Month: November 2026
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.
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