SUPERIOR. A port of entry and the county seat of Douglas County, Wis., adjacent to Duluth, Minn.; at the mouth of the Saint Louis and Nemadji rivers, on three bays, inlets of Lake Superior, and on the Northern Pacific, the East ern Minnesota, the Saint Paul and Duluth, the Duluth, South Shore and Atlantic, the Great Northern, and the Chicago, Saint Paul, Minne apolis and Omaha railroads (Map: Wisconsin. A 2). It is connected with Duluth by two rail road bridges and by ferry. The city is finely situated. It is the seat of a State Normal School, and among other features are a public library, with more than 13,000 volumes, and Saint Mary's Hospital. An excellent harbor, which has been enlarged and improved through national. State, and city appropriations, and good transportation facilities have contributed to Superior's commercial importance. In the year ending June 30, 1901, the total foreign trade was valued at $7,353,553, including exports to the amount of $6,946,547. Wheat, corn, flour, lard and other meat products, iron and steel, cement, and lumber compose the principal shipments. The various industries in the census year 1900 had an invested capital of $5,882,562, and a pro duction valued at $7,527,703. There are lumber
mills, foundries and machine shops, breweries, flour mills, boiler shops, iron works, manufac tories of chairs and windmills, and shipbuilding interests.
The government is vested in a mayor, elected biennially, and a unicameral council; and in ad ministrative officials, the majority of whom are appointed by the mayor, subject to the confirma tion of the council. For maintenance and opera tion, the city spends annually about $409,000, the chief items being: schools, $120.000; fire de partment, $25,000; interest on debt, $23,000; and streets. $19,000. Population, in 1890, 11,983; in 1900, 31,091.
On the site of Superior Radisson and Gros seilliers are supposed to have made their head quarters in 1661. Here in 1680 the famous ex plorer Du L'Ilut established a trading post. Su perior was first laid out in 1855. and in 1885 the city was considerably enlarged. a company headed by Gen. J. 11. Hammond having laid out an addition west of the original town. In 1881 the Northern Pacific Railroad Company built a branch hither.