Most of the history of the early time was noted throughout the recordings of Community Services and Memorial observations. It was on May 30, 1923 that the first Memorial Day services were held. Also, in the same year they obtained ground for a Soldier’s Plot and installed a Monument at Oneota Cemetery through the ST. Louis County Board. The Monument had an eagle on it and one night years later it was removed and vandalized (It wasn’t until Rosemary Stratioti of our Auxiliary, in 2004, took it upon herself to raise the money to purchase a preplacement eagle. Stratioti achieved her goal and the eagle sits today upon the Monument).
In May of 1924 the Post Secured Memorial Park from the City Council and purchased a flag pole and markers for the park. In the years of 1926-1927 the post sponsored the motion picture “The Big Parade” which netted the post $889.32. This was the year that twenty-one trees were planted in Memorial Park in honor of the twenty-one West Duluth boys who made the supreme sacrifice. In 1927, the Post secured headquarters in the Municipal building.
In 1928, the American Legion began sponsoring American Legion Junior Baseball. The Post also provided and installed road signs reading “Protect our West Duluth Children”. This was well before the present School Police program began. This same year financial donations were given for Christmas funds for soldiers at Nopeming and for orphaned children at the “Y”. Over 100 new members signed up in West Duluth under Charles I. Hakes and so he received a trophy from T.W. Bothwell, Commander of Post #71.
