History
Interpretive signs will mark former Incline Railway sidewalk
The Duluth News Tribune reports the sidewalk and stairway that marks the location of the former Incline Railway at Seventh Avenue West, designated as a recreational hiking trail, will soon have interpretive signage.
Minnesota Historia: Minnesota’s Tourist Traps
Travelers in Minnesota who want to experience the golden age of the tourist trap are a few decades late, but a handful of the kitschy roadside attractions still remain. This short documentary takes viewers on the open road in search of adventure, cheap souvenirs and a room full of chainsaws.
Minnesota Historia is a PBS North web series dedicated to Minnesota’s quirky past. It is hosted by Hailey Eidenschink and produced/edited/written by Mike Scholtz.
Postcard of Duncan Bay from Lookout Louise
Git yer flannel on. This undated postcard from Isle Royale was published by the National Park Commissions and is at least 20 years old. (more…)
Minnesota Historia: The Legend of John Beargrease
One of the fastest, coolest, most beloved mail carriers who ever lived was Minnesota’s own John Beargrease. Hear the story of how he delivered mail in northeastern Minnesota before there were roads, and learn why there’s a sled dog marathon named after him.
Minnesota Historia is a PBS North web series dedicated to Minnesota’s quirky past. It is hosted by Hailey Eidenschink and produced/edited/written by Mike Scholtz.
Corner of the Lake, 1963
This photo by Lyman E. Nylander is dated April 28, 1963 — 60 years ago today. It shows several Canal Park icons — the Aerial Lift Bridge, Duluth Harbor North Breakwater Lighthouse, Uncle Harvey’s Mausoleum — but the Duluth Lakewalk is still decades away from being built.
Because of the I-35 tunnel, with Gichi-ode’ Akiing / Lake Place Park built on top of it, shooting a modern photo from this perspective would be either challenging or impossible.
Mystery Photo: Winding on the Hoist Motor, Duluth, 1908
This image is from a postcard mailed 115 years ago today — April 26, 1908. The writing on the front of the card appears to refer to it as a “new style winding on the hoist motor” in use in Duluth. Perhaps engine experts and handwriting analysts can help correct or affirm this phrase and provide some description of what it means. (more…)
The Hometown of Daniel Greysolon Sieur du Lhut: A Travel Guide
Part 1: Background
About five years ago I came across the article Du Luth’s Birthplace: A Footnote to History. In 1966, the author visited the French village where Duluth’s namesake was born and documented the few traces of him that remained. The article is well researched (all the quotes from Sieur du Lhut used here are taken from it) but the images are low resolution scans of black and white photos taken more than 50 years ago. I wanted to see more of what the place actually looks like. (more…)
Mystery Photo: Fire Department Captain
This mystery photo is another from the studio of the fiery ol’ Swede Lars Liden. Penned on the photo is something along the lines of “f. d. Capt. Axel Strom.”
It seems somewhat clear that the photo is of the captain of some fire department, and since the photo was shot in Duluth it is likely this captain represents Duluth or some municipality near Duluth. So, Axel Strom? Is that the name?
PDD Quiz: April Foolish
Take a peek at April Fools’ Days of yesteryear with this week’s quiz!
The next PDD quiz will review April 2023 headlines; it will come your way on April 30. Please submit question suggestions to Alison Moffat at [email protected] by April 26. (more…)
Homegrown Music Festival Field Guide 2023 has arrived
The 2023 Homegrown Music Festival runs April 30 to May 7, and the annual Field Guide for the event was trucked into Duluth this morning. Piles of them will be available at local music venues within the coming days.
This year’s festival features 171 acts at 36 venues over the course of eight days. (more…)
Postcard from West Duluth’s Riverview Motel
This undated postcard shows the Riverview Motel in West Duluth, which operated during the latter half of the 1900s and was replaced in the early 2000s by Westgate Townhomes. (more…)
Duluth & Iron Range No. 3 at Two Harbors circa the 1940s
Duluth & Iron Range Railroad locomotive No. 3, known as “Three Spot,” was built 140 years ago, in 1883, by Philadelphia-based Baldwin Locomotive Works. It has been on display at the D&IR Depot in Two Harbors since 1923 — a solid century. This photo is estimated to be from the 1940s. (more…)
Mystery Photo: Daughter of Duluth
There are times when Perfect Duluth Day’s Mystery Photo isn’t very mysterious. And this is one of those times. We know who is in the photo and much of her biography, but the photography studio is one we haven’t seen another image from. (more…)
The Slice: 50 Years of Railroad History
Last week the Lake Superior Railroad Museum kicked off its 50th year. The founders of the museum had a vision to repurpose Duluth’s historic Union Depot train station into an arts, culture and history center.
In its series The Slice, PBS North presents short “slices of life” that capture the events and experiences that bring people together and speak to what it means to live up north.
Duluth’s beatnik coffee house had short life in 1960
Late in 1960, University of Minnesota Duluth student Bert Frink opened a beatnik coffee shop in Duluth called Bert’s Bit. It didn’t last long. (more…)
Postcard from a Section of the Duluth Harbor and Railroad Yards
This postcard, published by the Henricksen Agency of Duluth circa 1930, shows the Duluth waterfront, railroad yards and Aerial Lift Bridge.
Video Archive: UMD Women’s Hockey Championship Threepeat
Twenty years ago today — March 23, 2003 — the University of Minnesota Duluth won it’s third consecutive NCAA Women’s Hockey Frozen Four championship defeating Harvard 4-3 in double overtime at the DECC Arena. The news footage embedded above is from KBJR-TV.
Ripped at Frozen Man in 2003
[Editor’s note: For this week’s essay we’ve once again pulled out a relic from the archive of Slim Goodbuzz, who served as Duluth’s “booze connoisseur” from 1999 to 2009. Twenty years ago the Sultan of Sot wrote the article below for the March 19, 2003 issue of the Ripsaw newspaper.]
One reason to be nice to your bartender is that she will likely throw a party some day, and you will want to be invited. See, bartenders are good at throwing parties because … well, they’re bartenders. They have connections to all the good drinkers, and they know who the big-time assholes are. This allows them to “cast” their parties.
The party I’m going to tonight is called “Frozen Man.” I won’t provide too many details, like the name of the host, the date or the location, because I want to be invited back next year. I will tell you that Frozen Man is held in the Duluth Township, just outside of Howdy-Dotyville, where a good bonfire/campout/drinkfest can go down without someone creating an ordinance to stop it.
The concept of Frozen Man is to drink alcohol around a fire when it’s really cold out. There are various activities and rituals and surprises throughout the night, but the main purpose is to see how much cold your body can endure before you either die, go home crying or prove you are more powerful than nature itself. (more…)
Mostly auto-colorized photos of Duluth and Northern Minnesota
During the pandemic, I colorized six early Duluth photos, which was absurdly time consuming but seemed like as good of a way as any to spend some evenings inside. A friend of mine recently informed me that Adobe Photoshop now has a tool that will colorize photos automatically with far better results than my drawing over pixels method. He was somewhat correct. (more…)
Enger Park Little League circa 1963-1975
The Ensign Community Club built and maintained the Enger Park Little League Field at the dead-end of West 13th Street, just below “The Boulevard.” Fans flocked to the games and parked along neighborhood streets and on Skyline Parkway to see games play out below. Along with the field was a basketball court that doubled as a tennis court. The neighborhood built the field and maintained it for about 15 years. (more…)
Video Archive: Charlie Parr and Haley in 2002
By the power of grainy 20-year-old VHS, embedded above are performances by Charlie Parr and Haley from the short-lived WDSE-TV program Coffee House. The premiere episode featured three songs by each artist and aired March 12, 2003; the segment here contains just one each, and is from a sampler of the show that aired a week earlier. The footage was shot in 2002.
Mr. Bierhalter, what is bock beer?
As bock season kicks into high gear — Earth Rider celebrates this weekend; Fitger’s is waiting until April this year — we look back 110 years to get Fitger’s brewmaster John Bierhalter’s definition of the strong, dark beer traditionally brewed in fall and consumed in spring. (more…)
Mayor and Common Council, City of Duluth, March 10, 1913
Seated to the left of the mustached gentleman at far right appears to be Duluth’s 23rd mayor, Dr. John A. McCuen. Win the internet by identifying anyone else in the photo.