Postcard from the Leif Erikson Statue in 1966
The message on the back of this postcard was written 60 years ago today — Aug. 19, 1966. The photo on the card shows the Leif Erikson statue in Duluth’s Leif Erikson Park. The statue has been in the park for 70 years, having been placed in 1956.
Although the name Leif Erikson has been spelled numerous ways over the years, the park name has been consistent, so the caption on the back of the postcard can be considered a misspelling. The text appears below:
STATUE OF LEIF ERICKSON
Leif Erickson Park in Duluth, Minn.
This great Norwegian explorer discovered America in the year 1000 A.D. Today this memorial stands in his honor at the beautiful Leif Erickson Park on the banks of Lake Superior.
The card was sent to Carl W. Ebberson of Munising, Michigan and mailed on Aug. 20, the day after the handwritten message is dated. From the context it seems a family member of Carl’s wrote the message while vacationing in Duluth before returning home to Wausau, Wisconsin.
Hi. Weather cool, but dry. Had a nice day. Parade tonight — about 2-1/2 hour day. Tomorrow we have another parade in Superior. We’re having fun. Will go back to Wausau on Sunday.
Initially it wasn’t clear whether “parade” was the right word in the handwritten postcard message. Thanks to Dave Lull for finding the Aug. 19, 1966 Duluth Herald clip below confirming parades in Duluth and Superior on subsequent days connected to a Shriners’ convention.
