History: Paving the way to Cloquet's future

Not so much a mystery this week. It was called the “Comeback of Cloquet,” and people here celebrated in style 100 years ago this month. While it may seem odd that a whole community came out to celebrate a street construction project, that’s just what people did on Nov. 4, 1922, after a mile of paving was completed on business arteries in the city.

As the Minneapolis Journal reported, “The great forest fire of 1918 descended upon this city and left much of it in ruins. Now, the city has ‘come back’ and today finds this town with many prosperous industries, beautiful homes and imposing business...