History Posts

Ethnographic Study of Indigenous Contributions to Duluth

Design DuluthLast night at Gimajii, the Design Duluth meeting sponsored by the DAI shared copies of An Ethnographic Study of Indigenous Contributions to the City of Duluth — a fascinating document that invites us to think about the erasure of indigenous participation and contributions to Duluth culture — and to appreciate those contributions and participation even more heartily.

Video Archive: 1986 Denfeld Hockey

Denfeld 1986 Hockey DNT photo by John RottWith high school hockey playoffs underway this week, PDD takes a look back 30 years to Denfeld’s first trip to the Minnesota State High School Hockey Tournament. The video above includes TV news clips of Denfeld’s Section 2 playoff wins (2-1 over Duluth East, 8-2 over St. Cloud Apollo and 6-2 over Anoka). The photo at left is from the victory over Anoka, shot by John Rott of the Duluth News Tribune (as featured in the DNT archives).

Old Eighth Street Market building’s days are numbered

Eighth Street Market 2016

The former Eighth Street Market building at 5702 W. Eighth St. is slated for demolition.

PDD Quiz: Roses are red. Violets are blue.

Next week’s theme is “Presidents in Duluth” in honor of Presidents Day. Send your suggested quiz questions (and answers) to lawrence @ perfectduluthday.com by noon on Wednesday, Feb. 17.

Coming Home to Mother: Feb. 13, 1969

Stern of USS Duluth

Safe at Home

Somewhere at sea: Two landing craft ease their way — side by side — through the wide opening at the stern of the USS Duluth. The craft employs almost all the room available on coming aboard. After the boats are tied down, the ballast tanks are emptied and the wall is drained.

(U.S. Navy photo via United Press International)

The Alan Sparhawk Project

Ten year’s ago, Duluth musician Alan Sparhawk had his name dropped in this little comic (specifically panel three):

Alan Sparhawk Project

Questionable Content is an internet comic strip by Jeph Jacques of Halifax, Nova Scotia. It started in August 2003 and is still in production. The publish date of the comic above is not known, but it was first posted to PDD on Feb. 9, 2006.

Two Harbors: “Everything is so interesting.”

Two Harbors Minn

It looks like the postmark on this card to Emily Jackson of Albert Lea might be from the year 1909. The day is clearly July 26.

Louie Anderson KDLH Interview from 1996

The subject of The Louie Show, Louie Anderson’s 1996 TV situation comedy set in Duluth, was covered fairly in-depth on PDD two years ago, but we mark the 20th anniversary of the airing of the first episode with a few updates. Particularly, there’s the discovery of the Louie Anderson interview above, conducted by KDLH-TV’s Joe Thornton, which aired during the 10 p.m. newscast following episode #2.

Video Archive: President Coolidge visits Hibbing in 1928

This film footage from 1928 shows U.S. President Calvin Coolidge arriving in Hibbing on the Duluth, Missabe, and Northern Railroad to view mining operations and see the highly acclaimed Hibbing High School. Modern-day aerial footage of the school concludes the video.

PDD Quiz: The Untold Delights of Duluth

Zenith City of the Unsalted SeaThanks to the historians and contributors over at Zenith City Online. Their article on “The Untold Delights of Duluth” was the basis for many of the questions and answers for this quiz. So, if you want to cheat study up before taking the quiz, head over there.

Next week’s theme will be focused on the happenings of January 2016 in and around Duluth. Send your suggested quiz questions (and answers) to lawrence @ perfectduluthday.com by noon on Wednesday, Jan. 27.

Aerial Bridge: Pull and Return Slowly

1908 Aerial Bridge

Aerial Bridge Over Ship Canal, Duluth, Minn.
Only one of its kind in the world; clear span, 400 ft.; clear height 136 ft.; total height above water 186 ft.; size of car 34×50 ft.; capacity of car, 125,000 lbs.; motive power, electricity; speed, 4 miles per hour.

Going to build buildings?

Build Buildings - Clyde Iron Works - Engineering News-Record Magazine

Ad from the Nov. 30, 1944 issue of Engineering News-Record.

Official Map of the City of Duluth, 1887

Official Duluth Map

From George F. Cram’s Atlas, published in 1887.

PDD Quiz: Mayors of Duluth

Mayor McChickenAs we transition from the Don Ness era to the Emily Larson era, this edition of the PDD Quiz focuses on Duluth mayoral history.

Thanks to Jake La Jeunesse and Paul Lundgren for contributing to this week’s quiz.

Next week’s theme, as we move into what is typically the coldest time of the year, will be “Cold enough for ya?” Send your suggested quiz questions (and answers) to lawrence @ perfectduluthday.com by noon on Wednesday, Jan. 13.

Fish Bowl of 1952: The time Duluth beat the Packers … sort of

Fish Bowl 1951 Packers Eskimos

For three seasons, the Green Bay Packers divided up their team for inter-squad scrimmage games in Duluth. The first-group players, or “starters,” played for the Packers, and the second group players, or “benchwarmers,” took the name of the Duluth Eskimos. Of course, there was an actual Duluth Eskimos NFL team from 1923 to ’27, but the games referred to in this post were from 1951 to ’53.

The scrimmages were known as “The Fish Bowl,” and attracted crowds of about 8,000. The Packers won two of the three games, both by small margins, but in 1952 the backup players, under the name Duluth Eskimos, defeated the Green Bay starters by a score of 34-7.

Do NOT follow this link or you will be banned from the site!