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Duluth Board of Trade records

 Collection — Multiple Containers
Identifier: S2209

Scope and Contents

The Duluth Board of Trade records include information about the functioning of the Board of Trade from its inception in 1881 to the dissolution of the company in 1972. The collection contains member­ship information, correspondence, and legal notices covering a wide variety of topics; court cases directly affecting the activities of the Board of Trade of Duluth; information on the burning of the Duluth Board of Trade's building and its subsequent reconstruction in 1894; a complete set of minute books; and the findings of the Board of Arbitration.

Collection contents

Minutes

Membership ledgers

Information on various court cases and actions of the Board of Arbitration

Annual reports, financial journals and ledgers, 1900-1958

Stock certificates

Clearing association certificates, Red Cross Pledge Book

General rules, By-laws, and Articles of Incorporation, 1885-1958

Duluth Daily Market Report, 1888-1900

Ledgers concerning "shipments of grains by cargoes from Duluth, 1925-1959

Membership cards and certificates

Architectural drawings, specifications and related correspondence

Department of Agriculture released volumes, 1920s-1950s: Prices of barley, rye, flaxseed, and wheat; Volume of Trading; Open Contracts; Monthly Releases

Dates

  • 1881-1972

Creator

Conditions Governing Access

Open for use in the Kathryn A. Martin Library, Archives and Special Collections.

Conditions Governing Use

This collection may be protected by the Copyright Law of the United States (Title 17, U.S. Code). It is the user's responsibility to verify copyright ownership and to obtain all necessary permissions prior to the reproduction, publication, or other use of any portion of these materials. Researchers may quote from the collection under the fair use provision of the copyright law.

Biographical / Historical

The Duluth Board of Trade was organized in 1881 to improve the methods of trading in, and dealing with, an increasing volume of wheat being sent to Duluth, Minnesota for market or shipping. The original incorporators were George Spencer, Clinton Markell, A. J. Sawyer, Owen Fargusson, W. T. Hooker, W. W. Davis, R. S. Munger, C. H. Graves, and Walter Van Brunt.

In 1883 the Board of Trade moved into offices in the Metropolitan Block, on the north side of Superior Street between First and Second Avenues West. In 1886 the Board moved to its own newly constructed building at the southwestern corner of Superior Street and Third Avenue West. The building was destroyed by fire in February of 1894. In March of 1895 the organization moved into another new building, for which plans had already been made before the 1894 fire, at the northwest corner of First Street and Third Avenue West.

The Duluth Board of Trade building at 301 West First Street was designed by noted Duluth architects Oliver Traphagen and Francis Fitzpatrick. It was the last large commission received by this architectural partnership, which dissolved in January, 1896. In 1905 Chicago architect Daniel Burnham designed the addition to the north side of the building and redesigned the Trading Room.

The First Street building had a fire in 1948, but was repaired and continued to be used by the Board of Trade. The Duluth Board of Trade was dissolved in 1972.

Extent

39.25 Linear Feet

Language of Materials

English

Abstract

The Duluth Board of Trade records include information about the functioning of the Board of Trade from its inception in 1881 to the dissolution of the company in 1972.

Physical Location

This collection is located at the University of Minnesota Duluth Archives. For more information about this collection or to make an appointment, contact us at libarchives@d.umn.edu or 218-726-8526.

Related Materials:

NEMHC Archival Collections S2210 H. Watson Wilson oral history interview

Physical Description

29 boxes and 38 volumes

General

This collection is part of the Northeast Minnesota Historical Collections, which are housed in the University of Minnesota Duluth Archives at the Kathryn A. Martin Library, and are on permanent loan from the St. Louis County Historical Society.

Title
Guide to the Duluth Board of Trade records
Author
Finding Aid Authors: Staff.
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin

Collecting Area Details

Contact The University of Minnesota Duluth Archives and Special Collections Collecting Area

Contact:
Kathryn A. Martin Library
University of Minnesota Duluth
416 Library Drive
Duluth MN 55812-3001
(218) 726-8526