Archive Dive with the Superior Telegram

For this month’s episode of the Archive Dive, we search for retooled school buildings in Superior.

Many former schools have found a new life after the final bell. Some are apartments. Others are a church, a business center or something else. We dive into ages, dates and histories. When were they built? How long did they last? What are they now?

Telegram reporter Maria Lockwood is joined by local historian and retired librarian Teddie Meronek as they take us on a verbal tour neighborhood by neighborhood, discussing such schools as Itasca, St. Anthony and Margaret, Benjamin Franklin, Lincoln, East, St. Francis, St. Adalbert, St. Louis, Carpenter, MaCaskill and more.

New episodes of Archive Dive are published monthly. Listen wherever you get your podcasts. Episodes are edited and produced by Duluth News Tribune digital producers Wyatt Buckner and Dan Williamson. If you have an idea for a topic you’d like to see covered, email Maria Lockwood at [email protected].

In this month’s episode of Archive Dive, we explore the story of the World War II veteran for whom the Blatnik Bridge was named for. Thousands of motorists cross the bridge daily, yet many may not know about the man himself.

As a Minnesota congressman, Chisholm native John Blatnik was instrumental in getting the bridge between Duluth and Superior built. As a captain and paratrooper with the U.S. Army Air Force. Blatnik spent eight months working behind enemy lines in Yugoslavia. The work included setting up an escape system for downed American airmen. One of them was a Duluth man: Swante Norlund.

For this episode, Telegram reporter Maria Lockwood is joined by Briana Fiandt, curator of collections and exhibits for the Richard I. Bong Veterans Historical Center in Superior, as they discuss the life of Blatnik.

You can find photos for this episode at superiortelegram.com. You can also find additional episodes here.

New episodes of Archive Dive are published monthly. Listen wherever you get your podcasts. Episodes are edited and produced by Duluth News Tribune digital producers Wyatt Buckner and Dan Williamson. If you have an idea for a topic you’d like to see covered, email Maria Lockwood at [email protected].

For our 30th edition of Archive Dive, we trace the history of the University of Wisconsin-Superior campus and learn about an “astro-nut” who helped raise money for a Superior hospital.

The community's determination to bring a normal school to Superior was rewarded when the school opened in 1895. Built in the latest design, it featured adjustable desks and a system that sucked away chalk dust from the blackboards. Destroyed by a fire in 1914, the building was rebuilt and has continued to anchor the campus.

In 1962, one of the students at the college spent nearly 100 hours in a space capsule on top of a 40-foot pole to raise money for the memorial hospital fund, dressed in a spacesuit and connected to the Earth by a telephone. This “astro-nut” spent his days eating food delivered by A&W and Chefs, as well as taking calls from local school children.

Telegram reporter Maria Lockwood is joined by local historian and retired librarian Teddie Meronek, both UWS graduates, as they explore the history and stories of what was originally called Superior Normal School. Superior being too far up north and perceived to not have enough "culture" were initial concerns.

“People in the rest of Wisconsin didn't know if we really deserved a normal school here in Superior,” said Meronek. “My favorite story about it is that there was competition with Ashland because they also wanted a normal school. There were several other communities and apparently they just dolled these normal schools out, they had rigorous regulations about who could get it and who couldn't. But Ashland said that Superior was not deserving of a normal school because we just did not have enough culture here.”

Superior would ultimately get the normal school.

“They had to do a lot of campaigning and they had to make those people believe that we were worthy of a school up here and so the regents, the board that really directs the university system in Wisconsin, all the regents came up here by boat and they got tours of the city and they were convinced by people that yes, this is a place, you need a school.”

Built on property donated by the Land and River Improvement Company, the original school was designed by Henry Wild Jones, who also designed many sites in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area.

“To think that he designed that school and it was almost like a Victorian wedding cake,” said Meronek. “If you see pictures of the old school, it was just a wonderful place. It had about 30 or 40 rooms. It had a gymnasium because what people don't understand is when the school was first built, that was it one building and what they were doing was they were educating people to teach mostly in rural schools.”

Among many highlights, the school taught teachers how to teach kindergarten. They were the first place in Wisconsin that did that and the program was nationally recognized.

“Caroline Barber was the woman who headed this program and it was a coup for Superior that they were doing so well in this,” said Meronek.

In 1914, a fire destroyed the campus, but the regents were determined to rebuild. Classes weren’t missed because of the fire, but instead, held at different places in town, including Central High School. A new academic building was built in a year, which we now know as “Old Main.”

The college would go through a few name changes, including Superior State Teachers College, Wisconsin State College-Superior and Wisconsin State University-Superior before becoming the University of Wisconsin-Superior in 1971.

A unique story involving students happened in May 1962, when Bartley Grant Mauch became the “Astro-Nut.” Mauch was a member of the Tau Kappa Epsilon and Superiorites were in the midst of a fundraising drive to build what would become Superior Memorial Hospital, which was to be constructed without state and federal aid, so every dollar raised would bring the project closer to reality. The college fraternity wanted to help and they came up with an idea based on current events of the time.

“It was the Space Race,” said Meronek. “In 1962 John Glenn had just been the first man to circle the earth in a spaceship.

Tau Kappa Epsilon decided to place one of their members in a space capsule atop a 40-foot pole located at the corner of Belknap Street and Tower Avenue, with a goal of raising $1,000 for the future hospital. Mauch wore a space suit and stayed up in "space" until the funds were secured. Equipped with a telephone, Mauch spent his time up above speaking with school children.

“The kids from the schools would call him and ask him questions, like, was he really an astronaut?” laughed Meronek.

Mauch also dealt with winds blowing between 25 and 30 mph and even a threat from someone in Duluth that they would “come over and blow that tower down.” After spending 98 1/2 hours in “space” and raising $1,675, the "Astro-Nut" was back on Earth.

Also in this episode, Maria and Teddie discuss UWS students such as Gordon MacQuarrie, J.W. Beecroft, Edith Carlson, Henry Blomberg and Richard I. Bong; the story of another UWS fraternity that raised funds for a memorial to three men who died during the building of the Blatnik Bridge; the impact of Mertz Mortorelli; the role that Superior native and Pro Football Hall of Famer Tuffy Leemans played in getting the New York Giants to hold some summer practices on campus; concerns about educating Minnesotans; and more.

You can listen to previous episodes of Archive Dive at superiortelegram.com.

New episodes of Archive Dive are published monthly. Listen wherever you get your podcasts. Episodes are edited and produced by Duluth News Tribune digital producers Wyatt Buckner and Dan Williamson. If you have an idea for a topic you’d like to see covered, email Maria Lockwood at [email protected].  

In this month’s episode of Archive Dive, we learn about the search for a piece of Richard I Bong’s story — the “Marge” plane.

The Poplar man became America’s Ace of Aces for downing 40 enemy aircraft during World War II, which is the most by any U.S. pilot to date.

The plane was named for Marjorie “Marge” Vattendahl, Bong’s girlfriend who later became his wife. His most iconic plane was one that he only flew for three months before it crashed in Papua, New Guinea 80 years ago. Now an expedition has discovered the crash site of the P-38 Lightning Marge plane.

For this episode, Telegram Reporter Maria Lockwood is joined by Briana Fiandt, curator of collections and exhibits for the Richard I. Bong Veterans Historical Center as they discuss the history and the rediscovery of the Marge plane.

“I think that this plane is the most famous fighter plane out of World War II,” said Fiandt. “It belongs to Richard Bong, who is the top fighter pilot of the war, so there is no more important pilot or plane from that era. Then you add on that, he had this nose art on there of his girlfriend and it was a very sweet little portrait. The press really loved that and they ran with that, and I think that’s why the Marge plane got so famous so quickly, because the press loved the sort of innocence and the sweetness of that nose art and publicized it pretty widely.”

Fiandt was part of a news conference Thursday, May 23 at the Richard I. Bong Veterans Historical Center in Superior announcing that "Marge" had been located. Also taking part were members of the Pacific Wrecks team, who joined virtually from Madang, Papua New Guinea.

“When we located the crash site, it was an amazing experience,” said Pacific Wrecks founder Justin Taylan. “The plane had landed in a ravine in the jungle, and over 80 years parts of the wreckage have eroded down a hillside through natural impacts. We entered this ravine at the base and began walking uphill, seeing small parts and larger parts and larger parts. Immediately, I recognized those parts as associated with a P-38 Lightning.”

Taylan and the team eventually saw two engines sticking out of the ground, buried in several meters of soil with only the tips of the propeller and the engine mounts visible above the surface. They were able to confirm the plane's identity as Marge.

“I am humbled to work with this team,” said Taylan. “This is a great day for the Bong Center, a great day for Pacific Wrecks and a great day for history.”

This episode also features comments from Richard Bong's sister, Jerry Bong Fechtelkotter, as well as more details on the expedition and plans for the future.

New episodes of Archive Dive are published monthly. Listen wherever you get your podcasts. Episodes are edited and produced by Duluth News Tribune digital producers Wyatt Buckner and Dan Williamson. If you have an idea for a topic you’d like to see covered, email Maria Lockwood at [email protected].

For this episode of Archive Dive, we dig into the history of what you could call the bridges of Douglas County.

Telegram reporter Maria Lockwood is joined by local historian and retired librarian Teddie Meronek as they discuss the history and importance of these bridges in connecting Superior and Duluth and Wisconsin and Minnesota.

"When you think about it, you're not only building it in the water, but you're building it in these two communities that the weather is not always the best and they did it in a timely manner," said Meronek. "In those days, you had no safety harnesses and people weren't wearing safety harnesses when they built that bridge."

The John A. Blatnik Bridge, originally named the High Bridge, opened in 1961. It was named for United States Congressman John Blatnik of Minnesota. An estimated 3,000 people from both sides gathered at the main span for the opening ceremony. Over the years, the bridge has been renamed, widened and reinforced. It is currently slated to be replaced, funded in part by the largest grant that the federal government has ever awarded.

"My favorite picture is of the two men when they put in the beam, the high beam above the Blatnik Bridge," said Meronek. The two men, one from Wisconsin and one from Minnesota, got together in the center of the bridge and shook hands because the two cities were now united with this beam."

The Richard I. Bong Memorial Bridge opened to traffic in 1984 for a construction cost of $70 million. Named for America's Ace of Aces, it is longer than the Blatnik Bridge by 425 feet. The Bong Bridge replaced the 1927-era Arrowhead Bridge.

"Bruce Hagen, who was mayor at the time, said 'I want people every time you drive over this bridge, I want you to think about how it was built,'" said Meronek. "He (Hagen) said, 'I don't mean construction because it was named after a World War II hero.' He wanted people to think, this is what we're remembering with this bridge. We're remembering this man and everyone else who served this country during World War II."

There is also the Oliver Bridge, which dates back to 1910.

"Through it all, the Oliver Bridge is still there and we should salute the Oliver Bridge because it's still serving its purpose," said Meronek. "The steel plant isn't there anymore but, railroads still travel over it and if we're down to one bridge when they start building the new bridge, are a lot of people going to take that way to Duluth?"

You can hear these stories and more in this episode.

New episodes of Archive Dive are published monthly. Listen wherever you get your podcasts. Episodes are edited and produced by Duluth News Tribune digital producers Wyatt Buckner and Dan Williamson. If you have an idea for a topic you’d like to see covered, email Maria Lockwood at [email protected]. 

We dig into the history of two of Superior’s architectural siblings. The Broadway and the Palace theaters. Both the Broadway, which opened in 1912, and the Palace, which opened in 1917, were designed by brothers George and Cornelius Ward (C.W.) Rapp. The Palace stood until 2006 when it was raised by the city in the midst of a legal battle. The Broadway had a shorter shelf life.

What did these sister spaces look like and what famous faces graced their stages? To get the answers, Telegram reporter Maria Lockwood is joined by frequent guest Teddie Meronek, a fellow theater enthusiast who also happens to be a local historian and retired librarian, as they take us on a trip through time, discussing all things Broadway and Palace.

"(They were) Amazing buildings. I can't believe that we had two of them in this town," said Meronek. “What surprises me about both of these buildings is that they were Rapp and Rapp theaters and I think anybody interested in theater history or the history of old theaters knows that name because they were one of the most famous theatre architectural firms in the country. They built a lot of theatres in Chicago especially because they were originally from Illinois.”

Among the topics that Maria and Teddie discuss in this episode include how the theaters were used; some of the local talents and attractions that performed there; the size and designs of the buildings; and they answer the question of if film legend Judy Garland ever performed in Superior.

New episodes of Archive Dive are published monthly. Listen wherever you get your podcasts. Episodes are edited and produced by Duluth News Tribune digital producers Wyatt Buckner and Dan Williamson. If you have an idea for a topic you’d like to see covered, email Maria Lockwood at [email protected].

The old post office in Superior has worn many hats since it was completed in 1908.

In addition to a courthouse and post office, it has been home to the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, Douglas County Historical Society, Internal Revenue Service, Federal Bureau of Investigation and it currently houses a theatre company. Now known as the Superior Entrepreneurship Center, the building has been turned into a one-stop shop for economic development.

For this month's episode of "Archive Dive," Telegram reporter Maria Lockwood and retired librarian and local historian Teddie Meronek dive into the history of the Superior landmark, which was designed by architect Earl Barber. They also discuss other buildings that Barber put his stamp on.

The building cost more than $300,000 to build and adjusted for today's cost, it would have been approximately $10,000,000. Many people have thought the building was only a post office, not knowing about the federal courthouse upstairs. In fact, while most locals have referred to it in recent years as the "old post office," its official name was the Federal Building.

Meronek remembers going to the post office, but she never went upstairs. After getting involved with the Superior-Douglas County Leadership group and attending a meeting on the second floor, she got her first glimpse, noticing a lot of marble and a beautiful view.

“That was the first time I had been above the first floor in that building,” Meronek said. “I got up there and I thought, ‘This is Superior’s best-kept secret.’ It was the most gorgeous room I had ever been in. I thought, ‘Why hasn’t anybody really used this before,’ not knowing anything of the history.”

So when did she start diving into the history of the building?

“As soon as I got back to the library after that,” said Meronek with a laugh. "Everybody should get a chance to see it one time in their life because it is Superior's best-kept secret. Really."

New episodes of Archive Dive are published monthly. Listen wherever you get your podcasts. Episodes are edited and produced by Duluth News Tribune digital producers Wyatt Buckner and Dan Williamson. If you have an idea for a topic you’d like to see covered, email Maria Lockwood at [email protected].

In this month’s episode of Archive Dive, we look at how a federal program helped shape Superior. During the bleakest days of the Great Depression, President Franklin D. Roosevelt created the Works Progress Administration, or WPA. The New Deal agency employed millions of job seekers, with an average salary of about $41.57 per month. Through public works projects like the airport, a baseball stadium and Itasca School, the program helped shape Superior’s landscape. But, it also helped preserve its history.

For this episode, Telegram reporter Maria Lockwood is joined by local historian and retired librarian Teddie Meronek as they look at the benefits of the program and the challenges of the times. Some of the buildings and projects remain today. The Great Depression started in 1929 and things had changed throughout the country, including in Superior.

"I don't think we can even imagine what it was like back then," said Meronek. "So many people were out of work."

Meronek also said, “If you look through old newspapers, in the late 1920s, you see that Superior was booming,there were all these new businesses opening up. You go and you look a couple of years later and they are all gone, so it was tough times. The WPA did not start until 1935, so there was a gap there. Four or five years where it was hard for everyone. No jobs. No money. The WPA came in and things started to change.”

In her research, Mereonek found that in 1935, the average unemployment rate across the United States was 20 percent.

“You have to find a solution and they came up with the WPA,” said Meronek. “It put people to work in Superior. They built things like the sewer system, they put in sidewalks, the repaved streets and they built buildings.”

Maria and Teddie will also discuss how parks, artists and musicians benefited; who the materials belong to; the story of a freckle contest; Wheel Day; and much more. Meronek even shares an interesting story about her parent's Honeymoon as they were married during the Great Depression.

New episodes of Archive Dive are published monthly. Listen here or wherever you get your podcasts. Episodes are edited and produced by Duluth News Tribune digital producers Wyatt Buckner and Dan Williamson. If you have an idea for a topic you’d like to see covered, email Maria Lockwood at [email protected].

In this month’s episode of Archive Dive, we dive into the history of notable graduates of East High School and Nelson Dewey School. The list includes two Superior mayors, a football legend, the last of the great press agents and a woman who wrote music books for children.

Telegram reporter Maria Lockwood is joined by local historian and retired librarian Teddie Meronek as they discuss the building of both schools, how the students and teachers survived the Great Depression and World War II, as well as the rivalry that grew between East High School and Central High School and much more.

"What people don't know about East End now is that - I grew up in East End so I remember that it was just like a small town, and the schools in East End weren't built next to businesses, they were built in neighborhoods and they were all surrounded by homes," said Meronek. "East End had a high school, it had a public grade school and two parochial schools, within blocks of each other and their business district included a movie theater and East End had the only branch library - an actual library building - and we had a dime store, dry cleaners and a bank, two drug stores, two hardware stores, restaurants, two hair salons, dentists, doctors - I mean, it was like a small town in itself."

New episodes of Archive Dive are published monthly at superiortelegram.com. Listen here or wherever you get your podcasts. Episodes are edited and produced by Duluth News Tribune digital producers Wyatt Buckner and Dan Williamson. If you have an idea for a topic you’d like to see covered, email Maria Lockwood at [email protected].

In this month’s episode of Archive Dive, Telegram reporter Maria Lockwood and local historian and retired librarian Teddie Meronek explore the lives of three famous photographers with ties to Superior. David Francis Barry, Ray Jones and Esther Bubley.

Barry was a noted photographer of the American west, who specialized in Native American portraits. He also captured the people and places of the Twin Ports with his lens after opening a photography business in Superior.

Jones rose to glamorous heights and won several Academy Awards as the head of Universal Studio’s still photography department during the golden age of Hollywood.

Bubley was a freelance photographer who found her niche as a photojournalist, balancing corporate clients with magazine work. Her intimate photos of everyday people graced publications such as Life and the Ladies Home Journal.

New episodes of Archive Dive are published monthly. Listen here or wherever you get your podcasts. Episodes are edited and produced by Duluth News Tribune digital producers Wyatt Buckner and Dan Williamson. If you have an idea for a topic you’d like to see covered, email Maria Lockwood at  [email protected].