Cloquet, Minnesota

Cloquet, Minnesota
City
715 Carlton Avenue, Cloquet, MN
Location of the city of Cloquet within Carlton County, Minnesota
Coordinates: 46°43′18″N 92°27′34″W / 46.72167°N 92.45944°W / 46.72167; -92.45944
Country	United States
State	Minnesota
County	Carlton
Incorporated (village)	1884
Incorporated (city)	1904
Government
• Mayor	Bruce Ahlgren
Area[1]
• Total	35.97 sq mi (93.16 km2)
• Land	35.20 sq mi (91.17 km2)
• Water	0.77 sq mi (1.99 km2)  2.14%
Elevation	1,207 ft (368 m)
Population (2010)[2]
• Total	12,124
• Estimate (2012[3])	12,036
• Density	344.4/sq mi (133.0/km2)
Time zone	Central (UTC-6)
• Summer (DST)	Central (UTC-5)
ZIP code	55720
Area code(s)	218
FIPS code	27-12160[4]
GNIS feature ID	0641345[5]
Website	www.ci.cloquet.mn.us

Cloquet (ⁱ/kloʊˈkeɪ/ kloh-KAY) is a city in Carlton County, Minnesota, United States, located at the junction of Interstate 35 and Minnesota State Highway 33. A portion of the city lies within the Fond du Lac Indian Reservation and also serves as one of three administrative centers for the Indian Reservation. The population was 12,124 at the 2010 census.^[6]

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 35.97 square miles (93.16 km²), of which, 35.20 square miles (91.17 km²) is land and 0.77 square miles (1.99 km²) is water.^[1]

Cloquet is located on the Saint Louis River, 20 miles southwest of the city of Duluth.

Major highways

• Interstate 35
• Minnesota State Highway 33

History

Cloquet began as a group of small settlements around three sawmills: Shaw Town, Nelson Town, and Johnson Town. These later became known as Knife Falls after a local waterfall over sharp slate rocks, and later as Cloquet. The area was platted in 1883 and the village of Cloquet was incorporated from the three settlements in 1884. It became a city with a mayor and city council in 1904. The word "Cloquet" first appeared on a map of the area by Joseph N. Nicollet in 1843 which named the Cloquet River, a tributary of the Saint Louis River, and the Cloquet Rapids to the north. "Cloquet" is a French surname but historians researching the name of the river and city have found no definitive answer, and are reduced to speculations. One of these is that the river might have been named after 19th century French scientists, the Cloquet brothers Hipployte and Jules, with the settlement later being named after the river.^[7]

The area was the site of the 1918 Cloquet Fire, which destroyed much of the town and killed approximately 500 people.

Cloquet is famed in American economic history because before and after WWII it was home of the strongest consumers cooperative of the country. The Cloquet Coöperative Society (founded 1910) operated two cooperative stores which handled food, hardware, shoes, drygoods, and furniture. Other cooperative services included a building supply store, a coal yard, a mortuary, an auto repair shop and a gas service station.

In 1939 the co-op did 35% of the business in the town and 18% in Carlton County. By the mid-1950s the consumer society had a membership of 4,262 on a population of 8,500. This was a national record, given the fact that the total business of all American co-ops combined represented only 0.5% of the economy. The Finnish cooperative groups of the area also had an influence on the American cooperative movement in general.

• Florence C. Parker, The First 125 Years. A History of Distributive and Service Cooperation in the United States, 1829-1954 (Superior WI: CLUSA, 1956).

Architecture

Cloquet is home to the R.W. Lindholm Service Station, the only gas station designed by architect Frank Lloyd Wright and a structure now on the National Register of Historic Places.

• National Trust website - article on Frank Lloyd Wright designed service station

Demographics

A large Dalecarlian horse

2010 census

As of the census^[2] of 2010, there were 12,124 people, 4,959 households, and 3,126 families residing in the city. The population density was 344.4 inhabitants per square mile (133.0 /km²). There were 5,235 housing units at an average density of 148.7 per square mile (57.4 /km²). The racial makeup of the city was 84.4% White, 0.4% African American, 10.8% Native American, 0.5% Asian, 0.1% from other races, and 3.7% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.3% of the population.

There were 4,959 households of which 32.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.1% were married couples living together, 14.4% had a female householder with no husband present, 5.6% had a male householder with no wife present, and 37.0% were non-families. 30.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.40 and the average family size was 2.96.

The median age in the city was 37 years. 25.5% of residents were under the age of 18; 8.9% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 25.5% were from 25 to 44; 25% were from 45 to 64; and 15.2% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 48.7% male and 51.3% female.

2000 census

As of the census^[4] of 2000, there were 11,201 people, 4,636 households, and 2,967 families residing in the city. The population density was 317.9 people per square mile (122.7/km²). There were 4,805 housing units at an average density of 136.4 per square mile (52.6/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 88.21% White, 0.16% African American, 9.35% Native American, 0.39% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.13% from other races, and 1.75% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.63% of the population. 16.0% were of German, 15.4% Finnish, 12.4% Norwegian, 9.8% Swedish and 6.1% Polish ancestry.

There were 4,636 households out of which 30.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.1% were married couples living together, 12.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.0% were non-families. 31.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.38 and the average family size was 2.96.

In the city the population was spread out with 25.6% under the age of 18, 8.5% from 18 to 24, 27.5% from 25 to 44, 21.4% from 45 to 64, and 16.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 89.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.1 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $35,675, and the median income for a family was $47,799. Males had a median income of $40,140 versus $26,144 for females. The per capita income for the city was $17,812. About 7.7% of families and 9.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 9.7% of those under age 18 and 12.4% of those age 65 or over.

Notable residents

• Jessica Lange, actress
• Jamie Langenbrunner,^[8] active NHL player for St. Louis Blues. He has also played for New Jersey Devils & Dallas Stars.
• Clarence Larson, chemist
• Corey Millen, former NHL Player
• Barbara Payton, actress
• Derek Plante, former NHL Player. Currently Asst Coach with Minnesota-Duluth

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Cloquet, Minnesota.

• City of Cloquet, MN – Official Website
• Cloquet Area Chamber of Commerce website
• Video documentary on the 1918 Cloquet Fire - Link

v t e Municipalities and communities of Carlton County, Minnesota, United States County seat: Carlton Cities Barnum Carlton Cloquet Cromwell Kettle River Moose Lake Scanlon Thomson Wrenshall Wright Townships Atkinson Automba Barnum Beseman Blackhoof Eagle Holyoke Kalevala Lakeview Mahtowa Moose Lake Perch Lake Silver Silver Brook Skelton Split Rock Thomson Twin Lakes Wrenshall CDPs Big Lake Esko Mahtowa Unorganized territories Clear Creek North Carlton Unincorporated communities Atkinson Automba Duesler Harney Holyoke Iverson Nemadji Otter Creek Pleasant Valley Sawyer Scotts Corner Indian reservations Fond du Lac Indian Reservation‡ Footnotes ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties

v t e Twin Ports, Minnesota-Wisconsin Core cities Duluth° (MN) Superior° (WI) Surrounding communities (over 10,000) Cloquet° (MN) 11,463 (under 10,000) Carlton° (MN) Hermantown° (MN) Oliver‡ (WI) Parkland* (WI) Proctor° (MN) Scanlon° (MN) Superior‡ (WI) Superior* (WI) Counties Carlton (MN) Douglas (WI) Saint Louis (MN) *town ‡village °city §CDP

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Coordinates: 46°43′18″N 92°27′34″W / 46.72167°N 92.45944°W / 46.72167; -92.45944