronek first became aware of the stained glass window and she's been researching it ever since. In this month’s episode of Archive Dive, Meronek joins the Superior Telegram’s Maria Lockwood to discuss both the window and the whaleback. New episodes of Archive Dive are published monthly. Listen here or wherever you get your podcasts. Episodes are edited and produced by Duluth News Tribune digital producers Wyatt Buckner and Dan Williamson. If you have an idea for a topic you’d like to see covered, email Maria Lockwood at mlockwood@superiortelegram.com.