Historical exhibits: "500 Days" and "The 18"

"500 Days," a traveling exhibit based on the experiences of local men who served in the 125^th Field Artillery unit during World War II, is on exhibit at the Hibbing Courthouse in Hibbing, Minnesota. The exhibit, produced by the St. Louis County Historical Society, is available to see through December. The 125^th had the longest continual combat deployment of any unit in World War II – just over 500 days. The unit stayed together through deployment to various locations, beginning in Camp Claiborne, Louisiana, and on to North Africa and Italy. The black and white photos were taken by some of these men during their active duty and at their later regular reunions, which are still held monthly as lunches at Pickwick Restaurant in Duluth. "The 18," a second exhibit on the military experiences of local men who volunteered for service in the Civil War, is also at the Hibbing Courthouse. This exhibit was produced by two interns of the society’s internship program in 2011.  Lauren Lundberg from the University of Minnesota Duluth and Roxanne Backowski from the College of St. Scholastica created the eight-panel exhibit, which covers the experiences of the 18 volunteers before, during and after the Civil War.  Some of the names are recognizable to many, such as Leonidas Merritt, who walked together with Uriah S. Ayers from Duluth to St. Paul to enlist in 1864. Access to the  exhibits is free and available during regular courthouse hours, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday except holidays (November 12, 22 and 23, and December 25). Contact Commissioner Raukar’s office at 218-262-0201 for more information on open hours and exhibit placement. For more information on the exhibits, contact the St. Louis County Historical Society at 218-733-7568.