Duluth, Minnesota (Images of America)

Duluth, Minnesota, “The Zenith City of the Unsalted Seas,” is located on the shores of Lake Superior. Once a center for shipping, lumber, mining, steel, railroads, grain, and one of the nation’s largest ports, it housed some of the wealthiest people in the country. During the 1880s, the New York newspapers believed that within 20 years it would be larger than Chicago. Due to all of this wealth, the city grew at a remarkable rate, yet it also suffered through several recessions that almost destroyed it. With many handsome houses and remarkable buildings, Duluth’s architectural heritage is among the strongest in North America. At the turn of the 20th century, it boasted more park land and green space, per capita, than any other American city, and offered residents a lifestyle that was incomparable.