06/19/2026
Today, the Cook County Historical Society recognizes Juneteenth, a day when Union soldiers arrived in Galveston, Texas, on June 19, 1865, to enforce the Emancipation Proclamation and free the country’s last remaining enslaved people. Today, it is celebrated as a federal holiday that honors African American freedom, resilience, and cultural heritage.
*Black history in Cook County*
-The Lyght Family: After moving to the area in 1913, the Lyght family opened up the Northern Lights Resort by the mid-1920s, known as the only Black-owned fishing resort in northern Minnesota. Eventually, John Lyght was elected the first Black sheriff in Cook County.
Learn more about the Lyght family here:
WTIP segment (https://wtip.org/archives/lake-superior-project-john-lyght-and-the-lyght-family/)
Interview with John Lyght (https://49482661.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hubfs/49482661/collections/10168065/AV1994_162_1_M.pdf)
Article on Hosiah Lyght (https://www.nps.gov/people/hosiah-p-lyght.htm)
Article on John Lyght (https://www.mnhs.org/mnopedia/search/index/person/lyght-john-1927-2010)
-George Bonga: One of the first Black people to be born in what is now known as MN. His mother was Ojibwe. Bonga worked the fur trade for the American Fur Company, acted as a guide, and a translator. He also acted as an advocate for the Ojibwe when dealing with the trading companies and the federal government.
Article on George Bonga (https://www.mnhs.org/mnopedia/search/index/person/bonga-george-ca-1802-1874)
-Company 1728 was an all-Black Civilian Conservation Corps unit stationed near Temperance River State Park in Schroeder during the 1930s. The men built many areas of stone infrastructure, including the stone steps along Highway 61 that remain in use today. (https://corpsnetwork.org/moving-forward-initiative-the-african-american-experience-in-the-civilian-conservation-corps/)
*Learn more about Black history in Minnesota*
Black History, Black Voices, from the MN Historical Society (https://www.mnhs.org/blackhistory-blackvoices)
Minnesota African American Heritage Museum and Gallery (https://maahmg.org/)
Book list from the MN Historical Society (https://shop.mnhs.org/collections/browse-mnhs-press-titles/african-american?page=1)
*Black-led organizations to know about*
Black Collective Foundation MN: (statewide): https://www.minnesotablackcollectivefoundation.org/
Project for Change (Bemidji): https://www.projectforchange.org/
Voices for Ethnic and Multicultural Awareness (Iron Range): https://www.facebook.com/VEMAMN/ #
Family Freedom Center (Duluth): https://www.familyfreedomcenter.org/
Duluth NAACP: https://duluthnaacp.org/
Maji ya Chai Land Sanctuary (Two Harbors): https://www.majiyachai.org/
Photo 1: The Lyght Family had 16 people in it. In this Lutsen class photo, many of the Lyght children are pictured (exact year unknown).
Photo 2: CCC Company 1728
