History
Lake Superior & Mississippi Railroad: Tracking the Original Line from Thomson to New Duluth, Part 2
Part two of the Minnesota Bricks series mapping the original route of the Lake Superior & Mississippi Railroad passes through hilltops overlooking the dalles of the St. Louis River near Oldenburg Point at Jay Cooke State Park, at times following Minnesota State Highway 210 but also passing through wooded terrain where numerous trestles once bridged the route over ravines.
Duluth-area Payphone Remnants
This mid 20th-century payphone and 1996/97 directory are housed in a wooden booth inside the Wieland Block, a Downtown Duluth commercial office building. The phone doesn’t work; it’s on display as antique decor.
The premiere issue of Unsalted magazine includes an article about the quest to find Duluth’s last pay telephone. The conclusion (spoiler alert) is that there is probably not a single public phone left in Duluth that accepts coins, and the last one that did was probably the one on the main floor of the Duluth Public Library, which purportedly took in its final coins in early 2020. (more…)
Lake Superior & Mississippi Railroad: Tracking the Original Line from Thomson to New Duluth, Part 1
This video from Minnesota Bricks is part of a series exploring the original route of the Lake Superior & Mississippi Railroad along the St. Louis River. The series covers the section from the Town of Thomson to Commonwealth Avenue in New Duluth. (more…)
Then and Now: Downtown Duluth from Observation Hill
Shot 60 years apart, these two photos offer a similar perspective of Downtown Duluth and the hillside as viewed from Observation Hill. The angles of the shots are far from a perfect match, so the buildings don’t all line up properly and the jagged points of Lake Superior’s shoreline get flattened out in the 2025 shot, but the images do allow for some comparisons to be drawn — the most obvious being the 18-story Essentia Health St. Mary’s Medical Center building that opened in 2023. (more…)
Postcard from the Leif Erikson Statue in 1966
The message on the back of this postcard was written on Aug. 19, 1966. The photo on the card shows the Leif Erikson statue in Duluth’s Leif Erikson Park. The statue has been in the park for 70 years, having been placed in 1956. (more…)
Video Archive: Meierhoff Building Circa 1967
This late-1960s film offers an inside look at the Meierhoff Building at 325 S. Lake Ave. in Duluth’s Canal Park. The building is presently known as the Waterfront Plaza and houses the Suites Hotel and numerous condos. It was constructed in 1889 for the Marshall-Wells Hardware Company, one of the world’s largest hardware wholesalers. Marshall-Wells was sold and closed in 1958. The building sat vacant until Marvin W. Meierhoff acquired it in 1966. (more…)
Postcard from Clarkson Coal and Dock Company in 1936
This postcard of the Clarkson Coal and Dock Company on Duluth’s waterfront was mailed Aug. 17, 1936 — 90 years ago today. (more…)
Postcard from the Municipal Zoo at Fairmount Park in 1961
This postcard featuring an image of what is now called Lake Superior Zoo was mailed Aug. 14, 1961 — 65 years ago today. (more…)
Postcard from Fanny Bailey Olcott Girl Scout Camp in 1946
This postcard was mailed on Aug. 12, 1946. It shows a group of girls walking by the sign for Fanny Bailey Olcott Girl Scout Camp in Fayal Township, just outside Eveleth. (more…)
Postcard from Steamer Troy Ramming the Interstate Bridge
On Aug. 11, 1906, the steamer Troy knocked the draw span of the Interstate Bridge into St. Louis Bay. At the time, the Interstate Bridge was the only bridge connecting Duluth and Superior, so the cities were reduced to ferry service for two years until repairs to the bridge were completed. (more…)
Ripped at the Head of the Lakes Fair in 2001
[Editor’s note: For this week’s essay we’ve once again pulled out a relic from the drunken compendium of Slim Goodbuzz, who served as Duluth’s “booze connoisseur” from 1999 to 2009. Twenty-five years ago the Sultan of Sot visited the Head of the Lakes Fair in Superior and composed this article for the Aug. 8, 2001 edition of the Ripsaw newspaper.]
Let me just start out by saying that I think the Head of the Lakes Fair is a friggin’ wonderland. You walk into the place and the first thing you see is a table with the most pathetic crap for sale that you’ll ever find. We’re talking fake flowers with a flashlight inside, used Matchbox cars, Dalmatian-print cowboy hats and battery-operated toy cigarettes that glow at the end. A little farther down, you’ll find your Christian comic books, your black-velvet paintings and your turquoise jewelry. Just beyond that is the corn. This is everything I stand for. It’s beautiful. So, you’ll have to understand how difficult it is for me to ignore all of these temptations when I first get to the place. I’m a professional journalist, and I’m here for you, my people. And you, my people, are looking to be informed, and you’re only really interested in certain information after all. That in mind, I head straight for the beer. And the smash-up derby. (more…)
Postcard from Independent Cleaners & Launderers of Duluth
This postcard shows Independent Cleaners and Launders at 1029 E. Superior St. in Duluth. The business took the name Dee Independent Cleaners and Launders in 1981, when it was purchased by Robert Johnson, whose family ran it until 2024. Nicholas Retzlaff is the current proprietor. (more…)
Superior Street, Sept. 11, 1907, Part 5: Even-Side Businesses from Third Avenue West
This series takes a detailed look at life on Superior Street on the afternoon of Wednesday, Sept. 11, 1907. The first part of the series provided background details on a photograph shot that day where the street intersects Fifth Avenue West. Part five looks at the businesses on two specific blocks of the south side of Superior Street, including the building that created U.S. currency with a Duluth stamp, the only bowling alley in Duluth, and two alleged houses of ill repute. (more…)
Postcard Greetings from Duluth
This undated postcard looks to be from the early 1960s. It shows a panoramic view of the Duluth harbor and downtown area, and a ship passing under the Aerial Lift Bridge.
The Last Log Drive in Minnesota
The last log drive in Minnesota was filmed on the Little Fork River, about 100 miles northwest of Duluth, during the spring of 1937. The scenes were captured by Carl H. Henrikson Jr. during the drive. In the mid-1970s, the Minnesota Historical Society hired TCR Productions to compile a documentary film using Henrikson’s footage, along with recorded commentary and narration. A new version, embedded above, is digitized from Henrikson’s original 1937 reels and recut to match the completed film.
Postcard from Duluth’s Zoological Gardens
This undated postcard, published by Arrowhead Trading Post of Duluth, shows the zoological gardens and main zoo building of what is now known as Lake Superior Zoo. (more…)
Postcard from the Aerial Bridge Over Ship Canal in Duluth
Duluth’s Aerial Bridge was but a year old when this postcard was mailed on July 12, 1906. (more…)
Superior Street, Sept. 11, 1907, Part 4: The 400 West Block
This series takes a detailed look at life on Superior Street on the afternoon of Wednesday, Sept. 11, 1907. The first part of the series provided background details on a photograph shot that day where the street intersects Fifth Avenue West. Part three looked at the businesses around the Spalding Hotel. Part four looks at the people who occupied the remainder of the Spalding block, including “old Nick Drew, erstwhile gambler, rounder and saloon-keeper.” (more…)
Video Archive: Bicentennial Parade in Hibbing
On America’s semi-quincentennial, we take a look back 50 years to the 1976 Bicentennial Parade in Hibbing, with all the marching bands, clowns, Shriners and civic floats necessary to properly celebrate the anniversary of the U.S. Declaration of Independence.
Mystery Photo: Arcade Trio
This postcard photo is likely from around 1915. 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…)
Ripped at Bev’s Jook Joint in 2001
[Editor’s note: For this week’s essay we’ve once again pulled out a relic from the drunken compendium of Slim Goodbuzz, who served as Duluth’s “booze connoisseur” from 1999 to 2009. Twenty-five years ago the Sultan of Sot visited Bev’s Jook Joint in Superior and composed this article for the June 27, 2001 edition of the Ripsaw newspaper. Bev’s Jook Joint ceased operation in 2014.]
Here’s something weird: The Puritan city of Duluth, which is almost three times the size of Superior, doesn’t have any gay bars. Well, there’s the Tap Room, but that’s not homosexual, that’s just gay.
Meanwhile there are several gay bars in the debauched, anything-goes city of Souptown: JT’s, the Main Club and Bev’s Jook Joint. Of the three, Bev’s is the only one that seems to be in denial of its gayness. That isn’t to say the place is full of closet queers; Bev’s just seems to have more of a mixed crowd than a gay crowd. A breeder can hang out and act blatantly straight without feeling like how RuPaul might feel at Northland Country Club. (more…)
Postcard from the Boulevard in Duluth
This undated postcard shows a scene from Duluth’s Skyline Parkway before it was called Skyline Parkway. The visual might feel familiar, because it’s the same scene depicted in a different postcard recently published on Perfect Duluth Day.
This is America: Duluth in 1946
This clip is from a 16-minute educational film from 1946 called This is America: Great Lakes, focusing on the segment mentioning Duluth. The full film, embedded below, explores the industrial powerhouse of the Great Lakes, detailing the crucial roles of navigation, shipping and the Coast Guard in transporting iron ore, coal and grain to fuel America’s postwar economy. (more…)
Hagstrom & Forsgren Furniture opened in 1926
Hagstrom & Forsgren Furniture Company in Duluth’s friendly West End held its grand opening event 100 years ago today — June 12, 1926. The building at 1910-1912 W. Superior St. is presently the location of Frost River, a manufacturer of canvas bags, canoe packs and other outdoor gear. (more…)
Postcard from Somewhere on Skyline Parkway
This postcard depicts a scene at one of the many creeks that intersect Skyline Parkway, aka “The Bouvelard,” in Duluth. The postmark is not completely legible, but it shows the card was mailed on June 8 of some year prior to 1917, when the postal rate for postcards was increased from one cent to two cents. (more…)