This past week, the Superior Telegram released its twelfth episode of Archive Dive, the monthly history podcast hosted by Telegram reporter Maria Lockwood. Every month, Maria and a local historian dip into the archives of historic events, people and places in Superior and Douglas County.
Just over a year ago, fire destroyed two storied Superior warehouses one bitterly cold day, Jan. 6, 2022. No one was injured, but Superior Mayor Jim Paine called it “a terrible tragedy for the city.” In this month's episode, Maria is once again joined by local historian and retired librarian Teddie Meronek as they discuss the history of the Osborne Warehouse and the Twohy Mercantile Building, also known as the Bayside Warehouse, which were built in the 1890s. Built with large pieces of timber, which was slower to burn, Teddie says both were prominently mentioned in newspaper articles as being fire safe.
"They must have thought they were safe and they were, if you really think about it, as they were over 100 years old when they burned down, 120 years old.”
Also in the episode, Maria and Teddie will discuss the businesses that occupied the buildings, the financial panic in the United States in the 1890s, the connection President Franklin D. Roosevelt's family had to Superior, could Superior have been "the Chicago of the North" and more.
You can find that full episode at superiortelegram.com or whatever streaming service you listen to this podcast.
Today, we are re-sharing Archive Dive's eleventh episode, which was released in December. It explores the details of when Superior hosted Norwegian Royals twice during the World War II era. Enjoy!