Today, John L. Morrison is best known as the publisher of the muckraking Duluth Rip-Saw from 1918 to 1926, but his period of greatest fame occurred before that, when he was employed by the Duluth Evening Herald. Morrison was well-known regionally as a travel writer and nationally as an authority on the Canadian gold-mining regions.
One hundred years ago the assailants of Duluth Ripsaw newspaper publisher John L. Morrison appeared in court one week after attacking him in his office. The May 19, 1921 Duluth Herald provides an account of the incident.
Twenty years ago today — Feb. 6, 2001 — City Pages published a cover story on Duluth’s “tiny counterculture.” The Twin Cities alternative weekly paper ceased operations last fall and its online archive is on hiatus, but Perfect Duluth Day is here with the flashback goods.
It’s been ten years since the plug was officially pulled on the Ripsaw, Duluth’s experiment with having a newspaper similar to City Pages or Isthmus. It didn’t last long, but it was good while it lasted.
As published in Duluth’s Ripsaw newspaper, Jan. 17, 2001.
I rent and work out of Room 208 in the Temple Opera Building. Legend has it that the Ripsaw was once published out of this office. I’d love to see some photos and hear some stories about those days in this space.
This headline and illustration are from the August 18, 1917 issue of the Duluth Rip Saw. The story is without a byline, but was no doubt written by the paper’s publisher, John L. Morrison.
Ten years ago today, the first weekly issue of the Ripsaw came out. Looking it over this morning, the thing that surprised me is there was a localized crossword puzzle. I had forgotten about that. It only lasted a few months because the guy who did it, Israel Malachi, either got tired of putting it together or left town for a while, I can’t remember which.
Anyway, the puzzle is below. It’s pretty easy, but I’ll follow up with the answer key in the comments tomorrow.
Ten years later, I wonder if anyone noticed that instead of using an image of a dreadlocked rastafarian for this reggae concert ad we just clipped a bunch of clothespins on Barrett.
Ten years ago, cartoonist Israel Malachi poked fun at Duluth City Councilor Marcia Hales for pushing an ordinance that made it a ticketable offense to play a car stereo loud enough to be heard 50 feet away.
