Duluth Fourth of July Parade 1917

Is that the Spalding Hotel on the right side of the top photo? (There was just an article elsewhere about it closing in the 1960s?) And then what is the big building on the left? Pretty sure sure that's the courthouse at the top of the photo.

Yes, that's the Spalding Hotel on the right side of the first image. The perspective is looking up Fifth Avenue West. The Spalding is at the corner of Fifth Avenue West and Superior Street. The tallest building on the left is the Holland Hotel. And yes, that's the St. Louis County Courthouse at the top of the avenue.

A little perspective, this parade and displays of patriotism like it initiated a period of really scary times in Duluth if you happened to be an immigrant.  A little over a month later, (Aug. 18), local national guardsmen (perhaps some in these very pictures) attacked and destroyed the local IWW HQ at 530 W. First St. (with the private approval of William Prince, the former mayor and new commissioner of public safety).  Two days after that, there were raids on boarding houses where 69 Finns were arrested because they couldn't immediately provide their draft registration papers. 28 of those turned out to be too old to register anyway. The rest spent their time in jail, forced to refrain from discussing the draft with visitors or speak anything but English. Over the next year, these sorts of raids became commonplace around our region, and speaking out about peace could get you arrested.

Huh. Also part of what led to the formation of Mesaba Co-op Park on the Range by Finns in 1929, I'm sure.  They wanted their own refuge and they certainly managed that! What is the large low building on the left side of that photo? If I am reading it correctly, that is where Maurice's new building currently is? Thanks. It almost looks like a railroad building, with vents at the top?

If you're looking up Fifth Avenue West, to the left is the Depot and so yes, I'd assume this was part of the Depot complex back when trains were commonplace and not tourist fun.