Duluth 101: A Tale of Two Parks

Name: Duluth 101: A Tale of Two Parks
Start: 2026-01-08T18:00:00-06:00
Location: 1917 W Superior St, Duluth, MN, United States, Minnesota 55806

Schedule

Thu, 08 Jan, 2026 at 06:00 pm

UTC-06:00

Location

1917 W Superior St, Duluth, MN, United States, Minnesota 55806 | Duluth, MN

Join us for a deep dive into two amazing Duluth city parks: Chester Park, one of Duluth's oldest, and Quarry Park, the newest, as told by people who played active roles in development at each place. Thom Storm will describe the history of Chester Park, including a graveyard, ski jumps, and a pond (all now gone) and the hiking trails, concert venue, and ski area we enjoy today. Also, an update on the construction of the new ski chalet that will bear his name. Then, Dave Pagel will tell the story of Quarry park, and how local ice climbers partnered with the city to transform a former industrial site and dumping ground into a unique rocky preserve with diverse opportunities for outdoor recreation, from winter climbing to summer hiking and disc golf.
Free event! Social time at 5:30, presentation begins at 6.
About our presenters: Thom Storm served at Chester Bowl for forty years, as the recreation area manager, then as Executive Director of the Chester Bowl Improvement Club. Throughout his tenure, upper Chester developed from a rope tow and ski jumping locale, to a chairlift-served urban ski hill. Generations of area kids have learned to ski at Chester, thanks to affordable rental and programming pioneered by Thom. Although he retired in 2015, Thom is still an active ski patroller at the hill.
Dave Pagel is a Duluth writer, climber, and host of the Duluth Explorers Club and Duluth 101! Dave came to Duluth to attend college in 1978 and never left. He spent decades as an adventure journalist, wrote the first climbing guidebooks for the North Shore, and is a founding member of the Duluth Climbers Coalition. For his work at Quarry Park, Dave received a national Climbing Access & Organizer Award.