Paul Lundgren
Postcard from West Superior Street at Sixth Avenue East
Among the legible signs in this undated postcard: Hill Hotel, Hamm’s Beep, bus station, Holland Hotel, Lyceum Theatre, Spalding Hotel, Saratoga Hotel, Hotel Tavern, Dove Clothing Store.
Patrick-Duluth way up in the snow
I saw a ship a-sailing
From old Duluth one day,
And oh! it was all laden
With coats for boys, they say! (more…)
Lincoln Park Parking Park
In the category of “Best Name for a Parking Lot,” we have a winner.
Duluth’s Krummel family and their Maytag washing machine
Fifty years ago today Duluth’s Krummel family appeared in a Maytag washing machine advertisement. It was in the Nov. 17, 1972 issue of Life magazine. (more…)
Postcard from a Night Scene of Fire in Superior Milling District
A flour mill fire in Superior caused more than $2.6 million in damage on Nov. 9, 1907 — 115 years ago today. The Duluth News Tribune referred to it as “the most disastrous fire in point of property loss, and probably the most spectacular blaze ever seen at the Head of the Lakes.”
The postcard shown above was mailed nine days after the fire. It was sent by someone named Frank to Master A. Pearson of Spokane, Wash. The photo apparently shows the smoldering remains of the Freeman Flour Mills and Elevator — Franks wrote “Fremon Mill” on the back of the card. (more…)
Postcard from Minnesota Point Lighthouse
This postcard was mailed 110 years ago today — Nov. 7, 1912. A previous Perfect Duluth Day post featured a different version of the same card, mailed four months earlier. That post includes additional background info on the lighthouse.
Also previously noted on PDD, the remains of the lighthouse have remained in roughly the same condition for more than a century. (more…)
The Fur-bearing Trout of Lake Superior
From the Museum of the Weird in Austin, Texas.
Fur Bearing Trout
Very Rare
Caught while trolling in Lake Superior off Gros Cap, near Sault Ste. Marie, District of Algoma.
It is believed that the great depth and the extreme penetrating coldness of the weather in which these fish live have caused them to grow their dense coat of (usually) white fur.
Mounted by Ross C. Jobe, Taxidermist of Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario
Duluth Home Products Dinner of 1912
What better night than Halloween for the Duluth Rotary Club and Duluth Chamber of Commerce to hold their Home Products Dinner of 1912? Here’s the program from 110 years ago today. (more…)
Duluth Once Upon a Time: The Northern National Bank
Duluth Savings Bank was established on Oct. 30, 1902 — 120 years ago today — and took the name Northern National Bank in 1909, a year before the Alworth Building, Duluth’s tallest commercial high-rise, was built. Northern National Bank occupied the main floor of the Alworth. The card above jokes that 40 years before the Alworth a two-story structure on West Superior Street was “Duluth’s First Skyscraper.” (more…)
PDD Shop Talk: Last call for a calendar editor
There are just a few days left to apply to join the team of editors that produces the Perfect Duluth Day event calendar. But before we get further into that, we lead with the standard plug for donations to ensure the PDD Calendar remains solvent. So if you appreciate Duluth’s most thorough listings of hoopla, kindly drop a few bucks in the PayPal account. (more…)
Postcard from Lakeside Presbyterian Church
Lakeside Presbyterian Church was founded in 1890 and the building shown in this undated postcard went up at 4430 McCulloch St. in 1921, replacing the church’s previous building there. (more…)
Mystery Photo: Duluth Home Builders
Who are they? Where are they? When was this? The only clues come from a few scribbles on the back of the photo. (more…)
Postcard from Skyline of Business District from Harbor
This postcard from the mid-20th century shows Duluth’s business district as seen from the harbor. (more…)
General Eisenhower’s visit to Duluth in 1952
Seventy years ago today — Oct. 4, 1952 — Gen. Dwight David Eisenhower campaigned at the Duluth Civic Center. He won the election a month later, becoming the 34th President of the United States. (more…)
Selective Focus: Fall Colors 2022
The annual biochemical process is underway in Duluth and surrounding areas. Progression of fall and peak leaf colors can be tracked with the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources’ Fall Color Finder.
Featured here are select images from Instagram showcasing nature’s palette. (more…)
Flight of the Hummingbird Moth
Is it a hummingbird? Is it a moth? No, it’s a hummingbird moth. This short video clip, shot last week at the Rose Garden in Leif Erikson Park, shows the little weirdo feeding on the nectar of flowers in the same hovering fashion of a hummingbird. Meanwhile, lightening flashes across Lake Superior.
Postcard from West Superior Street, Alworth Building, et. al.
This postcard from the early 1900s primarily shows the buildings on the 300 block of West Superior Street in Downtown Duluth. The white building with the flag is the Alworth, Duluth’s tallest building from 1910 to 2022. Construction of the new Essentia Tower is relegating the Alworth to second-tallest status.
PDD Shop Talk: Seeking a new event calendar editor
The big news behind the scenes at Perfect Duluth Day is that our longtime calendar editor has moved on and we have launched the search for a replacement. But before we get into that, we lead with the standard reminder that the PDD Calendar is run by human beings and not machines. So if you appreciate it, drop a few bucks in the PayPal account. (more…)
Duluth: The Summer City of the Continent
This 90-year-old postcard was mailed Sept. 21, 1932 — 90 years ago today. It boasts the principal attributes of Duluth. (more…)
Postcard from Unloading Coal in 1912
This postcard was mailed 110 years ago today — Sept. 20, 1912. The recipient was Mr. Guss Ferdettel [or Ferdellet?] of Bentley, Mich. (more…)
Bank building in Lincoln Park begins its second century
When Duluth National Bank held the grand opening event for its new building on Sept. 16, 1922, newspapers touted it as “a triumph of artistic design and architecture,” and “a model and a monument to the craftsmen who planned and built it.” A century later, the structure in many ways remains in grand condition, but without a defining tenant. Titanium Partners, the building’s new owner, hopes to change that. (more…)
Postcard from the Entrance to the Duluth-Superior Harbor
This postcard of the Aerial Bridge, circa 1915-1925, notes its span is “393 feet 9 inches, 135 feet high from water line” and its construction cost was $100,000. The image shows a ferry car being transferred across the canal. The bridge’s era as a transfer bridge ran from March 27, 1905 to July 1, 1929. (more…)
Selective Focus: Labor Day Weekend Aurora
This past weekend was aurora galora as the northern lights danced across Minnesota skies. Collected here are select images from Instagram. (more…)
Monthly Grovel: Final Edition
With the state of independent publishing being what it is, Perfect Duluth Day will no doubt continue groveling for donations for years to come. We’re going to start doing it in different ways, however, so this is the final “Monthly Grovel” post. Basically we’re just going to stop calling our grovel a grovel, but we’re also going to start providing a little more behind-the-curtain information. (more…)
Postcards from the College of St. Scholastica
Featured here is a pair of old College of St. Scholastica postcards. (more…)