Paul Lundgren
Postcard from the Rex Hotel
This postcard was mailed 100 years ago today — July 7, 1922. The illustration presents an aggrandized version of the Rex Hotel, which later became the Curtis Hotel, then Milner Hotel, then Seaway Hotel, and then briefly the Esmond Building. It was actually a three-story building, not four like the postcard shows, and the ground floor wasn’t so ridiculously tall as to dwarf any people or automobiles in front of it. (more…)
The Pink Aerial Lift Bridge Dollhouse Toilet
It’s been nearly 10 years since the pink Aerial Lift Bridge dollhouse toilet was first mentioned on Perfect Duluth Day — back when it was listed for sale on eBay. Since the reference to it was just a brief mention in a comment to the PDD Gift Guide 2012, perhaps it is time the Duluthy commode is revisited and given its own separate post, if for no other purpose than for speculating on its origin. (more…)
Happy 19th birthday to us!
Perfect Duluth Day has been Duluth’s Duluthiest website for 19 years. Yes, it was June 29, 2003 when PDD’s first blog post was published … back when people didn’t know what a blog was. (more…)
St. Paul’s Episcopal Church Circa 1870
St. Paul’s Episcopal Church was built at 209 N. Lake Ave. in 1869. The location is roughly where Harbor Pointe Credit Union’s main branch is today, across the avenue from Old Central High School.
The modern St. Paul’s Episcopal Church at 1710 E. Superior St. was completed in 1914 and the original in the photo above was demolished in 1925. More on the history of St. Paul’s can be found at stpaulsfaithformation.org. (more…)
Perfect Duluth Day Outdoor Summer Concert Primer 2022
Charlie Parr performing outside Wussow’s Concert Cafe in the spring of 2021.
The noticeable change in recent years to the outdoor concert scene in the Duluth area is the extension of the season. It used to be a mid-June to mid-September thing. In the pandemic era the patios and canopies of the region host music from April to November. But things still kick into high gear in July and August.
What’s hot on stages this summer? Here’s a summary. (more…)
Postcard from the Famous Aerial Lift Bridge in 1972
On a Monday evening 50 years ago, someone named Ruth Ellen sent this postcard to Dee Ann Faerber of Independence, Mo. “The trees are beautiful,” she wrote. “Rain is supposed to stop Tuesday.” (more…)
Duluth’s Ideal Market
This photo, credited to Clarence Sager, is dated June 18, 1972 — 50 years ago today. The Ideal Market was located at 102 W. First St., the present-day location of Lifehouse.
The store opened in 1921 and closed in 1999. The Duluth News Tribune Attic has photos and stories from its last days.
Postcard from Duluth & Northeastern Railroad Number #28
This undated postcard shows the Duluth and Northeastern Railroad #28 Steam Locomotive chugging along in Cloquet. The photo is by Walter R. Evans and the card was published by Mary Jayne’s Railroad Specialties. (more…)
Monthly Grovel: June 2022
Ticket prices have been on the rise, but the cost to find out that events exist hasn’t gone up at all. The PDD Calendar remains free. However, 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…)
Postcard from the Duluth Depot
The message on the back of this Union Depot postcard is dated June 8, 1912 — 110 years ago today. The names are tricky to read, but the sender signs off from Detroit, Mich. and the recipient was in Beaver Dam, Wis. (more…)
View in the City of Duluth Circa 1872
This image from a stereograph circa 1872 shows a view of Superior Street in Downtown Duluth looking eastward from roughly First Avenue West. The odd-shaped building in the upper right corner of the image is the Lake Superior & Mississippi Railroad Grain Elevator A, which was on the shore of Lake Superior at about Fourth Avenue East. (more…)
Selective Focus: Grey Days
Foggy, rainy, cloudy … but not necessarily gloomy. May was a lot like April. Collected here are select images from the past month, via Instagram. (more…)
Postcard from Duluth’s Lincoln Park Pond
This 110-year-old postcard offers an illustrated view of the pond at Lincoln Park. The sender of this card, Anna Carlson, was kind enough to pencil her name on the front. The card is postmarked May 22, 1912 and the recipient is Mildred Wilkenson of Clare, Mich., courtesy of H. Hales. (more…)
Postcard from the Duluth-Superior Hi Bridge
Before the Blatnik Bridge was named for Congressman John A. Blatnik in 1971, it was called the Duluth-Superior Bridge and known colloquially as the “High Bridge,” but for some reason it shows up on a few postcards as the “Hi Bridge,” as if people were supposed to wave and say Minnesota-nice hellos as they crossed. (more…)
Postcard from the Hotel Duluth in 1942
This postcard was mailed 80 years ago today — May 12, 1942. The recipient was Constance Jarvis of Riverside, Calif. Ray Boyer sent it from Duluth. (more…)
Monthly Grovel: May 2022
Homegrown is over, but the music festivals keep coming. There’s the Festival of Nordic Music, Duluth Dylan Festival, Bayfront Country Jam, Bayfront Reggae & World Music Festival and on and on. The only reliable tool to help weigh the options is 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 calendar events. So if you appreciate it, drop a few bucks in the PayPal account. (more…)
Homegrown Music Festival 2022 Photo Slideshow
Rock and roll is complicated. But the Homegrown Music Festival made it back after two years of online events during the pandemic. I took a bunch of photos and tossed the best of them into a slideshow. I made it to 58 acts, but that means I missed 131.
The song featured here is by Cars & Trucks from the 2013 album Theatre Stardusk. The band returned from a lengthy hiatus to perform a surprise popup at this year’s festival.
Selective Focus: Homegrown 2022 Recovery and Smelt Parade
Select Instagram images from day eight of the Homegrown Music Festival and the annual Run, Smelt, Run! Parade and Party. (more…)
Selective Focus: Homegrown 2022 Roll Night
https://www.instagram.com/p/CdTWKooLB9K/
Select Instagram images from day seven of the Homegrown Music Festival. (more…)
Selective Focus: Homegrown 2022 Rawk Night
Select Instagram images from day six of the Homegrown Music Festival. (more…)
Selective Focus: Homegrown 2022 Soup Town Night
https://www.instagram.com/p/CdM3veisagE/
Select Instagram images from day five of the Homegrown Music Festival. (more…)
Selective Focus: Homegrown 2022 Westside Wednesday
https://www.instagram.com/p/CdLebN4uTPO/
Select Instagram images from day four of the Homegrown Music Festival. (more…)
Postcard from Duluth’s Grand Opera House
Duluth’s Grand Opera House at 333 W. Superior St. was designed by George Wirth and opened in 1883. It was destroyed by fire on Jan. 28, 1889. (more…)
Selective Focus: Homegrown 2022 Canal Park Night
Select Instagram images from day three of the Homegrown Music Festival. (more…)
Selective Focus: Homegrown 2022 Craft District Night
Select Instagram images from day two of the Homegrown Music Festival. (more…)