Explore City Issues and Regional History on a Mobile Tour

If you’re reading this, there is a good chance you are already planning to join us for the 2023 League of Minnesota Cities Annual Conference, and you’ve probably already heard us go on and on about how we’ll all be gathering in beautiful Duluth in just 20 days to share love for our Minnesota cities. We can’t help it; it’s hard to talk about anything other than the conference when we’re thrilled about all this year’s event has to offer!

One element of this year’s annual conference I’m most excited about is our three mobile tours. Our Events and Learning team did a great job coordinating three tour options that touch on historic and current issues and how they’ve shaped the city of Duluth. You don’t have to be from Duluth to enjoy these tours – there will be plenty of takeaways that can be implemented in your community.

All three tours require pre-registration and an additional cost not included in the general conference fee which covers lunch and bussing. Those who have already registered for the conference can call the League at 651-281-1200 or email [email protected] to register for a mobile tour. For those who have yet to register for the conference or a mobile tour, what are you waiting for?! Sign up before registration closes on Friday, June 9.

Learn how Duluth is healing from hatred

Elias Clayton, Elmer Jackson, and Issac McGhie were three Black men who were wrongly accused of a crime in June 1920, abducted from the city jail by a mob of thousands of people, and then brutally tortured and hung from a lamppost in the middle of downtown Duluth. It is often cited as the worst lynching that occurred in the entire country in 1920.

This tour on Wednesday, June 21 will take participants to the Clayton Jackson McGhie Memorial, which was established by community activists in an attempt to keep the stories of what happened to McGhie, Jackson, and Clayton alive. The City of Duluth has learned from and reconciled with this heinous racial crime, but not without facing difficult questions such as, how does one reconcile a town they love with a history of hatred? What does a community do to honor its history and also heal? How does a city help people move forward in a way that is meaningful?

Carl Crawford, Duluth’s human rights officer and founding board member of the Memorial, will lead this tour and guide participants as they ponder how a city can grapple with a history of hatred and move forward meaningfully. The two-hour morning tour will include structured group learning and independent observance while at the Memorial.

Please note that this tour may cause trauma as heavy topics such as lynching and racism are discussed. Participants should also plan to be primarily outdoors and ready to stand and walk for most of the tour.

Don’t miss your chance to hear from Crawford and learn how we can face the racism that is part of our state’s history.

Cost: $60 (includes lunch)

Tour the Great Lakes’ cargo capital

Did you know the Port of Duluth-Superior transports approximately 20 million tons of iron ore each shipping season? Or that it is North America’s farthest-inland freshwater seaport?

Port fun facts will be aplenty on the Duluth Seaway Port Authority (DSPA) tour on Wednesday, June 21, from 10 a.m.- 12 p.m. Not only will you leave the tour with plenty of trivia answers, but you’ll also better understand the vital role DSPA plays in the economic development of Duluth and the surrounding region.

DSPA Executive Director Deb DeLuca and other staff will describe the port’s unique role in the region while participants ride around DSPA’s Clure Public Marine Terminal. DeLuca, DSPA’s first female executive director, will also share how DSPA works with Duluth city staff and other stakeholder groups.

You can learn TONS from the agency that operates this multi-modal logistics hub and helps connect Duluth to the rest of the world!

Cost: $60 (includes lunch)

 Tap into Duluth’s housing innovation

I have yet to meet a city official who has said, “Oh yeah, we’ve got housing solved in our city.” Housing is an issue almost everywhere. Cities are reeling with the challenge of providing enough housing and making sure it’s affordable so their communities are livable for all people.

In the afternoon on Thursday, June 22, this mobile tour will explore how Duluth has tackled its housing challenges in recent years. From 2:15-4:30 p.m., participants will visit housing projects that span the redevelopment of historic buildings and creative uses of vacant lots. They will hear from tour guides Theresa Bajda, senior housing developer; Jenn Moses, senior planner; and Steven Robertson, manager of construction and inspection services, who will provide insight on how Duluth incorporated input from the business community and residents.

The tour will feature Rebuild Duluth Program, Cottage Village Park, Lincoln Park Flats, the former St. Louis County Jail historic redevelopment and conversion, and more! These stops will leave participants with an understanding of how they too can get creative while conquering their unique housing challenges.

The housing mobile tour is currently full, but you can still join our waiting list.

Cost: $45 (lunch is not provided)

Between these three mobile tour options, there is sure to be many valuable lessons for everyone to bring back to their beloved cities.