DULUTH, MN. (KBJR 6) –Mayor Emily Larson will be presented with a letter from 1954 on Tuesday.
It will be presented by Barbara Auerbach, the daughter of former Duluth Mayor George D. Johnson.
The letter was sent to Johnson by the mayor of Ohara, Japan in 1954.
The letter is about the Japanese Peace Bell’s return to its home country from Duluth.
Organizers said the story of the peace bell bonded Duluth and Ohara, with the two cities declaring official sister city status in 1990.
Duluth Sister Cities International (DSCI) said “During World War II, the original Japanese Peace Bell was taken from a temple in Ohara, Japan, eventually finding its way to Duluth. A decade later, as peacemaking and reconciliation were underway, a member of a Japanese delegation visiting Duluth happened to recognize the bell, knowing its Ohara origins. This began the journey of the bell’s eventual return to Ohara in 1954. As an expression of solidarity, Ohara later presented Duluth with an exact replica of the original Peace Bell. This replica bell is now displayed at Enger Park in Duluth and is seen by thousands each year.”
According to DSCI, Duluth’s other sister cities are Petrozavodsk, Russia; Växjö, Sweden; Thunder Bay, Canada; and Rania, Iraq.
The letter presentation will be held at Enger Park on Tuesday.
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