History
Getting to the Bottom of the Proposed Polymet Mine, Part 1
httpv://youtu.be/xjOYImaGgbE?t=3m12s
I’m hoping that this video, featuring Paula Maccabee of Water Legacy, will be the first of several that I will be able to share over the next few weeks.
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Duluth Mystery Photo #4: Mr. Dillner?
I saved this photo graphic at some point in the past and titled the file “Dillner.” Call it sloppy archiving on my part, but I’m guessing that might be his last name and on the front of the photo is the photographer’s name, which looks like it’s maybe S. F. Dahlquist. The address is 19 E. Superior St., Duluth. So that’s what we’ve got to go on. (more…)
Martin Pattison
Historical sketch from the Dec. 31, 1913, Duluth News Tribune.
The three-time mayor of Superior was the original owner of the Fairlawn Mansion, which was completed in 1891. Read about rumors of paranormal activity in the mansion at unexplainedresearch.com.
Martin Pattison is also the namesake of Pattison State Park, which was established in 1920. Read about that on zenithcity.com.
Duluth Mystery Photo #3: 1938 Neighborhood Hockey Game
It happened in Duluth in 1938. That’s all we know. What rink? Who are these kids?
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Guy Lombardo in Duluth
Did Guy Lombardo and His Royal Canadians ever perform in Duluth … and if so when?
Paul Robeson in Duluth
What is Paul Robeson’s connection to Duluth? For some reason I’ve never wondered about this before. Today someone asked me.
Paul Robeson was a singer, actor and football player who was involved in the Civil Rights Movement. You can read about him on Wikipedia and numerous other places on the Internet.
The Paul Robeson Ballroom is part of the Kozy Apartments complex, which has been shuttered since 2010 due to three arson fires. (Photo above by Daniel Kerkhoff.)
There is a one-man show, The Tallest Tree in the Forest, running at Arena Stage in Washington D.C. through Feb. 16, that mentions Robeson was in Duluth in 1947. (The show is probably based, at least in part, on the 1977 documentary film The Tallest Tree in Our Forest.)
That’s all we’ve got. Help fill in the blanks.
Duluth Mystery Photo #2: Family Outing
This photo is for sale on eBay under the headline “Vintage 1905 Cabinet Photo Duluth Minnesota Family Outing Woods Photograph 1052.” So what family is this? Where are they?
Mystery Photo #1: Chester Bowl
This photo was purportedly shot at Chester Bowl in 1936. Who are these gals? What were they doing that day? Who shot the photo?
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Chinese Lantern Restaurant Fire of 1994
(Duluth News Tribune photo of Jan. 16, 1994, Chinese Lantern fire)
Back in the 1980s we lived in Silver Bay, and my parents used to make special trips down to Duluth just to go to this place. Now they drive up from the cities to visit and we’ll take them out to eat at many of the fine restaurants we have, and they’ll always comment about how great the Chinese Lantern was and how there’s nothing else like it. Even when my wife worked at the Duluth Athletic Club, before the flooding closed it, she would always hear comments like, “This place is great, but it’s no Chinese Lantern.”
So what was it about that place that people still lament its passing 20 years later?
Fellowships for Historical Research
PDD is host to a number of independent historical researchers. FYI.
The Minnesota Historical Society is pleased to announce the Legacy Research Fellowships. Eligibility for these Fellowships is open to any post-collegiate Minnesota scholar who is engaged in Minnesota-related research/scholarship that draws on the Gale Library resources and that intends to add to the body of knowledge and interpretation of Minnesota’s history (pre- and post-statehood). Independent Scholars and scholars, including graduate students, not eligible for funding through employment at academic institutions are especially encouraged to apply.
If there really was a lull in the flowing of the poppy juice, it did not occur until long after the hour set by law
From the Jan. 1, 1914, Duluth News Tribune
Revelers laugh at law calling for early close
In two hotels the price brings liquid refreshment after hours with no questions asked and no evidence of police as delirium marks new year.
“Five dollars for a table and a bottle of wine,” the going quotation at Holland – “It’s after hours; can’t be served,” greeted with wild laughter. (more…)
Down on Raleigh Street
Slideshow by Roger Nesje with music by Steve Johnson, paying tribute to old Two Street in West Duluth.
The attitude 100 years ago
Just a cheesy Dutch Boy Paint greeting card from 1913. The company printed cards with various city names, so Duluth was nothing special. Folks were in for everything back then.
Elim Lutheran Church 1983 Directory
Here it is in all its splendor, recovered from the More Than Memories Antique Emporium in West Duluth.
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Connolly’s: Behind the Batter
For the past few years around this time, the discussion on PDD has turned to Tom & Jerrys – where to find the fixins, if there are acceptable alternatives to Connolly’s, and the ups and downs for Connolly’s.
The PDD film crew got sweet and sticky with Steve Knauss and John Kurth as they began production on this year’s batch of Connolly’s Tom & Jerry batter.
Stay warm, stay frothy.
Who remembers Scarlett Feed Store on First and Second avenues east?
I’m looking for a description of it (my memory is not always to be trusted) or, even better, old photos. I remember it from when I was a child, so that would have been in the mid-to-late 1960s, maybe even 1970s. I don’t remember when it closed but it had been there since the late 1800s.
Babe Ruth visited Duluth
. . . in 1926. For the story of that visit see the latest posting at the Reference@Duluth blog.
Name Origin of Clough Island
Does anybody know who is the “Clough” behind the name of Clough Island?
Fond du Lac Park’s Winter Sports Center: The Lake Placid of the Northwest
The subject of Fond du Lac’s old Winter Sports Center came up on PDD once before, about a year ago. Earlier this week, I came across this Feb. 4, 1940, Duluth News Tribune clipping at the Duluth Public Library, reporting on construction of the ski jumping hill and amenities.
The floods of 1972 marked the end of this western Duluth attraction, when the ski jump was removed due to erosion.
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A few images from the Woodland Middle School auction
Amid the chaos of the auction, I managed to snap a few shots for posterity. I was only there for an hour, but I wouldn’t be surprised to hear this auction went on from 4 p.m. to midnight. There was a lot of stuff, a lot of bidders, and things weren’t going cheaply. Wanna buy an auditorium? A pool?
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Duluth reference in The Goodbye Girl
It’s probably been dealt with here before, but Richard Dreyfus (as Elliot Garfield) and Quinn Cummings (as Lucy McFadden) have a conversation at the supper table in the 1977 film The Goodbye Girl and have this exchange:
I taught drama at Duluth Junior College.
You taught drama? Far out!
Very far out. It’s up near Canada.
Audio Archive: The Replacements at Saints Roller Rink in 1982
This recording popped up in the comments to an old PDD post — “Treatment Bound” — but it seems as if it warrants its own post.
Woodland School Song
While wondering the halls of Woodland Middle School, I came upon the school song.
The school is slated for destruction in the very near future. I can hardly wait for the Chipotle or other chains that they will force upon us.