History
Fairyland Park near Marble, Minnesota
This undated postcard depicts “Alice in Wonderland,” one of more than 30 scenes from favorite fairytales at Fairyland, a roadside attraction that operated from 1948 to 1972 just west of the village of Marble, about 80 miles northwest of Duluth. Pretty much anything one might want to know about Fairyland can be found on a PDF compiled by Tim Wick, son of Melvin and Faith Wick who bought the park in 1960. (more…)
Mystery Photo #41: Bonnie Gardens
Specific location unknown. Photographer unknown. Everything unknown. Help if you can.
PDD Quiz: Bakeries of Duluth
Duluth likes its baked goods, as evidenced by the many bakeries dotting the local landscape. How much do you know about them? Let’s find out!
Our next quiz will be on Oct. 2 and it will be a review of September 2016. Send your suggested questions to lawrence @ perfectduluthday.com by Wednesday, Sept. 28 for potential inclusion in the quiz.
Itasca Conversations: Tales of Bovey (Part 1)
Agnes Hromyak, Lorraine Andrews, Ethel Deal, Patricia Walls and Meredith Jakovich meet at the Bovey City Hall Library to recount life growing up on the Iron Range. Video by A Plus B Productions.
A Dock at Duluth Where the Ore-fleet Coals
Iron-ore freighters load with coal to fuel their steam engines in 1909.
Lobby of the Hotel Holland
The Holland Hotel stood at 501-503 W. Superior St., where the Radisson Hotel Duluth-Harborview operates today.
Marketed as “the only fire proof hotel” in Duluth, it included the Holland Cafe, “famous for its service, soda fountain, light luncheons and grill room.”
The Holland opened in 1910 and closed in 1961. The Radisson was built in 1970.
(more…)Old Grand Marais Photos
A collection of old Grand Marais photos. At least some of them, if not all, are believed to be shot by Milford John Humphrey. (more…)
Perspective Map of Duluth in 1893
Similar to the “Perspective Map of Duluth in 1887,” but more recent and from a bit different angle.
R.I.P. Monty
Monty Lee Wilkes
We mourn the passing of Monty Lee Wilkes, local boy who made good.
Then and Now: St. Louis County Courthouse
There is no date on the above postcard image, but it appears to be 1960s-ish. The photo below is a modern-day view.
DuluthiLeaks: Gateway Landscape Plaza
For the first edition of DuluthiLeaks — Perfect Duluth Day’s new feature in which public documents are released as if they contain secret information leaked from an anonymous whistle blower — we take a look at the development of Duluth’s Gateway Plaza. The “landscaped plaza with a concrete sculptural element shaped in the form of a sail” that sits on the western edge of Duluth’s downtown was envisioned and built in the 1970s as a “landmark entrance” to the business district. Below is a look at early plans and sketches for the “well landscaped triangle.” (more…)
DTA Woodland Windjammer, Crosley Clipper, et. al.
The quest is to settle a bet. Whether there’s enough evidence so far to settle it will have to be up to the wagerers.
Former Duluthian Daniel Heinan, now living in Los Angeles, sent the following email:
My friends don’t believe that there was a DTA bus line called the Woodland Wind Jammer. There was even the Crosley Clipper. They existed in the 1980s and early 1990s. Can you help me prove them wrong?
What an inside source at the Duluth Transit Authority reports:
A long-time employee and former driver tells the tale of not just the Woodland Wind Jammer and the Crosley Clipper, but also the Proctor Pacer and the Superior Streaker. These were all express routes, designed to get people downtown as soon as possible. He thought there might have even been a contest to name them.
Alas, a search through the DTA library resulted in no physical proof, but I trust my source.
So there we have it. Anyone with hard evidence should obviously come forward, but so far the jury would have to lean heavily in favor of the Windjammer and Clipper being actual former DTA bus route names.
Mystery Photo #40: New Duluth Bus and Drivers
This photo popped up on Pinterest a while back. It’s dated 1962. Photographer unknown.
Duluth’s first diesel buses began operating in 1957 under the auspices of the Duluth-Superior Transit Company. The Duluth Transit Authority was created in 1969, so one could say the bus in the photo above is a DTA before there was a DTA.
Can anyone name any of the drivers?
NorShor Theatre circa 1960s: Recognize these kids?
This photo was found in the Duluth Playhouse‘s archives. The kids, enjoying concessions at the NorShor movie theater in what appears to be the 1960s, are listed as: “Sandy Audio? Atto, Otto, Ottio? 5 years” and “Judy Hanson 8 years.”
Any German Speakers???
I found this old inscription in a 1930s book. Can anyone help me understand it? It looks to be German or Norwegian and based on what I can figure out it references alligators and Lake Superior.
Duluth National Regatta of 1916
One century ago, Duluth hosted the 44th annual regatta of the National Association of Amateur Oarsmen. The event ran Aug. 11 and 12, 1916, with the Duluth team winning nine of the 12 events it entered. (more…)
Duluth Imperial Mill Company
Duluth Imperial Mill was the largest single mill in the world in the 1890s, but by the turn of the century its reign was over. There’s a full history with plant photos at zenity city.com.
Presented here are a few promotional items. (more…)
Leo Seltzer’s Transcontinental Roller Derby in Duluth, 1937
Two years after the term “Roller Derby” was trademarked, Duluth hosted a bout.
Mystery Photos #36-38: Three Women
One day you’re glamorous enough for a fancy Duluth studio portrait; one-hundred years later, no one knows who you are.
At least the photo on the left comes with half of a name: “Mrs. Mohler.” Other than that, what you see is what you get for clues. Anyone who recognizes one of these women or can provide further details will be declared winner of the internet for a day.
Principal Protestant Churches of Duluth
First Presbyterian Church, St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, First M.E. Church, Pilgrim Congregational Church and United Protestant Church.
When West Duluth Was Young
In the summer of 1994, a group of West Duluth kids met with a group of senior citizens from the neighborhood and wrote down their stories for a booklet. Here is the entirety of When West Duluth Was Young: An Intergenerational Writing Workshop, with thanks to Aunt Becky for passing it along. (more…)
Moving sidewalk proposed in Duluth in 1908
John Edward Roemer wanted to build a system of moving sidewalks up Duluth’s steepest hills. The power to run the system would come from storage batteries buried in chambers beneath Superior Street. Tunnels would be dug beneath cross streets so the sidewalks could pass under the streets. At the top of the hill where the moving sidewalk system terminated, Roemer proposed building a pavilion and an aerial rail line extending to Fond du Lac, with stops in the West End, West Duluth, New Duluth and Ironton.
Read more at the public library’s Reference@Duluth blog.
Plant of Zenith Furnace Company at West Duluth
Zenith Furnace Company was organized in 1902 and located on St. Louis Bay at 59th Avenue West. The company manufactured pig iron and byproducts of coal gas, ammonia and coal tar. In 1931 the company was acquired by Interlake Iron Corporation and was a source of steel during World War II for use in government defense equipment. It closed in 1962. (more…)