These became known as Knife Falls after a local waterfall over sharp slate rocks, and later as Cloquet.

[7] The area was the site of the 1918 Cloquet fire, which destroyed much of the town and killed 453 people.

Before and after World War II Cloquet was home of the nation's strongest consumers' cooperatives.

This was a national record, given that the total business of all American co-ops combined represented only 0.5% of the economy.

Despite this, the population of the city still declined from 1970 to 1980, even as the number of separate residences increased.

[9] Cloquet is along the Saint Louis River, 20 miles southwest of Duluth.

Cloquet has a Humid continental climate (Köppen Climate Classification Dfb) typical of its location in northern Minnesota, with warm summers and long, cold winters.

30.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.