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Carol Klitzke started as the Director of the Carlton County Historical Society (CCHS) in July 2021, after coming on board in January 2021 to assist with cleaning and organizing the facility. Klitzke had recently moved to Cloquet from Lacrosse, WI, where she spent her career as a Dietician at Viterbo University and has her P.H. D in research and writing, which is tremendously valuable with this new job here at CCHS.
The mission of CCHS is to preserve the unique history of Carlton County through photos and artifacts, individual stories, and remember important events. Children are welcome at our museum!
CCHS has three employees, and if they had to pinpoint their niche, it would be research that they provide for 15 minutes, but otherwise offer research services for a fee for unique records people are interested in. Inside the facility, you will find various books for sale and their 2023 Barn Calendar, a fundraising tool for CCHS.
“The focus of my first year here has been to increase our visibility as an organization, and it’s working. We have five new volunteers here, and are growing. We can place volunteers with their passions and interests. This is a wonderful facility.” - Carol Klitzke
Her second goal was to improve technology for the facility, which she has done by securing a grant for scanning systems and, through donations purchasing an iPad for customer sales by card and has a new broadband contract to increase the bandwidth of the facility as Klitzke continues to grow the social media presence of the organization, predominantly on Facebook.
Lastly, her goal is to increase fundraising opportunities and events. Klitzke has secured grants from the Duluth-Superior Foundation to collaborate with the Fond du Lac Reservation to improve their Ojibwe display and also secured funding from the United Way for items for teachers, documentation of oral interviews on file, and are excited to continue growing relationships with area teachers to share this information. In March 2022, they held the Mojakka Cookoff as a fundraiser serving Finnish salmon soup, or lohikeitto, collaborating with the Northeastern Saloon and Grille. The event went over so well they will be having another on March 12, 2023. You can learn more by visiting: https://www.carltoncountyhistory.org/events. In December 2022, they held a holiday tea event at the historic Scott House with live music and a charming tour of the historic home.
Consider visiting, volunteering, becoming a member, or donating to the Carlton County Historical Society and keep the history of Cloquet and Carlton County alive. These folks are evolving creativity and staying relevant!
Carlton County Historical Society
406 Cloquet Ave.
Cloquet MN 55720
(218) 879-1938
Carol Klitzke Director, director@carltoncountyhistory.org
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