Fond du Lac
The caption on this undated postcard suggests that it shows the ruins of American Fur Company’s trading post at Fond du Lac, but it is actually the ruins of the home of Michael and Emily Chambers. (More on that in the comments.) …
This postcard was mailed on Nov. 13, but the year on the postmark is blurred so we’re going to estimate it was about 80 years ago.
The American Fur Company began trading on the St. Louis River at Fond du Lac in 1817 and continued until 1847. A replica was built as a tourist attraction in 1935, and that’s what is depicted in the postcard image. The replica was demolished in the late 1960s. …
On Feb. 2, 1941, Norwegian ski-jumper Torger Tokle jumped 203 feet at the new 60-meter ski jump at Fond du Lac. He’s shown in images here hitting 197 feet. An estimated 5,000 spectators were in attendance. Duluth hosted the National Ski Jumping Championship the following year. …