Carlton County Historical Society
About Carlton County Historical Society
The Carlton County Historical Society holds the record of the defining event in this county's history: the firestorm of October 12, 1918, which destroyed Cloquet almost entirely and killed hundreds of people across Carlton and southern St. Louis counties.
Almost everything standing in Cloquet today postdates that date, which is why the city's housing stock is so consistent in era, and the society's collections are the primary route into what was there before and how the rebuilding happened.
The society also documents the lumber and paper industries, the railroads, and the county's settlement history.
Neighborhoods it serves
The mill town that burned down in 1918 and rebuilt itself, twenty minutes from Duluth.
CarltonThe county seat at the gates of Jay Cooke, where the Munger Trail meets the gorge.
EskoThe school district people move for, on an old farm settlement 20 minutes from Duluth.
ScanlonThe small city between Cloquet and Esko, on the river and the interstate.
Where these facts come from
- Carlton County Historical Society accessed 2026-08-13
Last reviewed 2026-08-13 by Guide editorial.