SLCHS says farewell to the J. C. Ryan Forestry Room

DULUTH, Minn. — After 47 years on display, the J. C Ryan Forestry Room is being retired by the St. Louis County Historical Society at the Depot.

One of the longest running exhibits at the depot, this room looks at the 1800’s logging history.

The lumber industry was a massive economic force for early settlers.

SLCHS Staff are holding a farewell party tonight with a look behind the scenes.

During the move some artifacts will be moved to the heritage room while others go into storage to rest.

“I think humans, we get kind of bored of seeing the same thing over and over again. I think a lot of people have seen this space and are just interested in seeing new things. There’s also something to be said about the artifacts themselves being out on display for so long. It’s not good for them. They need to they need to rest. They need there’s lots of pollutants, if you will, that can hurt artifacts. And so, the mission of the historical society is to preserve these artifacts in addition to disseminating their history.” said Terry Johnson, Curator at St. Louis County Historical Society.

Next for the space is an expanded and refreshed Lake Superior Ojibwe exhibit.

The current exhibit is tucked away on the 4th floor and really only looks at the fur trading era, while the expansion would be more accessible and look at the 14,000-year history of the Ojibwe people.