Local History at the Library

These materials are at the Main Downtown Library and may be used in the building during regular library hours. Please visit or call the library at (218)730-4226 for more information.

Books by local authors and histories of the area:

Duluth Collection - Wide range of Duluth-related subjects are covered, including general history, architecture, schools, churches, business and industry, civic concerns, recreation, laws, politics, and climate. Includes materials by or about Duluthians. 

Minnesota Collection - Covers Minnesota-related subjects, with special emphasis given to St. Louis County, Northeastern Minnesota, and Lake Superior. Includes materials by many Minnesota creators.

Newspaper clippings on local topics, businesses, and people:

Clippings Files Index - Newspaper articles going back to the late 1800s relating to local history. Arranged by subject. To search, press the Ctrl button and the letter F, then search by subject or scroll through the list.

Business and Industry File Index - List of businesses and industries with clippings. To search, press the Ctrl button and the letter F, then search by business name or scroll through the list.

Biography File Index - List of names of people included in the Duluth Public Library's biography files. These files range in size from one article to a folder of articles and images. To search, press the Ctrl button and the letter F, then search by name or scroll through the list.

Obituaries

Duluth Area Obituary Index - Find dates of obituaries printed in the Duluth News Tribune newspapers from 1944 to the present.

Duluth War Casualties Index - Index to articles published in Duluth newspapers on some military personnel from the Duluth area who were killed or captured during World War I, World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War.

Local Newspapers

The Main library has many local Duluth newspapers on microfilm. The Duluth News Tribune (Jan 1893 – Dec 2018) and the Duluth Herald (years 1873 – 1917 with some gaps) are most frequently viewed.

City Directories

Duluth city directories (1884-1960) are available in-person at the Main library and searchable through the Library's subscription to AncestryLibrary.com. The 1930 Duluth Directory is the first which has a street-by-street directory. The earlier directories have only the alphabetical listing by residents' last names and by name of business. The directory was not published for the years 1919, 1933, 1945, 1947, 1949, 1953, and 2008. 

Superior, Wisconsin City Directories

Superior, Wisconsin city directories (1922-2014) are available in-person at the Main library and searchable through the Library's subscription to AncestryLibrary.com. Some of the late 1800’s and early 1900’s city directories have both Duluth and Superior bound together. The library does not carry the years 1923, 1933, 1945, 1947, 1949, 1951, 1953-1955, 1960, 1963, 1965, 2000, 2004, and 2013.

Yearbooks

The North Shore Room at the Main library houses yearbooks for Cloquet, Denfeld, Duluth Central, Duluth East, Hermantown, Marshall, and Proctor high schools. Harbor City International School, UMD Chronicle, the Scholatian, and St. Luke’s School of Nursing are also included, among others.