Paul Lundgren
Postcard from St. Mary’s Hospital
This undated postcard, circa the turn of the 20th century, shows St. Mary’s Hospital at 404 E. Third St. This was Duluth’s second St. Mary’s building; the first was in the Lincoln Park neighborhood. The Third Street building opened in 1898. It was demolished in 1967 and replaced by a new wing of the expanding hospital.
Later known as St. Mary’s Medical Center, it merged with the Duluth Clinic in 1997 to form the SMDC Health System. Miller-Dwan Medical Center joined in 2001. The system became Essentia Health in 2004. Its network now includes hospitals, clinics and other health-care facilities throughout Minnesota, North Dakota and Wisconsin.
Original Hibbing Memorial Building opened in 1925
The Hibbing Memorial Building opened 100 years ago today — Sept. 18, 1925 — as a memorial to veterans of World War I. It included a hockey rink, eight curling rinks, a bowling alley, an auditorium and veterans’ club quarters. It was destroyed by fire in 1933 and rebuilt in 1935. (more…)
Postcard from the Lyceum Theatre in 1915
This postcard was mailed 110 years ago today — Sept. 14, 1915. The Lyceum Theater opened for performances at 423 W. Superior St. in 1891 and became a movie house in 1921. It was demolished in 1966 and replaced by the KDLH-TV studio. The KDLH building was demolished in 2015 and replaced by the Maurices headquarters. (more…)
Postcard from the North Shore Motel and Restaurant
The North Shore Motel and Restaurant was located at 2621 London Road, and was part of Duluth’s “Motel Row.” It later became the Flamette Motel and Restaurant. It’s now the location of a Circle K convenience store and a city-owned parking lot providing Duluth Lakewalk access. (more…)
Buckthorn Jersey
An obvious challenge when hauling buckthorn branches is that they are pokey. The word “thorn” is right there in the name. Protecting your flesh with a thick canvas jacket is a wise tactic, but what if the temperature demands a more breathable garment? One option is wearing an old hockey jersey, which provides moderate thorn protection while being considerably cooler than a work coat.
Matching the jersey colors to the wildflowers is a potential happy accident.
Postcard from a Duluth House in 1910
This postcard was mailed on Aug. 22, 1910 — 115 years ago today. The photo on the front shows a house that presumably was located in Duluth and might still be standing. (more…)
Postcard from a Giant Freighter Entering Duluth-Superior Harbor
This postcard was mailed 70 years ago today — Aug. 20, 1955. The caption on the card refers to the image as a “picture,” which likely means the illustration is based on a photograph. (more…)
Postcard from the Scenery at Fond du Lac
This postcard shows scenes from the Duluth neighborhood of Fond du Lac, along the St. Louis River.
PDD Shop Talk: Failure
Perfect Duluth Day attempted to launch an update to its WordPress theme this week. It failed. So we are continuing with the old theme and attempting to regroup. (more…)
National Fraternal Congress met in Duluth in 1925
Representatives of 100 American and Canadian fraternal organizations gathered in Duluth one century ago for the National Fraternal Congress of America convention. The event was held at the Hotel Duluth from Aug. 11-13, 1925, with sectional and committee meetings held Aug. 10. (more…)
Postcard from Scenes in Duluth, Minn.
This undated postcard shows prominent buildings in Downtown Duluth — the Alworth Building, Medical Arts Building and Hotel Duluth — along with a panorama of area.
When Snoopy asked, “How about Duluth?”
This Peanuts comic referencing Duluth originally ran on July 29, 1975 — 50 years ago today.
It’s one of at least two times Snoopy referenced Duluth. The second was in a 1976 strip.
Postcard from the Hotel Duluth in 1955
This postcard, published by the Zenith Interstate News Company, was mailed on July 26, 1955 — 70 years ago today. It shows the Hotel Duluth, 231 E. Superior St., which has been known as Greysolon Plaza since 1980. (more…)
Duluth Dukes 1955 Program Cover
Duluth Dukes’ pitchers gave up five home runs in a 12-8 loss to the St. Cloud Rox on July 22, 1955 — 70 years ago today. The program above has that particular date penned on its cover, along with the word “vacation.” (more…)
Postcard from the Boulevard Around Duluth
This postcard of Skyline Parkway, from well before it was called Skyline Parkway, is dated July 12, 1905 — 120 years ago today. It is not clear what part of Skyline is featured in the image. (more…)
Lake Superior International Highway opened in 1925
Call this historical tidbit “Highway 61 Revisited.” On July 10, 1925 — one hundred years ago today — a celebration was held in Two Harbors to mark the completion of what was then called the Lake Superior International Highway, a section of Minnesota Trunk Highway 1. (more…)
Mystery Photo: Woman at Arcade Studio
This postcard photo is likely from around 1920. The only solid clue is on the back, where the photo is attributed to Arcade studio, 110 W. Superior St., Duluth. The studio had previously been known as the Penny Arcade. (more…)
Postcard from Superior Street Looking East
This undated postcard, published by Zenith Interstate News Company, shows Superior Street in Downtown Duluth looking northeast from between Fourth and Fifth avenues west. (more…)
Alhambra changed name to State Theater in 1925
West Duluth’s Alhambra Theater reopened under a new name, The State Theater, on June 27, 1925. The name change came after a renovation of the space, which had originally opened on Sept. 15, 1913.
The State Theater closed circa 1928. The building housed a variety of businesses until it reopened as the Alhambra on May 16, 2025 — one month ahead of the centennial of its name change. (more…)
Postcards from North Shore Drive / State Highway No. 1
The images in this post are all touched up versions of photos from postcards for sale by eBay seller LL Vintage Antiques. They appear to be circa 1925. Two depict scenes from North Shore Drive with Duluth captioned as the location, though they might have been shot outside Duluth city limits. (more…)
Selective Focus: Run, Smelt, Run! Parade 2025
Select Instagram images from Magic Smelt Puppet Troupe‘s annual smelt-themed second-line parade. (more…)
Postcard from the Moonlight Over Lake Superior
This postcard, unmailed and undated, shows Downtown Duluth at night, circa perhaps the 1930s.
Hotel Duluth / Greysolon Plaza Centennial
The Hotel Duluth opened 100 years ago this month. Business operations began on May 8, 1925, and a formal grand opening was held May 22-23. (more…)
Kill the Spider
When I stepped into the shower, I didn’t see the spider. Once the water was running, I looked down and there it was at my feet, floating near the drain.
They don’t struggle when they’re fully soaked. Instead, they ball up and wait for the tide to take them to a surface they can latch on to.
There will be no escape for this spider, however, because I won’t let it happen. This spider is in my shower, and that kind of disrespect demands an execution.
There are plenty of spider sanctuaries — the utility room, the garage, the shed, the attic — where I’ll look the other way. I don’t enjoy killing them, and would rather not, so I let them be when they know their place.
Although spiders are creepy, they have some positive attributes. Most notably, they eat a lot of insects. It’s probably not intelligent for me to kill something that’s doing so much killing on my behalf. (more…)
Postcards from the Androy Hotel
Superior’s Androy Hotel opened 100 years ago today — May 15, 1925. It was advertised as the largest and only fireproof hotel in Superior. (more…)