Month: August 2022
Charlie Parr on Writing Songs
Charlie Parr shares insights with Kyle Orla about how he wrote “1922 Blues,” “Remember Me if I Forget,” and his songwriting process in general.
Riding a Train to Duluth on YouTube
I love trains. So when this showed up in my YouTube feed, I was excited. (more…)
St. Louis River frogs devouring mayflies
Shot with a simple iPhone — little leopard frogs gobbling up mayflies on the edge of the St. Louis River in Duluth’s Riverside neighborhood.
Model Trains of the Duluth Depot
Recently inspired to look into trains in Duluth, I found this video. It’s a bit older than some of the videos I’m posting, but it’s still more or less contemporary.
I love the practice of model trains. My grandpa helped me set one up in my basement, and it was wonderful, but being in my basement made the tracks tarnish, hindering the current that made the train run. So I eventually just used the track board as a table.
A New Duluth Podcast
There’s a new podcast floating about that might be an enjoyable listen: Getting Bridged. What happens on the podcast? Gar and Kelli, lifelong Duluth residents, chat over the places in the city with stories that need to be told. It’s light on history and heavy on nostalgia, and when you’re waiting in line for the Aerial Lift Bridge to come back down as a Laker is heading through, this might be just what you need.
There are nine episodes available, with topics like the old Bryant Elementary School, shopping downtown back in the day, and, most recently, serving in the 148th Fighter Wing. Check it out on rss.com.
Model Trains of an Imaginary Duluth
Model railroaders have incredible imaginations. This person has established an imaginary rail company carrying materials from the range to Duluth and from Duluth to Minneapolis. (more…)
Duluth’s Ten Most Endangered Places in 2022
The Duluth Preservation Alliance has announced its 2022 list of the ten most endangered places. The intention is to raise awareness about historic properties that are likely to be lost. The organization previously released endangered properties lists in 2021 and 2017. An interactive story map for the 2022 list is available at arcgis.com. (more…)
PDD Quiz: August 2022
It’s nearing the end of the month, which means that it’s time for PDD’s current events quiz!
The next PDD quiz will look at bygone Duluth school buildings; it will be published on Sept. 11. Submit question suggestions to Alison Moffat at [email protected] by Sept. 7. (more…)
The Train Ride to Two Harbors
There are a ton of videos of the train ride from Downtown Duluth to Two Harbors. The one above is from the engine. (more…)
Alternate Duluths
Co-written with Allen Richardson
Dr. Mallard McPurdy disappeared in 2005 while surveying regional probability for the University of Minnesota Duluth’s short-lived Anomalies Department. A team led by Dr. Leon Oswald recovered McPurdy’s yellow pressure suit on Skyline Boulevard, but McPurdy remains at large. His suit contained video files from which the following transcriptions were made; we obtained these with a Freedom of Information Act request.
Duluth 1. Air analysis complete: Bacteria Spore, Origin Unknown. I hope these cheap-ass containment suits actually contain.
The dim, overcast light coming through my smeared faceplate told me little about season or time of day. “Dr. Oswald!” I screamed, weeping as the dread and isolation overwhelmed me. I put on a brave face, clenching my fists, unimpressed by the amount of courage I could muster. (more…)
Trampled by Turtles – “On the Highway”
The new Trampled by Turtles music video, “On the Highway” aka “Return of the Owl Face,” was shot and edited by Cooper Baumgartner. The band’s upcoming album Alpenglow, is scheduled for release Oct. 28.
Duluth’s Building For Women featured in abortion-access article
Minnesota Set to Become “Abortion Access Island” in the Midwest, but for Whom?
“For nearly three decades, long before the fall of Roe v. Wade, the blond brick Building for Women in Duluth, Minnesota, has been a destination for patients traveling from other states to get an abortion. They have come from places where abortions were legal but clinics were scarce and from states where restrictive laws have narrowed windows of opportunity.” (more…)
The Slice: The Committed Duo
Juraj Kojš and Jennifer Beattie, together known as the Committed Duo, performed music on a sinking barge off Minnesota Point in Duluth during the the second annual SubSuperior Underwater Music and Art Festival in July.
In its series The Slice, WDSE-TV presents short “slices of life” that capture the events and experiences that bring people together and speak to what it means to live up north.
Selective Focus: Duluth Boudoir Photography
© Mad Chicken Studio
Duluth Boudoir Photography is a gender inclusive photography studio dedicated to helping humans build confidence and see themselves in a new light. Led by Jes Hayes, a Duluth Boudoir session provides clients with hair, makeup, dress, full studio and safe space to feel sexy. (more…)
Duluth women got breakfast in bed after 1952 voting gimmick
Duluth Mayor George W. Johnson reads a newspaper while he samples some of his own cooking before bringing the breakfast tray up to his wife. This United Press Photo comes with a recommended headline: “The (breakfast) tables are turned.” (Photo via Historic Images Outlet)
The women of Duluth were feasting comfortably in their pajamas 70 years ago. Or, at least, that’s what they were entitled to. A competition between the men and women of the city to increase voter registration was won by the women — 27,204 to 27,123. Mayor George W. Johnson proclaimed that husbands must serve their wives breakfast in bed for seven days or take them out to dinner for the same length of time. In many cases, however, the men either reneged on the bet or supplied a subpar meal, according to news accounts at the time. (more…)
Minnesota Point: Duluth’s Hay Fever Haven and Summer Resort
In the early half of the 20th century Duluth was often promoted as a haven for those who suffer from hay fever. Such is the case with this postcard of a trolley car on Minnesota Point, mailed Aug. 23, 1912 — 110 years ago today. (more…)
Snoop Loopz wisecrack lands Duluth on Jimmy Kimmel Live
Jimmy Kimmel Live guest host Nicole Byer referenced Duluth during the opening monologue of the Aug. 17 episode. She introduced a clip from Fox 21 in which news anchor Dan Hanger and meteorologist Ken Slama shared their thoughts on Snoop Dogg’s new breakfast cereal, Snoop Loopz.
Byer referred to Hanger’s response to a quip made by Slama as “the cattiest moment in the history of broadcast television.”
Hanger also appeared in a clip used on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon in 2018 when his banter with sports anchor Sam Ali turned awkward.
The Slice: Chalk Art in Superior with Annmarie Geniusz
Interdisciplinary artist Annmarie Geniusz creates large-scale chalk murals during the summer months.
In its series The Slice, WDSE-TV presents short “slices of life” that capture the events and experiences that bring people together and speak to what it means to live up north.
Postcard from Gooseberry Falls and River
This postcard of Gooseberry Falls — presumably the upper falls, northwest of the Highway 61 bridge — was mailed Aug. 20, 1952. The recipient was Mrs. Lester H. Dixon of North Vernon, Ind. The sender is probably her sister, based on the salutation. The signed name is Golda. (more…)
Torment – “Brain Bleed”
Duluth hardcore band Torment has an album in the works called Swallow Your Teeth. The first single is featured in this animated lyric video put together by Dwi Nugraha with Genoicide Artwork.
DuluthiLeaks: Pastoret Terrace Rebid Request for Proposals
The Duluth Economic Development Authority has put out its third request for proposals to redevelop the Pastoret Terrace, a building that has been condemned since 2010. Though previous redevelopment proposals were deemed unsatisfactory and the threat of a wrecking ball has long loomed, the building will continue to stand … at least in the short term.
For the fifth edition of DuluthiLeaks — Perfect Duluth Day’s series in which public documents are presented as if they contain secret information leaked from an anonymous whistle blower — we present: “22-5504 Rebid Request for Proposals: Historic Restoration Pastoret Terrace.” (more…)
Selective Focus: John Keefover
John Keefover poses with the Northern Terminus sign after completing his thru-hike of the Superior Hiking Trail.
John Keefover is the Duluth-based nature photographer behind the photography business Keefography. This June, Keefover thru-hiked the Superior Hiking Trail, sharing photos, videos and journal entries along the way. Keefover used this adventure as an opportunity to raise funds for the Wolf Ridge Environmental Learning Center. (more…)