"An event has
happened, upon which it is difficult to speak and impossible to
remain silent."
Even though virtually every modern day Minnesotan had nothing to
do with one of the greatest injustices in our state, you cannot
learn about the following without feeling guilt, shame and
remorse.
Back in 1920 in Duluth, Minnesota there was an old fashion
lynching. A young white girl made a claim that some blacks
from the traveling circus raped her. The local police
arrested several of the workers and placed them in the Duluth city
jail. The news of this alleged rape spread through town like
wildfire. Soon, a mob formed in front of the jail demanding
justice. The police made a valiant effort (they were ordered
not to use guns to stop the mob) but were not able to stop the
mayhem. Three of the young black men were dragged from their
cells and were savagely beaten and given a "kangaroo court
trial". All 3 were then hanged from a lamp post while the mob
gathered around for photo opportunities. The picture even was
used as a postcard for several years.
Turns out the girl "more than likely" made up the story
anyway. Another black man was convicted of the rape, then
freed after serving 4 years of a 30 year sentenced because the
evidence was later believed to be false and politically
motivated. Three of the men in the mob were convicted of
rioting and served about two and a half years for rioting.
None for murder.
The city of Duluth has bravely chosen to recognized and tell
this story for all the hear and learn from instead of hiding it and
refusing to believe it ever happened. The city is building a
monument in the three young black men's honor at the listed
coordinates.
Not only do you get the coordinates to this virtual cache, you
can have the street address too (it's in the decrypted hint).
My intention is to make this as easy as possible so no one is able
to give any excuses why they didn't visit the memorial while in
Duluth. I want as many people as possible to see this
memorial and, just for a minute, imagine what was going through the
minds of Clayton, Jackson and McGhie as they were hoisted up on the
pole. I'm sure it had nothing to do with "Minnesota
Nice"!!
After visiting, email me the answers to the following two
questions. Then go ahead and log your find. I will let
you know if your answers are incorrect. Also, feel free to
email me to discuss the horrible event. Even after reading
the book and visiting the site I have a hard time believing that
such an injustice was caused on our backyard.
#1 Which of the three (Clayton, Jackson or McGhie) is
closest to Lake Superior?
#2 What direction are the three facing? It could be
a dual-direction (i.e. Northwest or Southwest) or singular
direction (East or North).
More information on the the Lynching
A Duluth alternative newspaper article about the
lynching
The Minnesota Historical Society's web site on the
Lynching
Buy the book about the lynching here