This clip from the Feb. 1, 1912 Duluth Herald, highlights that “get together” spirit of the friendly West End. Profiled at right is E. C. Peterson, one of the proprietors of Minnesota Tea Co.

E. C. PETERSON
One enterprise in this city that is known in thousands of homes is the Minnesota Tea Co., located at 1906 West Superior street, which from a small beginning has grown to be one of the largest and most flourishing business houses at the Head of the Lakes.

The proprietors, E. C. and L. T. Peterson, started their store in the Wert End eleven years ago doing business on a small margin of profits. Since then their trade has constantly increased until today they cover the whole Northwest with their products. Over fifty people are employed and their eight delivery wagons are familiar sights in this territory. In this city alone they supply over 6,000 families, and the high grade of unadulterated coffee, teas, spices and flavorings that they handle, is constantly adding hundreds of new ones every year.

It’s interesting to note the boundary of the West End referenced in the boldest paragraph differs a bit from what has been considered the boundary for the past 75 years or so. “From Point of Rocks to the ore docks,” at some point became the recognized geographic description. The article above defines the territory as “between 16th and 40th avenues West. Point of Rocks and 16th Avenue West are basically the same thing, but the ore docks are just east of 34th Avenue West. So either the newspaper article was wrong or West Duluth expanded a half mile east at some point.