The Duluth rip-saw. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1917-19??, 1917-06-09
TALES OF THE TOWN

and bled his customers in genu,
inc ancient fashion.
In 1869, Duluth had but one
barbershop, that conducted by
Thomas A. jackson, on Superior
St., near Lake avenue, about
where the White Swan drug
store now stands. Richey formed
partnership with jackson and
the two opened a second shop at
Second Ave. East and Second
St., where the old Masonic tenn
pie now stands.
"When I came to Duluth"
says Mr.. Richey, cit had only
1900 to 1000 people. Everything
was new, ragged and rough. The
center of business was from First
avenue West to Second avenue
East, and a prominent section
was at the upper end of Mime
sofa Point. The canal had not
been cut through and the fam.
lily mansion of Gen. Geo. B. Sar-
gent, Appointment pioneer and
father Of w. G. Sargent, was
down on Lake avenue S., about
where the Minnesota Point troll
ley line makes it's first turn at
Fourteenth St., below the life
saving station.
"Where the wholesale houses
stand and nearly up to what
now would be the back door of
the Spalding hotel, duck shoot
ing was an easy and common
pastime.
"Where the First National
Bank now stands, Sawyer &
Davis had a feed store. A. j.
Sawyer afterwards became q
king in the grain business.
"The present site Of the Glass
Block was occupied by the liv-
cry barn Of Pratt & Knowlton
and 1t was not so very much Of
livery barn at that.
"The Banning block was the
first stone building erected. This
still stands at No. 1881 West
Superior street.
Cali down Connors' Point,
where the street cars now run
along Garfield Ave-, there was
heavy pine timber. At the Point
Of Rocks the roadway was so
narrow that teams hardly could
pass and great care was neces-
was a rather remote settlement
and West Duluth was not even
a dream. Rocks, woods and wa
ter were the main features of
the landscape in and around Du-
luth.
|'Duluth nearly went back to
the Indians when the full force
Of the panic of '73 hit the town.
All who could get away did so.
The food problem was serious at
times. The very best citizens
often were compelled to hurry
out to the fishing boats before
they could have breakfast. "Fish
EATERS was a true name in those
days. Former mayor M. j. Davis
and Jerome E. Cooley were
prominent fishermen in those
days.
Elm my early days, Luke Mar
win, father of the Marvin boys
yet here, was postmaster on First
St., at First Ave. E. Clinton E.
Markell, the head of one of Du-
luth's most aristocratic families,
who afterwards erected the man.
sion now occupied by Robt. B.
Whlteside, then lived in little
wooden building East of Lake
Ave. The last l knew, this house
still stood at Fifth Ave. E., above
Superior st.
"Luther Mendenhall, later
banker, traction magnate and en-
terpriSing citizen, then was a
clerk on modest salary for the
Western Land Association.
"Some of Duluth's livliest and
most enjoyable days were closely
connected with the palmy time
of the old Clark House, con-
Quoted by j. j. Hull, where now
stands the business house of Geo.
A. Gray & Company. That old
hotel was run with genuine hos
/ pitality as well as for profit. All
prominent visitors stopped there.
I opened my Marble Palace, the
last word in barbershops at that
time, in the Clark House, There I
met and served all ranks and
classes. I knew all the pioneer
real estate men, promoters, mer-