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Superior Street, Sept. 11, 1907, Part 3: Spalding Hotel and Surrounding Businesses

This series takes a detailed look at life on Superior Street on the afternoon of Wednesday, Sept. 11, 1907. The first part of the series provided background details on a photograph shot that day where the street intersects Fifth Avenue West. Part three focuses on the businesses around the Spalding Hotel, including a fight with the city over on-street parking policies by a watchmaker whose pocket watches are still prized by collectors today.

Ripped on the Art Gallery Stroll in 2006

[Editor’s note: For this week’s essay we’ve once again pulled out a relic from the drunken compendium of Slim Goodbuzz, who served as Duluth’s “booze connoisseur” from 1999 to 2009. Twenty years ago the Sultan of Sot took a tour of Downtown Duluth art galleries and composed this article for the June 5, 2001 edition of the Ripsaw newspaper.]

Let’s get one thing straight: I love art. I mean, there’s no greater art than getting drunk. So, with that in mind, I’m on my way to the Art Gallery Stroll — the first of five monthly, multi-gallery art receptions this summer in Duluth. Pop those corks, artsy-fartsies; I’m out to get completely, utterly and entirely fucking Brandenburged.

Art receptions, as any seasoned alcoholic knows, are the most abundant source of complimentary wine in the world. But this adventure is about more than saving money; it’s about improving my health. Instead of sitting on a stool in a smoky room and staring dumbly at myself in a Budweiser mirror behind a bar, tonight I’m going to air out my hemorrhoids by walking around and staring dumbly at, for example, a clay sculpture of a bear with a cup and saucer on his head.

International Falls: Icebox of the Nation

The Dispatch is a new travel documentary series visiting 50 cities in 50 states, “searching for the best stories, food, people, and experiences off the beaten path in the USA.” Host Sam Neumann is from Chisago City in central Minnesota, and he chose International Falls and neighboring city Ranier to represent his home state. Some of the stops include the Cantilever Hotel, Hallett Brewing and Border Country Outdoor Adventures.

Puzzling Through the Museum of Ojibwa Culture: Saint Ignace (and Indigenous History in our Region)

On a recent trip through the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, I stopped to visit the Museum of Ojibwa Culture in St. Ignace. The Museum is operated by the city of St. Ignace, and so “the city-operated museum and park portray a vivid picture of life in the Straits of Mackinac over 300 years ago when Ojibwa, Huron, Odawa and French lifestyles met.”

Making it Up North: Warrior Printress

Janelle Miller and Stacie Renné are the creative duo behind Warrior Printress. From their beloved 1910 printing press, “Gertie,” they create custom, hand-carved, limited-edition posters for iconic regional landmarks like Glensheen Mansion and Bob’s Cabins.

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.

Engraved 1871 Duluth Prints from The Graphic

British weekly newspaper The Graphic ran a story on Duluth in its June 3, 1871 edition — 155 years ago today — featuring three wood-engraved prints of Duluth scenes.

A Literary Summer Begins

It’s been a very literary summer in Duluth and Superior.

First, the Duluth Failed Poets Society met at Wussow’s Concert Cafe to celebrate a new book. Laminated Wildflowers is a celebration both of craft and of community. (It’s also a sequel to Murder Your Darlings.) Photos and video of the event are available on Instagram.

Lee Clark Allen – “S.I.I.T. (Said I’m in Trouble)”

Duluth’s Lee Clark Allen has a new music video for a track from his 2025 album My World is Yours. It was shot primarily in Downtown Duluth and Canal Park.

Mystery Photo: Somewhere in the Duluth Area

This image is from a real-photo postcard that was never mailed. It shows an industrial scene but doesn’t seem to offer a lot of clues about the specific whereabouts. The vague location, if we trust the words penciled on the back of the card, is “Duluth Minn area.”

Barker Bark

The James R. Barker’s security call to the Aerial Lift Bridge announcing her departure is known as the “Barker Bark.” The ship is one of 13 thousand-footers built for the Great Lakes. Built in 1976 by the American Ship Building Company, the Barker is celebrating 50 years of service.

This video was shot April 28 by Jon Columbus, who shoots Duluth-area shipping videos for Dre Designs Great Lakes Marine Products.

Alan Sparhawk with Trampled by Turtles at Fitzgerald Theater

Alan Sparhawk and Trampled by Turtles celebrated their 2025 collaborative album with a performance at Fitzgerald Theater in St. Paul on Dec. 11. The Current captured the entire show on the video embedded above.

Wild Happenings on an Old Forest Road

The latest montage from the Voyageurs Wolf Project shows the array of critters that trotted down an old forest road over the past year. The trail camera footage was shot in Voyageurs National Park, about 100 miles north of Duluth.

Cloquet’s Our Lady of the Sacred Heart Church dedicated in 1926

The May 28, 1926 issue of the Duluth Herald reports on the upcoming dedication of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart Church at 102 Fourth St. in Cloquet. The building is still in use, now serving as Queen of Peace Catholic Church.

Making it Up North: Gary Mueller

From his early days apprenticing under legendary Minnesota sculptor Paul Granlund to fabricating large-scale public art commissions across the region, Greg Mueller uses raw, reclaimed metal and local history to create striking pieces of community storytelling.

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.

Alan Sparhawk with Trampled by Turtles — “Stranger” (Live at Fitzgerald Theater)

Clean those dashboard cup holders, the Current has released a video of Alan Sparhawk performing “Stranger” with Trampled by Turtles during a Dec. 11 concert at Fitzgerald Theater in St. Paul. Video of the entire show will be released on Friday, May 29, to mark the one-year anniversary of Sparhawk’s second solo album, With Trampled by Turtles.