The meanings behind Cloquet’s outdoor murals

By Jamie Lund jlund@pinejournal.com

The City of Cloquet worked with building owners to create murals that represent parts of Cloquet’s past.

The murals were created to celebrate the city’s centennial in 2004.

The Homage to the Finnish Homesteader

LOCATION: U.S. Bank, 715 Cloquet Ave.

ARTIST: Carl Gawboy

The mural is a scene from the late 1920s in high summer, with hay-making going on in the background and household chores happening in the foreground. Finnish dovetail log architecture is prominent with the well, farm implements, draft horses, chickens and cows as evidence. The 1920s was a time of optimism in regard to the stability of farm communities and that way of life.

Railway Through the Past

LOCATION: Paradigm Therapy Services, 1102 Cloquet Ave.

ARTIST: Fleta Carol

The mural is the largest of the murals at 16-feet by 60-feet. It depicts an 1890s steam locomotive making its way across a swamp in the winter via a bridge constructed of large wooden beams. In the background of the mural is the leftovers of a logging operation and several pine islands.

Remembering the Saw Mills of Cloquet

LOCATION: Sammy’s Pizza, 305 Sunnyside Dr.

ARTISTS: Connie Hyde and student artists Kristi Cresap, Stephanie Maki, Chelsie Waller, Jessica Christianson, Kayla Koen, Julie Koen and Jennifer Peterson.

Remembering the Saw Mills of Cloquet was painted by Connie Hyde and several Cloquet art students. The mural shows a small lumber mill that was located near the site of Sammy’s Pizza, which the mural is painted on. The Pine Journal wasn’t able to get a photo of this mural due to deep snow surrounding the area.

Scandinavian Immigrant Life

Unfortunately, you can’t see this mural on a building in Cloquet anymore. It was painted on the old Beretta building, 1103 Cloquet Ave, but the building was torn down to make room for the county building and a municipal parking lot, said Holly Hansen, community development director for the City of Cloquet.

However, the mural lives on with the Carlton County Historical Society. Hansen said officials presented the historical society with a banner that depicts the mural.

ARTIST: Brian Olson

The piece depicted a traditional Scandinavian immigrant couple of the early 1900s: Theodore and Borghild Swenson. They settled in Iverson and built Pine Grove Dairy farm, according to historical society records.

Prescription for a Healthy Community

LOCATION: Medicine Shoppe, 1208 Cloquet Ave.

ARTIST: Laurel Sanders

The mural depicts four seasons of Cloquet residents enjoying a local park and other activities. An old fashioned apothecary shop has the current Medicine Shoppe sign incorporated into the design.

Notable People from the Early Days of Cloquet

LOCATION: Buskala’s Jewelry, 1010 Cloquet Ave.

ARTIST: Dianna Bowker

The mural includes a photo of the original Buskala’s Jewelry store from the early 1900s on the side of the current store, which was built after the 1918 fire. The store was established in 1888, and the mural includes several prominent citizens of the time: Mayor Stokes Wilson, John Buskala, A.K. Oswald, A. J. Solem, Octavie Morneau and Rudolph Weyehaeuser.

Industry Shaped the Past, Secures the Future

LOCATION: Wood City Lights & Hardware, 901 Cloquet Ave. • ARTIST: Kathy Porwall

The mural shows several scenes of loggers in different seasons.