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Carl Gawboy mural collection

SPL Murals

A 35-panel visual history of Superior and Douglas County, beginning with the creation of the earth and continuing through the 20th century.

1992

Commissioned by former library director Dr. Paul H. Gaboriault.

35 panels

A timeline of Superior and Douglas County history.

2002

The mural paintings were completed.

Carl Gawboy

Regional artist and educator selected for the project.

Superior’s history, told in murals

Superior Public Library’s murals were commissioned in 1992 by former library director, Dr. Paul H. Gaboriault. The murals were intended to tell the history of Superior and Douglas County beginning with the creation of the earth and ending with the 20th century.

Private donations were solicited for the first panels and further funding was obtained through the Wisconsin Arts Board, the Duluth-Superior Community Foundation, and the Friends of the Superior Public Library. The paintings were completed in 2002.

About the artist

Carl Gawboy

Mr. Gawboy was born in Cloquet, Minnesota, and grew up in the Ely area. He was educated at the University of Minnesota-Duluth and the University of Wisconsin-Superior and obtained a master’s degree from the University of Montana.

For many years he taught art and American Indian Studies at local schools, including six years at UMD and twelve at the College of St. Scholastica.

Explore the mural panels

Select a panel to view a larger version. Captions are preserved from the current SPL mural gallery.

A traditional scene of an Algonquian/Ojibwe creation story featuring a human figure carried by a bird over a vast water body.

Algonquian/Ojibwe Creation of the World

A person in traditional attire runs by a body of water towards an otter, under a dramatic sky.

The Ojibwe Settlement at the Head of the Lakes

A sloop with sails unfurled and canoes on a blue body of water, approaching a distant fort.

The North West Company’s Sloop Laloutre Supplying Fort St. Louis, Spring 1794 (panel 1 of 3)

A historical painting of a canoe with people on blue water under a cloudy sky.

The North West Company’s Sloop Laloutre Supplying Fort St. Louis, Spring 1794 (panel 2 of 3)

Native Americans in traditional canoes on Lake Superior on a nice day

The North West Company’s Sloop Laloutre Supplying Fort St. Louis, Spring 1794 (panel 3 of 3)

Interior of a trading post with a woman working on a basket, surrounded by textiles and furs, facing an open door showing a lake and figures outside.

The North West Company’s Sloop Laloutre Supplying Fort St. Louis, Spring 1794 (panel 1 of 3)

A 19th-century scene featuring a man with pack burros near mining structures and a cabin under a colorful sky.

Copper Mine Burros, 1847

A painting of the schooner Algonquin sailing at sunset with billowing sails.

The Schooner Algonquin, 1840s and 1850s

A group of people near a river with hills in the background and clouds in the sky.

The View Towards Nekuk: Conferring at Fond du Lac, Minnesota, 1852

Eastman Johnson painting by a lakeside with observers in 1857.

Eastman Johnson on Minnesota Point Painting a Landscape of Superior, 1857

A steamboat named "Planet" and a rowboat on a calm river with a stockade in the background under a blue sky.

The Steamboat Planet and the Old Stockade, 1863

A 1870s riverside canoe yard scene at dusk with people building and repairing canoes by the Nemadji River.

Chief Joseph Osaugie’s Canoe Yard on the Nemadji River, 1870s

A man kneels in the snow with three dogs, snowshoes, and a forested background.

Frank Lemieux Delivering Mail by Dogtrain, 1875

Cattle with large horns in a corral with red barns in the background, under a cloudy sky.

Moreton Frewen’s ’76 Ranch Corral,
1882-83

Bird's eye view of Superior in 1883 with dramatic clouds, a sailboat on the water, and a grid of fields and buildings below.

Bird’s Eye View of Superior, 1883

A vintage steam locomotive in front of a freight depot with a sailing ship docked nearby.

Where Sail Meets Rail

A painting of a whaleback steamship on water beneath a dramatic, cloudy sky.

Age of Whalebacks

Historical fire station at dusk with firefighters driving a horse-drawn fire carriage.

East End Fire Hall

Historic Euclid Hotel at night with illuminated windows, streetcars, and snow.

The Euclid Hotel

Industrial scene with a large factory, a horse-drawn cart, train tracks, and a cloudy sky.

The Webster Chair Factory

A historical scene with the Superior Grand Opera House, a trolley car, and four people in period attire.

The Superior Grand Opera House

Crowded street scene at sunset with buildings, cars, people waving flags, and an arch decorated with American flags.

November 11, 1918

A tranquil waterfront scene with a dock, two people, a large building, and scattered boats on calm water.

Billings Park

An elegant 1920s-style car in front of a red brick building with people dressed in period attire.

The Summer White House

A rural farm scene with horses pulling a hay wagon, a boy on top looking at an airplane, and adults working in the field.

Dreams of Flight: Young Dick Bong on the Family Farm

Historical street scene with "The Telegram" building, vintage car, and a newspaper boy.

The Telegram Building

Demonstrators in winter clothing outside City Hall holding signs for social causes.

Trade Union Unity League Demonstrating for the Unemployment Compensation Bill

A group of girls in red coats at a shipyard, with a large ship and vintage cars in the background. People in uniforms stand nearby.

The Dionne Quintuplets at the Butler Shipyards

A nighttime city scene featuring the illuminated Beacon Theater and a couple talking under its awning.

The Beacon Theater

Old library building with arched windows, surrounded by trees and vintage cars.

The Old Library

Workers constructing a red steel bridge over a river with industrial buildings and a ship in the background under a cloudy sky.

Building of the High Bridge

Curling match with three players in an arena, with spectators watching through large windows.

Bud Somerville Curling

Tony’s Cabaret Scene with men and women dancing to a 3-piece band.

Tony’s Cabaret

Football players and coaches on a field with brick buildings in the background.

Sutherland and Mortorelli – UWS Football

A freighter, the Edmund Fitzgerald, navigates rough seas under a stormy sky with a hint of sunset.

The Edmund Fitzgerald Off the Apostles

Image use notice

Use, reproduction, or online posting of the Carl Gawboy library mural images without permission from the Superior Public Library is prohibited. Contact director@superiorlibrary.org for permission.

Visit the murals in person

See the full mural collection at Superior Public Library, located at 1530 Tower Avenue in downtown Superior, Wisconsin.

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