History Mystery

As we find ourselves in the holiest part of the year, with Easter on Sunday, we were delighted to come across the story below from 1975. It involves an innovative turn on fundraising at Cloquet's Our Savior's Lutheran Church and Pastor Gilbert Lee.

The story of encouraging parishioners to take money given by the church, invest it and gain a return for the church was novel enough to make the news across the country.

Given the pandemic that we hope is on its last legs, this might be an idea worth exploring for all manner of operations that suffered financial losses the past year.

Pastor Lee served the Cloquet church from 1972 to 1981.

He died at age 78 on Christmas Day in 2012. His obituary contained this passage: "For nine years the Lee family grew and enjoyed life in both the church and in the community of this lovely northwoods town. While serving here, he was gifted with a fishing trip to the wilderness lakes just below the Arctic Circle, where he caught the biggest fish of his life - a 30-pound lake trout."

Lee was elected bishop of the Northern Minnesota Synod of the American Lutheran Church in 1981 and the family moved to Moorhead. He had one last stint as a pastor in Glenwood, in western Minnesota.

If you have memories of the 1975 effort, we'd love to hear about it. And any other History Mystery items can be sent to [email protected].