Paul Lundgren
Five Movies that Almost Reference Duluth
Among the many silly obsessions on Perfect Duluth Day is the practice of noting whenever Duluth is mentioned in a mainstream film — which by our count has happened more than 40 times. But what about when the script calls for a Duluth namedrop and the director or editor nixes it? Well, there are at least five examples of that.
Here’s PDD’s look at movies that were supposed to reference Duluth but ultimately didn’t. (more…)
Sexy 1938 Denfeld Beanie
Beanies are not likely to make any back-to-school fashion lists in 2022, but at some point in time Denfeld High School had a line of round, brimless, snug-fitting, maroon-and-gold skullcaps. (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.
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…)
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…)
Guide to Duluth-related Blogs in 2022
Birding, broadcasting, micro-agriculture, astronomy and motherhood are just some of the topics Duluth-area writers are blogging about. Every two years or so, Perfect Duluth Day scans the web to see who’s active in the local blogosphere, compiling a comprehensive-as-possible guide to the region’s active web logs. (more…)
Northern Pacific Railroad Locomotive #1849
This 1952 photo shows Northern Pacific Railroad Locomotive #1849 in Downtown Duluth, with Duluth’s tallest building — the Alworth — in the background among other structures. NP’s #1849 was built in 1923 and scrapped in 1957.
Jens Flaaten & the Minnesota National Guard 3rd Regt. Band
This postcard from the early 1900s has a pencil-written note on the back: “Jens Flaaten & the Minnesota band from Duluth.” Flaaten’s funeral was held on Aug. 9, 1922. He died on Aug. 5 when he was struck by a motorist while crossing Superior Street at Fifth Avenue West. (more…)
Monthly Grovel: August 2022
Concerts on the pier, concerts in the park, concerts on the patio, concerts on the porch, bayside concerts, courtside concerts, fireside concerts … we’ve got concerts coming out of and back into our ears at the PDD Calendar.
Each month we reach out with one beggarly blog post to remind everyone that human beings and not machines are at work editing and publishing event listings. So if you appreciate it, drop a few bucks in the PayPal account. (more…)
Selective Focus: Festival of Sail
A smattering of images via Instagram from the weekend’s Festival of Sail in Two Harbors. (more…)
Postcard from the Duluth Folk Festival
This postcard, published by Gallagher’s Studio of Photography, shows a typical scene from the Duluth International Folk Festival at Leif Erikson Park. The postcard was mailed 60 years ago today — Aug. 6, 1962 — by someone named Sara who mentions attending the festival in her message on the back of the card. (more…)
The “Souvenir of Duluth” decorative pillow cover
It’s certainly no odder than the Pink Aerial Lift Bridge Dollhouse Toilet, but the Duluth pillow cover still qualifies as an oddity. I nabbed the image from an eBay listing circa 2018 and figured it was a one-off thing someone made, but then … (more…)
Flame Excursion Boat during Portorama 1962
This photograph by Lyman E. Nylander was shot 60 years ago during the Duluth Seaway Portorama of 1962. The 108-passenger Flame served as a tourist excursion boat in Duluth from 1961 to 1973. It was replaced by the 256-passenger Vista Queen.
The Flame is now operating in Buffalo, N.Y.
Last issue of the Duluth Herald
Forty years ago today — July 30, 1982 — the Duluth Herald newspaper was published for the last time. The first issue was published April 9, 1883, and its cover appeared as artwork on the final edition. (more…)
Mystery Photo: 1962 State and Sectional Champs
This photo was acquired at the Ellefson Estate Sale in the Upper Cody part of West Duluth in 2019. It shows a youth baseball team with players wearing different jerseys, suggesting perhaps it’s an all-star squad or the team had multiple sponsors. The sponsor names on the shirts are: Kelley Duluth, City Bottling, YOT (Young Old Timers), Gately’s, West Arrow Chevrolet, Moose 1478 … and one looks like it might be M&J Super Value (the bottom word is blocked by the players forearms). Two jerseys are plain white; those players have an M on their caps while the other players have caps with no lettering.
The writing on the back of the photo gives the biggest clue: “1962 State & Sectional Champs.” But the names of the players and coaches are lost to history unless a nerd or two step up and solve the mysteries. (more…)
Postcard from a Bird’s-eye View of Duluth in 1912
Postmarked July 27, 1912, this image shows Downtown Duluth from an Observation Hill vantage point. A different version of this postcard was posted on Perfect Duluth Day a bit more than a year ago, sparking some discussion about the vantagepoint of the image and the likelihood that it represents Duluth circa 1900. (In other words, the image likely represents a scene in Duluth from 12 years before the card was mailed.)
The card in this post is simply for the purpose of marking 110 years since it was sent and recognizing the oddly simplistic message written on the back. (more…)
Postcard from the Elevators on Rice’s Point
This undated postcard from the Rotograph Company is captioned “Elevators, Superior Harbor, Duluth, Minn.” and features a view of Rice’s Point and the Duluth/Superior Harbor.
According to an article on the Canada Lakes Conservation Association website, the Rotograph Company was based in New York City and was “a major publisher and printer of postcards from 1904-1911.”
Mystery Photo: Cowboys and a Clown
The previous Mystery Photos post on Perfect Duluth Day featured four different fake cowboy photos shot at Owl Studio in Duluth circa 1912. Another recently popped up on ebay and quickly sold, this time with some kind of clown joining the cowboys. (more…)
Bike-a-Band Inaugural Ride
Tom Maloney built a rolling stage for a moving concert. Here’s a very brief montage of videos and photos from the inaugural ride of the Bike-a-Band.
Postcard from Priley Fountain and the Radisson Hotel
This 50-year-old postcard shows what was then the new Radisson Hotel behind the also new-at-the time Priley Fountain at the Duluth Civic Center. The message on the back of the card was written July 14, 1972, and the card is postmarked the next day. (more…)
Monthly Grovel: July 2022
It’s festival season and the PDD Calendar has it all sorted out — from the various outdoor concerts and art festivals to all the county fairs and neighborhood parady street-dancey things.
Each month we reach out with one beggarly blog post to remind everyone that human beings and not machines are at work editing and publishing calendar items. So if you appreciate it, drop a few bucks in the PayPal account. (more…)
Anna D. Oleson, first female major-party nominee for U.S. Senate
The photo in this clipping from the Duluth Herald is dated July 10, 1922, and appears in the July 14 issue of the paper. That summer — one hundred years ago — Anna Dickie Oleson of Cloquet was campaigning to represent Minnesota in the United States Senate. (more…)
West Superior Street, Spalding Hotel, Lyceum Theatre
This photo from Detroit Publishing Company is a similar perspective to a shot previously posted on PDD. It shows Downtown Duluth at Superior Street and Fifth Avenue West at the turn of the 20th century, with the Spalding Hotel at right and the Lyceum Theatre at left.
Mystery Photos: Duluth Owl Studio Cowboys and Cowgirls
Yes, more mystery fake cowboys from Duluth. Previous cowboy mystery photos were presented in the post “Mystery Photos: Wide Awake and Green Dragon Studios.” Cowboy nostalgia was apparently all the rage in the early 1900s, even though the Old West wasn’t quite that old at the time, because the photos featured here are from yet a third photography enterprise in Duluth, Owl Studio. (more…)