The Jen Story
“They may say that our love was only half real, but that’s only half true.”
— Geese
My 1988 Journal
Among my untold tales is the Jen story. The events are covered by my 1988 journal. It’s a red sketchbook decorated with runes, with black plastic ring binding missing several rings. It was only a year but kind of a lot happened, most of it between the lines.
Fresh out of high school, I attended the University of Texas at Austin. My girlfriend Heidi flew off to Sarah Lawrence College in New York. I’d follow her there in a couple years but I didn’t know that yet. I was a lazy student who didn’t care about school since forever, my folks always pulling their hair out. Back in my senior year of high school, when Mom found out I hadn’t applied to any colleges, she pitched a fit. I barely got into UT, my local state university since I was in Austin and wanted to stay there. UT would take anybody. So after my Party House summer, I moved to the West University neighborhood of student housing, the milieu of the film Slacker which wasn’t made yet but would be soon. That was my life. I took psychology classes, and I told myself I was exploring the mind. (more…)
Every Photograph of the Minnesota Point Lighthouse
These three photographs of the Minnesota Point Lighthouse show slightly different perspectives.
For all but 19 years of its existence, the Minnesota Point Lighthouse structure has stood as ruins. The dilapidated tower has been photographed innumerable times, and anyone could visit it today and shoot as many pictures as desired. But very few photos seem to exist of it as a functioning lighthouse. The prevailing theory is that there are only four. (more…)
Our Changing Relationship to Lake Superior, 1975-2025
If you would like to learn more about Duluth, Lake Superior, and the Edmund Fitzgerald, I highly recommend this collection of essays I edited last year. It features contributions from Catherine O’Reilly, Joseph M. Lane, Jennifer E. Moore, Timothy Broman, Chance Lasher, Robert Dewitt Adams, Luke Moravec, Moira Villiard, Anastasia Bamford, Nan Montgomery, Sheila Packa, Krista Sue-Lo Twu, and Jennifer Brady.
The Edmund Fitzgerald & The Inland Seas
On Nov. 10, 1975 — 51 years ago today — the Edmund Fitzgerald went down in a storm on Lake Superior with 29 men aboard. In this documentary, former Duluthian Ian Grant sails out to the wreck site with author John U. Bacon, hears from families of the men who were lost, and meets the crews who still make their living on the Great Lakes.
The show was produced for Grant’s Emmy-award winning series Culture Quest, and will begin airing on PBS stations in January.
Missing Chihuahua near Zoo/SHT
UPDATE: SHE’S BEEN FOUND AND IS BACK HOME!
Ruby is missing! We had a lot of people out searching for her on the hiking trails between Spirit Mountain and the zoo this morning to no avail. There have been reports that “a small brown dog” was seen crossing roads near the Kwik Trip on 65th Avenue West and Grand Avenue.
In Memoriam: Gina Temple-Rhodes
We are grief stricken at Perfect Duluth Day over the death of Gina Temple-Rhodes, a long-time contributor to our website and a dedicated historian who helped countless Duluthians find more information than they thought they were looking for on seemingly any topic. She was also an educator, librarian, history reenactor and so much more.
Some of her work at PDD can be found on her author index, but more of it appeared in the comment section of other posts, where she pulled together hard-to-find details that helped unravel numerous historical mysteries. Most of her contributions to PDD, however, were uncredited. She was often a behind-the-scenes source for information, offering research assistance and digging up so many interesting tidbits that her work will continue to show up here for years to come.
But it is, of course, her friendship that we cherish most. She was like no other.
Postcard from the DM&IR Ore Docks
This undated postcard, published by the H. C. Wick Company, features an Ektachrome photograph of the Duluth, Missabe and Iron Range docks in West Duluth, circa perhaps the late 1950s. (more…)
Trampled by Turtles – “Wild Winds”
The new Trampled by Turtles song “Wild Winds” is an original tune written exclusively for the Apple Original animated series The Sisters Grimm. The video was shot and edited by Cooper Baumgartner.
Ticket to Ride the Duluth Incline
The Duluth Incline Railway made its first climb up Duluth’s hillside from Superior Street to Eighth Street on Nov. 4, 1891 — 135 years ago today. It was a test run before opening to the public on Nov. 14.
There’s still at least one ticket available to ride the incline, even though it ceased operating in 1939 and was long ago removed. It is for sale on Etsy(opens in new tab) for $37.99. (more…)
Duluth 2026 General Election Results
With 4,105 of 4,105 precincts reporting statewide, below are the Minnesota General Election results for races relevant to Duluth. (more…)
The Ethereal and Elusive Lynx in Northern Minnesota
Voyageurs Wolf Project presents this montage of its best trail-camera footage of lynx over the past year in Voyageurs National Park. Of particular note is the shot at the 30-second mark where the lynx jumps over a creek.
Superior Street, Sept. 11, 1907, Part 8: The West Side of the Lyceum Building
This eighth part of the extremely detailed exploration of a single photograph looks at the people who decided to put their names on their office windows on the side of the Lyceum Building. It describes the lives of two doctors whose stories connect to the present day and a lumber baron who supplied the timber that built many of the region’s early railroads.
(more…)
Charlie Parr on Heartland Radio
Charlie Parr plays songs from his new album, Rooming House, during a session at The Current hosted by Radio Heartland’s Mike Pengra. (more…)
Postcard from Duluth’s Harbor Entrance
This undated postcard was published circa the 1950s by the Dunn-Nordin Postcard Company of Marine on St. Croix, Minnesota. It offers an illustrated depiction of the Duluth Ship Canal. (more…)
Adeline’s salon moves across Chester Creek
Adeline Wright, right, and her daughter Galalee stand outside the new location of their Duluth boutique salon in Duluth’s Endion neighborhood. (Photo by Mark Nicklawske)
The owner of an East Hillside hair salon will move her business across Chester Creek to a historic building nearby in the Endion neighborhood.
Adeline Inc.(opens in new tab) owner Adeline Wright said her namesake boutique salon will relocate to 1830 E. Eighth St. — at the corner of 19th Avenue East — later this fall. The building had been home to a Vintage Italian Pizza takeout location. The new salon will be seven blocks away from the longtime Adeline’s space at 1132 E. Ninth St. (more…)
Miss Genevieve Grant: Modern American Venus
America’s “classical example of feminine loveliness” appeared on the front page of the Duluth Herald on Oct. 26, 1936 — 90 years ago today. Duluth’s own Genevieve Grant had been named “Modern American Venus.” The accompanying page 18 news story also notes Miss Grant is “a blood relative of Gen. Ulysses S. Grant, Civil war general and later president.” (more…)
PDD Quiz: October 2026 in Review
Review October 2026 headlines with this week’s PDD Quiz.
A Thanksgiving-themed quiz will be published on Nov. 15. Please submit question suggestions to Alison Moffat Alison Moffat at alisonlinnaemoffat @ gmail.com by Nov. 11. (more…)
A Message to Mcintyre in Duluth
The Whip Hand, a Cold War thriller directed by William Cameron Menzies, was released Oct. 24, 1951 — 75 years ago today. The film is set in the fictional town of Winnoga, Wisconsin, which in one scene is referred to as “a couple of hours” from Duluth. (more…)
Rep. Omar escapes via Somali pirate ship docked at Duluth
According to an article on The Babylon Bee satirical news website, Minnesota Congresswoman Ilhan Omar “was seen escaping aboard a Somali pirate ship docked in Lake Superior.” The dateline on the article indicates the news is out of Duluth. (more…)
Dispatches from the Music Scene: Willem Dafoe Fan Club and Mara Lovejoy at Prøve Gallery, Sept. 12, 2026
Willem Dafoe Fan Club • Prøve Gallery • Sept. 12, 2026
Prøve Gallery in Downtown Duluth glows in intimate pink-and-blue lighting as an attentive audience sits on the floor or stands level with the band, Willem Dafoe Fan Club. Images were accessibly shot from in and around the band’s stage plot and from above, stage right. (more…)
Candidate Forum: Minnesota House Districts 3B, 8A and 8B
The League of Women Voters of Duluth hosted a General Election Candidate Forum for Minnesota House Districts 3B, 8A and 8B on Oct. 15 in the Duluth Public Access Community Television Studio. Candidates for District 3B are Aaron Schweiger and Natalie Zeleznikar. Candidate Zeleznikar was unable to attend and submitted an Empty Chair Statement. Candidates for District 8A are Peter Johnson and Allan Kehr II. Candidates for State Representative District 8B are Shawn Savela and Liish Kozlowski. Candidate Kozlowski was unable to attend and submitted an Empty Chair Statement.
Candidate Forum: Minnesota Senate Districts 3 and 8
The League of Women Voters of Duluth hosted a General Election Candidate Forum for Minnesota Senate Districts 3 and 8 on Oct. 13 in the Duluth Public Access Community Television Studio. Candidates for District 3 are Grant Hauschild and Andrea Zupanich; Zupancich was unable to attend the forum. Candidates for District 8 are Jen McEwen and Darrick Law.
Candidate Forum: St. Louis County Commissioner, District 1
The League of Women Voters of Duluth hosts a General Election Candidate Forum for St. Louis County Commissioner, District 1 on Oct. 8 in the Duluth Public Access Community Television Studio. The candidates are Kris Eilers and Annie Harala.
Postcards from the Duluth YMCA
Featured here are five postcards showing the former Young Men’s Christian Association building at 302 W. Second St. in Downtown Duluth. Designed by Frederick German and Leif Jenssen of the German & Lignell architectural firm, the brick-and-stone landmark was built in 1908 to serve as the city’s central YMCA. As the Y transitioned its spaces over the years the building served other community functions before it was razed in 1974. It’s the current location of the St. Louis County Government Services Center parking ramp. (more…)
Data Centers, Water and Energy: Considerations for Local Government Decision-making in Southeast Minnesota
As an employee of the University of Minnesota and as a fan of Extension and the Institute on the Environment, I would like to share information with people interested in data centers, from U of MN Extension Regional Sustainable Development Partnerships. (more…)