The Duluth rip-saw. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1917-19??, 1919-12-13
WHEN HENRY TRUELSEN FIRST
CAME TO DULUTH.


In the winter of. 1893, Henry Truel-
sen was president Of the board Of pub.
lie works and the present editor Of the
Rip.saw was q reporter on the Duluth
Herald. One day, when in a. repinis-.
cent mood, Dom Heinrich told some Of
the story of his early days in the City
of Destiny, as the old real estate boom
ers often termed 1t.
81 first saw Duluth on May 8, 1862"
said Duluth,s Grand Old Man. "There
was much hope and excitement at that
time as q result Of the expected COM
pletion of the railroad from White
Bear to this city. Under its charter,
the company was required to make the
Minnesota side of Lake Superior the
terminus of the line, and that meant
Duluth.
"Before my coming to Duluth, I had
been keeping books for my brother at
Eagle River, Mich. Superior was quite
lively then and, because of limited no.
tel accommodations in Duluth, I was
ompelled to put up on the Wisconsin
side Of the bay.
81 first landed in Duluth at Peyton
& Kimball' 8 dock. Capt. Thompson,
who later lived at Washburn, Wis,
then was running small ferry between
Sunerior. (that pioneer part now called
Oldtown) and Duluth. There was a
small sawmill on Connor's Point and.
on this side, only a few 'fish-eaters,
as the pioneers were called, and a
sprinkling of. half-breeds.
cat that time, Superior street was
only country road that had been cut
through. The hillside forest ran right
down to the street, or road, and, when
a settler wished to erect cabin he
was compelled to clear away the forest
where now stand brick blocks and
magnificent houses. The street was
up and down, like billowy sea, and
later-day grades were made by filling
in the hollows.
GAS I remember it, there were not
over a dozen houses on Minnesota
Point. Commodore Saxton lived there
and Doctor Foster, who was running
his paper, 'The Minnesotan,' in small
shack. Among others were J. D. Ray
and Clinton E. Markell. Portland,
now known as Portland division, had
less than half a dozen houses and but
little of the present city was laid out.
Oneota, later part of West Duluth,
possibly had IS people.
81 wanted to 60 into business, but
there was no building to rent and, if
built one, my capital would be too
much depleted to carry on business.
I hired out, therefore, and my first
work was at mixing mortar for Peter
son & Tucker, all that summer. In the
fall, I bossed a gang that laid steel
on the railroad that was rapidly being
completed into Duluth.
"In January, 1870, I helped blast
rock for the breakwater at the old ele.
vator at the East End. All business
then was east of Second avenue east
and Portland was the center Of munic.
ipal activity. When the ship canal
was built, the center Of business moved
westward to Lake avenue.
"After completing my job at blast
ing rock, I formed a partnership in
the grocery and saloon business with
Mike Pastoret, the firm name being
Pastoret & Truelsen. In the fall of
1871, bought out Pastoret and abol-
ished the saloon part Of the business.
"My grocery business prospered and
I eventually added clothing, boots and
shoes to my lines. Times were good
up to 1873, when the panic hit the town
| very hard. Population dwindled from
5000 to $500 and there were many
| business failures. Credits disappeared
| and valuable corner lots deprecated
until they were not worth sack Of
flour. The man who had flour was
highly favored, in fact.
"In the pioneer days, before the
railroads came, there were no travelling
men: Goods were purchased by local
dealers from traders who came up on
the boats from Detroit. They carried
quite an assortment of goods, also
fruit, butter, eggs and provisions. They
| took orders for what they did not have
with them and then delivered on the
next trip.
"When the traders arrived on the
| boats, the local dealers rushed to the
docfs and called out:
"'Well, what have you got todays
| "Tben the traders would nearly be
torn to pieces in the struggles put up
to get next to them and to buy their
wares. Among traders that l remem.
Der were Hi. Holmes, Big Holmes
and George Smith. The latter travelled
for a Detroit cigar house in more re.
cent years. Hi. Holmes located at
Portage in 1873.
"Duluth took another start in 1879
and steadily went forward. I built up
a large wholesale trade, supplying the
lumbermen and, in. dull times, carry.
ing those who were hard up. I lay
claim, therefore, to have been Duluth IS
pioneer wholesaler
It commonly is said that the late
William R. Stone was Duluth's first
wholesaler. In 1882, his business
amounted to $250,000 year., Whether
or net Mr.. Stones business antedated
that Of Mr.. Truelsen in a wholesale
way, the Rip-saw is not prepared to
speak authoritatively. It probably car
be established in a general way, al
least, that Mr.. Stones business was
permanent while that Of Mr.. Truelsen
eventually failed. The site of the
Truelsen business was on Lake avenue
| ,o,&h .r;%b;n f;ffy foot ~ tho yrooouI