MN90: A Connecticut Yankee in Duluth

Mark Twain was born in Missouri, lived in Connecticut and traveled the world in 1895. One stop that year was Duluth, where the literary star’s one-man show got less than stellar reviews.

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Producer: Britt Aamodt

Editorial support: Emily Krumberger

Mixing & mastering: Chris Harwood

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Transcript

MN90 Intro: Welcome to MN90: Minnesota History in 90 Seconds.

In 1895, Mark Twain wanted to be anywhere but on the road. But America's favorite humorist was also one of its lousiest businessmen. He'd invested in a newfangled typesetting machine. And invested. And invested. To the tune of $300,00—millions in today's dollars. In debt, he was convinced to undertake Mark Twain's Tour Around the World. It was to start in Cleveland, July 1895, and end in London, May 1896. Minnesota got its dose of Twain when the white-haired gentleman disembarked on the North Shore in July. The author had been this way before, in 1882, on an excursion up the Mississippi to take notes for his great travelogue, Life on the Mississippi, which came out the next year. But he was overshadowed by the Duke of Manchester, also visiting the Twin Cities. But Twain was the main attraction July 22, 1895, when he brought his one-man tour to Duluth's Spalding Hotel. Twain was and remains an icon—revered by everyone except the Duluth Evening Herald, which called his performance, "disappointing."

MN90 Outro: MN90 is produced by AMPERS, diverse radio for Minnesota's communities, made possible by funding from the Minnesota Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund. Online at mn90.org.