Duluth looked best on paper in 1906
Some harsh criticism from a postcard sender 120 years ago.
Some harsh criticism from a postcard sender 120 years ago.
This compilation shows various animation projects Duluth artist Jonathan Thunder has worked on in the past decade, including his own projects, collaborations and works for hire.
This postcard was mailed Feb. 23, 1916 — 110 years ago today. It shows the beginnings of the Duluth Civic Center, with the old Duluth Post Office at the center.
Arrowhead Community Garden has a 35-year history of growing fresh vegetables and building community by providing space for gardeners to grow food on land in Duluth’s Kenwood neighborhood. Openings are available for the 2026 season, so the group is seeking new members.
Illustration by Carl Gawboy.
Two fine-art exhibitions and the music of a Minneapolis recording artist are featured at the Duluth Art Institute in shows running through April 3. A reception for the artists is on March 26 from 5:30 to 8 p.m.
Introduction
Historic hotels worldwide falsely claim the globe-spanning author Joseph Conrad was a former guest. However, it should come as no surprise that, while struggling with the untitled manuscript that would become Heart of Darkness, Conrad stayed the winter of 1898-1899 in a top-floor suite of Duluth’s Spalding Hotel. It was a suite he destroyed with Mark Twain after the two writers met in the gilt-muraled hotel bar and things got out of hand. The incident might have been forgotten but for the young Duluth Herald reporter on the scene who wrote an article about it.
Conrad, 41, the Polish exile living in England, was stranded in Duluth because he’d missed the departure of his cruise ship. He’d dashed into town to get a tooth pulled and it simply took too long. He was going to catch the next steamer out, but the freighter Marchande wrecked at the mouth of the canal. Then winter arrived and shut down the shipping season anyway — and he was only interested in traveling by ship. So although he missed his wife of two years back in England, he decided to winter in the Spalding, dreaming up ideas for his manuscript, and hopefully, a title.
The Nimrods, five-time champions of the six-man American Birkebeiner Giant Ski Race in Hayward, recently attempted to conquer their biggest challenge yet: giant skiing across Lake Superior* as part of the Book Across the Bay race from Washburn to Ashland.
*a very small portion of Lake Superior
Former Duluthian Samantha Garbers, writing as S.M. Garbers, has published her first novel. Reaper of Resistance was released on Jan. 16 and develops Garber’s passions as a writer, student and human being.
Meet the couple behind the wood art seen all over Duluth. After 15 years in production management, Anna and Nathanael Bailey took a leap of faith to join forces and create Bailey Builds.
Making it Up North is a PBS North series that explores stories of creative artists, artisans and entrepreneurs engaged in honing their skills, following their passion and realizing their dreams.
Chris Arnade is walking around the world, publishing dispatches from different cities. The most recent stop on his “Chris Arnade Walks the World” website is Duluth, a place he calls “a fantastic underappreciated town.”
Alan Sparhawk has new lyric videos for the songs “JCMF” and “No More Darkness.” Both are “a response to all of the turmoil that (has) occurred locally and globally over the past couple of years,” according to Sparhawk.
One last skate.
Videographer Adam Jagunich shot this aerial footage in the small Iron Range town of Palo, about 40 miles north of Duluth, capturing sledding scenes from the 88th annual Laskiainen Finnish Festival.
This weekend UMD Theatre is presenting an anthology of dance pieces exploring myths, folklore and legends from Eastern European and Southeast Asian traditions, including the retelling of the Slavic folktale Vasalisa. It is a collaborative multimedia dance performance co-directed by Professor Rebecca Katz Harwood and Emerita Professor Joellyn Rock. The college’s Motion and Media Across Disciplines Lab student staff had the opportunity to operate cameras for green screen shoots, provide video documentation and design and animate a 3D motion capture Vasalisa robot doll.
Big news from a few days back, posted now because it must be acknowledged here.
MPR News: “Duluth curling team claims silver medal at Winter Olympics“
