History & Culture
From du Lhut to Duluth.
Members of the Sioux and Ojibway tribes were the original occupants of the area, but in the 1600s, French explorers discovered what the Native Americans knew all along - the area was brimming with fur-bearing animals. Soon Daniel Greysolon, Sieur du Lhut arrived in an attempt to make peace between the Ojibway and Sioux in hopes of securing trading and trapping rights. His efforts earned him the opportunity to be the city’s namesake: du Lhut!
By the latter half of the 19th century, Duluth was rising to its zenith. The city boasted the only U.S. port accessing both the Atlantic and Pacific oceans, making it easy for the rest of the nation to tap into the area’s rich lumber, ample wheat and expansive ore mining opportunities. The arrival of the railroad was the puzzle piece that brought this zenith into full view, transporting people, products and prosperity.
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