History Mystery

We had to look twice at this 1898 ad from the old Pine Knot newspaper. Cream? Didn't they mean "scream"? We saw this phrase in several other newspapers from the era so we assume it was a thing back in the day, mostly regarding an upcoming patriotic event like Fourth of July. Is "cream" another term for the cry of an eagle? We couldn't find any modern day references to the term, thus the mystery.

This was, indeed, a big Fourth of July for Cloquet and communities across the country as the Spanish-American War raged and jingoism was at an all-time high.

Another ad we found from that year touted the Cloquet plans for simulated battle in Cuba along with "The Maine blowing up," referring to the United States ship that exploded in the Havana Harbor, sparking the war that lasted just less than four months.

"Bowery dance all day," creates another mystery. What was considered Cloquet's bowery district in 1898? We'll make the first guess: Dunlap Island.