History
Cereal Brands: The Good, the Bad and the Sugary
Part two of a conversation with cereal box collector Robb Berry of Duluth, who fills us in on some of the stories behind the development of cereals that have come and gone through the decades.
See also Part One — Honeycomb Hideout: Robb Berry’s Basement Cereal Box Museum
Part Three — Prize Inside: Cereal Toys and Premiums Through the Decades
Honeycomb Hideout: Robb Berry’s Basement Cereal Box Museum
Hidden away in a West Duluth basement is a one-of-a-kind museum — Robb Berry’s cereal box collection. He has been collecting cereal toys and premiums since he was a kid in the 1970s, and started collecting boxes shortly after that.
Unfortunately, Berry’s basement is not open to the public. But if you’re interested in the vast history of cereal, he also manages the Cereal Boxes and Prizes Archives 1900-Present Facebook page, where collectors and enthusiasts share their finds and questions about the hobby.
PDD was granted access to the catacombs that hold Berry’s collections. He is a fountain of information, so we present this special PDD Back-to-School series in three parts this week. Grab the milk, a spoon and a bowl and enjoy.
Part Two — Cereal Brands: The Good, the Bad and the Sugary
Part Three — Prize Inside: Cereal Toys and Premiums Through the Decades
Duluth Air Line: Taking in the sight in 1908
What in tarnation is going on here? Well, this postcard image is clearly a photo studio gag and not a snapshot of two handsome fellows in a hot air balloon over Duluth. (more…)
Summer of ’65: Strike postponed at U.S. Steel Duluth Works
Fifty years ago — Aug. 31, 1965 — the DNT reports the announcement of an eight-day postponement in the steel strike deadline means United States Steel Duluth Works will resume normal operations. (more…)
Summer of ’65: Barkulis top MVP entry?
Fifty years ago — Aug. 30, 1965 — the DNT reports that, “barring a complete letdown” in eight remaining games, Duluth-Superior Dukes third baseman Chris Barkulis “should have the Northern League batting title wrapped up and should also be a shoo-in for the league’s most valuable player award.” (more…)
Summer of ’65: Voluntary spirit moves Fond du Lac tribe
Fifty years ago — Aug. 29, 1965 — the DNT reports “a fresh chapter of history is being written on the Fond du Lac reservation” near Cloquet, where more tribe members are taking to gardening and some are raising vegetables in commercial quality. (more…)
Summer of ’65: Nothing funny about mink
Fifty years ago — Aug. 27, 1965 — the DNT reports T. J. Eiken’s 14-year-old mink farm on McQuade Road near Duluth is a success, with a wall full of Minnesota State Fair ribbons to prove it. (more…)
Summer of ’65: Mayor ends carnival atmosphere on Park Point
Fifty years ago — Aug. 27, 1965 — the DNT reports the city of Duluth filed suit in district court to have local businessman Arthur Davis remove concession stands he owns from Park Point. His former sister-in-law, Blanche Davis, who once operated the stands, was also named a defendant. (more…)
Summer of ’65: Overdue books cost Duluth woman $107.50
Fifty years ago — Aug. 26, 1965 — the DNT reports a Duluth woman was arraigned in municipal court on a charge of failure to return books to the library. It was the first time on record a Duluthian had been charged with the offense, a violation of city code. (more…)
Summer of ’65: Little Lynda Hage left at Tom’s Texaco in Cloquet
Fifty years ago — Aug. 25, 1965 — the DNT reports that 8-year-old Lynda Hage exited her parent’s camper in Cloquet to use a rest room, then was left behind when her parents departed for their California home. (more…)
Summer of ’65: Milton Richardson authorized as on-sale liquor proprietor; first African American to hold such license in Duluth
Fifty years ago — Aug. 24, 1965 — the DNT reports the Duluth City Council has granted an on-sale liquor license to Milton Richardson for his Rendezvous Bar at 21 E. Michigan St. The article notes it’s the first time a liquor license has been issued to an African American. (more…)
Summer of ’65: Civic leader Herman Matzke dies at 82
On Aug. 23, 1965, the Duluth News Tribune reported that prominent Duluth civic leader and longtime bank leader Herman Matzke died on the morning of Aug. 22 in his home at 2512 E. Third St. He was 82. (more…)
Summer of ’65: First Duluthian killed in Vietnam action
Fifty years ago — Aug. 22, 1965 — the DNT reports Marine Cpl. James Leo Dieryck, 26, was killed in action on Aug. 18 in the Chu Lai sector of Vietnam. He was the first Duluthian and the second man from the region to die during the war. (more…)
Summer of ’65: Grandmom earns UMD degree after 30-year span
Fifty years ago — Aug. 21, 1965 — the DNT reports Mrs. George Orescanin has received her bachelor of arts degree in social science following summer session at the University of Minnesota Duluth. It was a process she had begun 32 years earlier. (more…)
Summer of ’65: Council considers pay rides on Aerial Lift Bridge
Fifty years ago — Aug. 20, 1965 — the DNT reports the Duluth City Council will consider a proposal to permit “scenic rides on the Aerial Lift Bridge at a fee of 25 cents.” (more…)
Summer of ’65: Griggs Hall opens at UMD
Fifty years ago — Aug. 19, 1965 — the DNT reports a new, unnamed residence hall, designed to house 202 students, will be dedicated on Aug. 20. (more…)
Summer of ’65: New TV station in the works for Duluth
Fifty years ago — Aug. 18, 1965 — the DNT reports the Duluth Planning Commission will conduct a public hearing on a proposal to grant a special permit to Channel 10, Inc., to operate a television station. (more…)
Summer of ’65: Arenas planned for Two Harbors and Silver Bay
Fifty years ago — Aug. 17, 1965 — the DNT reports plans are in the works for community arenas to be built in Two Harbors and Silver Bay. (more…)
Summer of ’65: Bob Magie wins big one, ends Leo Spooner’s reign
Fifty years ago — Aug. 16, 1965 — the DNT reports Leo Spooner’s four-year domination of local golf had ended at the hands of two youngsters. (more…)
Summer of ’65: USS Duluth Christened by Humphrey’s Daughter
Fifty years ago — Aug. 15, 1965 — the DNT reports (via AP wire out of New York) several top-ranking Minnesota officials were among the 300 persons at a ceremony to christen the USS Duluth. (more…)
Summer of ’65: UFO Sightings Reported Over Duluth
Fifty years ago — Aug. 14, 1965 — the DNT reports sightings of unidentified flying objects over Duluth. The article’s title, by the way is …
… which leads one to believe there was another story on the subject in previous days, but careful eyes couldn’t find one in the Aug. 1-13 editions. (more…)
Summer of ’65: Car Crashes into Hank’s Grocery
The Duluth News Tribune’s Aug. 13, 1965 edition reports three persons sustained minor injuries when a 71-year-old Duluth woman crashed into the front of Hank’s Grocery at 2332 W. Third St. in the friendly West End neighborhood. The location is the present-day site of Bark Avenue Pet Grooming. (more…)
Summer of ’65: I-35 Route Proposed on DM&IR Railway
Fifty years ago — Aug. 12, 1965 — the DNT reports the St. Louis County Legislative delegation will explore a proposal to route Interstate Highway 35 over Duluth, Missabe & Iron Range Railway right-of-way. The great I-35 debate, of course, wouldn’t ultimately be settled for another two decades. (more…)
Summer of ’65: Duluthian Talked Off High Bridge
Fifty years ago — Aug. 11, 1965 — the DNT reports a 25-year-old Duluth man stood perched atop the center span of the Duluth Superior High Bridge — now known as the John A. Blatnik Bridge — threatening to jump to the water. “The incident was apparently brought about by a family argument,” the paper noted. “His mother talked him down from his lofty stand.” (more…)