June 14, 1892: Duluth’s Common Council changes street names

On this day in Duluth in 1892, Duluth’s Common Council (equivalent to today’s City Council) voted to change the name of avenues in the Endion neighborhood west of Chester Creek and the city’s developing East End between 21st and 40th Avenues East (the “Congdon” neighborhood name would not become fashionable until after Chester and Clara Congdon built Glensheen and gave us Congdon Park). Each townsite that became part of Duluth named its own streets, and as Duluth continued to expand since regaining city status in 1887, an effort was made to standardize the street naming system to make the city easier to navigate. The ordinance read, “The Common Council of the City of Duluth do Ordain: Names of Avenues Changed. Section 1. That the names of all avenues east of Fourteenth avenue east in the city of Duluth be dispensed with and that said avenues be numbered in the following manner, to wit: New York Ave. = 15th Ave. E.;  Pennsylvania Ave. = 16th Ave. E.;  Maryland Ave. = 17th Ave. E.;  Ohio Avenue-18th Ave. E.;  Indiana Ave. = 19th Ave. E.;  Missouri Ave. = 20th Ave. E.;  Oregon Ave. = 21st Ave. E.;  Montana Ave. = 22nd Ave. E.;  California Ave. = 23rd Ave. E.;  Virginia Ave. = 24th Ave. E.;  Dakota Ave. = 25th Ave. E.;  Kentucky Ave. = 26th Ave. E.;  Massachusetts Ave. = 27th Ave. E.;  Connecticut Ave. = 28th Ave. E.;  Delaware and St. Louis Ave. = 29th Ave. E.;  Idaho and Superior Ave. = 30th Ave. E.;  California and St. Marie Ave. = 31st Ave. E.;  Georgia and Michigan Ave. = 32nd Ave. E.;  Wisconsin and Mackinaw Ave.-33rd Ave. E Alabama and Claire Ave. = 34th Ave. E.;  Erie Ave. = 36th Ave. E.;  Niagara Ave. = 37th Ave. E.;  Ontario Ave. = 38th Ave. E.;  St. Lawrence Ave. = 39th Ave. E.” Some of those names, like Niagara and St. Marie, were later used for streets in different neighborhoods. Some name changes didn’t take; for example, what should be labelled as 31st Avenue East is known today as Hawthorne Road.

The seal for the City of Duluth, established (for the second time) on March 2, 1887.