UMD Senior Spirit: Richard Gurske
Richard Gurske has been attending University of Minnesota Duluth athletic events since before there was a University of Minnesota Duluth.
Postcards from Duluth Normal School (UMD Old Main)
The postmark on the card above is difficult to read, but it appears to have been mailed in March of 1916. It depicts the State Normal School at Duluth, which later became the State Teachers College and then the University of Minnesota Duluth’s Old Main building. (more…)
Scenic Fall Aerial Footage from Itasca County
Iron Range-based Leedrick Aerial Imaging produced this video of autumn scenery in the Holman Lake and Gibbs Park area of Itasca County near the city of Taconite, about 80 miles northwest of Duluth.
The Slice: Rock Climbing at Robinson Park in Sandstone
The Autumn Leaves – “Back to Me”
Minneapolis band the Autumn Leaves released the song “Back to Me” on the 2008 album Long Lost Friend. Duluth lands in the lyrics at the 1:26 mark.
The photographs we took in the photo booth
The trips we planned to take up near Duluth
PDD Quiz: History of Hunters Park
Test your knowledge of local history with this week’s quiz on Hunters Park, the second installment in a series of quizzes focusing on Twin Ports neighborhoods. The first was on the history of Morgan Park. Sound off in the comments on which neighborhoods you’d like to see featured in a future quiz.
Zenith City Press and the Northeast Minnesota Historical Collections of UMD’s Kathryn A. Martin Library were invaluable sources of content for this quiz. Many of the maps and images from the quiz were accessed through Minnesota Reflections; check it out for even more historical content.
The next PDD quiz, reviewing headlines and happenings from this month, will be published on Oct. 27. Please submit question suggestions to Alison Moffat at [email protected] by Oct. 24. (more…)
R.I.P. Amendola Building
Demolition work on the Amendola Building in Downtown Duluth. (Photo by Mike Creger)
The Amendola Building at 405 E. Superior St. was demolished today to make way for Essentia Health’s Vision Northland project.
Amendola Building, Google Maps, 2018
Duluth Climate Mobilization Campaign Launch
Recorded Sept. 24 at Gichi-ode’ Akiing by Duluth Public Access Community Television.
Quirky vintage store will replace iconic Carr’s Hobby Shop
Beth Petrowske, left, and Jack Carr pose inside Carr’s Hobby Shop in Lincoln Park. Petrowske is buying the hobby shop building and will convert it to Boathouse Treats & Treasures.
A new store featuring a quirky assortment of vintage clothes, rare collectibles and usable curios will replace one of the oldest and most storied businesses in Lincoln Park early next year. (more…)
Selective Focus: Matthew Dressel
Matthew Dressel is a Duluth filmmaker, screenwriter and movie enthusiast. He has served as host and festival director to the Duluth Superior Film Festival, and like most movie makers, seems to always have something in the works. This week in Selective Focus, we hear about some current and past projects, and challenges of putting work out to a YouTube audience.
MD: For as long as I can remember I’ve primarily considered myself to be a screenwriter. The problem with screenwriting, however, is that you need to wait for people to see it. This can take years and, for some, may never happen at all. So it’s a lot of waiting with potentially no pay-off. So along the way, I try to make things when I’m able. Up until recently, this has meant making short films, but this past year I’ve gotten into creating my own web series called The Pilot is Dead.
Dan and Joanne Devine, Fall 1947
It’s Homecoming Weekend at the University of Minnesota Duluth, and in the spirit of that we roll out this relic from 1947, supplied by Kristy Roschke, managing director of the News Co/Lab at the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Arizona State University. The photo is of her grandparents, Dan and Joanne Devine, partaking in homecoming festivities at UMD. Joanne was homecoming queen; Dan was captain of the football and basketball teams. (more…)
Bob Boone and Leif Enger on CBS This Morning: Saturday
According to the West Theater Facebook page and a post on the neighborhood social networking website Nextdoor, CBS This Morning: Saturday shot a segment at the West Theater in Duluth that will air Oct. 12 during the 6 to 8 a.m. broadcast.
Apparently the show’s host, Jeff Glor, interviews West Theater owner Bob Boone and best-selling author Leif Enger. The Nextdoor post notes the West Theater will open at 7:30 a.m. on Saturday for a free screening of the broadcast. The West Theater Facebook page lists 8 a.m. as the time of the screening.
“Iron Will” movie video with Duluth annotations
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Rt0CSmUt4E
The adventure drama Iron Will premiered on Jan. 14, 1994. Much of the film was shot in Duluth and areas near Duluth from Jan. 11 to April 1, 1993. The annotations below are a guide to spotting familiar people and locations. (more…)
Gaelynn Lea – “The Long Way Around”
The official music video for Gaelynn Lea‘s new single, “The Long Way Around,” was shot, directed, edited and produced by Dave Mehling in Duluth, with assistance in the shooting by Rachael Stigsell and Paul Tressler.
The line drawings are by Lee Zimmerman. The actor is Vlad Messing. (more…)
Postcard from the SS America “Booth Line”
This postcard of the passenger and delivery ship America is from some point between 1902, when the Booth Steamship Line acquired the vessel, and 1928, when it sunk near Isle Royale.
More info about the vessel can be found in two other Perfect Duluth Day posts — “SS America, 1925” and “Remembering America and her life on the water.”
Twins done; Trampled by Turtles’ National Anthem video lives
The Minnesota Twins ended an historic season by bowing to the New York Yankees in three straight playoff games. But Duluth band Trampled by Turtles was able to sing “The Star-Spangled Banner” before it was all over. Video via Jumbotron above.
Duluth Coffee Pale Ale wins GABF gold medal
Earth Rider Brewery was awarded a gold medal at the 2019 Great American Beer Festival, the world’s largest commercial beer competition. The Superior brewery was recognized in the Coffee Beer category for its Duluth Coffee Pale Ale, a mildly hopped pale crafted using single-farm sourced beans roasted by Duluth Coffee Company.
Ursa Minor Brewing of Duluth also brought home a medal. Its Thistle Dew won the bronze medal in the Scottish-Style Ale category. (more…)
Duluth 2019 General Election Sample Ballot
General Election polls open Nov. 5 at 7 a.m. and close at 8 p.m. (more…)
Duluth Trivia Deck Sampler #23
Here’s another in the series of Duluth Trivia cards, from a board game found at Savers. (more…)
Luke Redfield – “Ides of May”
In the song “Ides of May,” Luke Redfield lyrically implores, “If I’m the one for you, baby, meet me in Duluth.” (more…)
Mystery Photo #100: Early Settler
This photo is labeled “Early Settler Duluth MN.” And that’s all we know. Who is this dude? (more…)
The Richardson Bros. Podcast: New Episodes
After a hiatus, we return with regular releases. This week’s episodes: “Menno Zwonk, Amish Outlaw: The Death of Professor Marrow.” This explicitly violent short fiction features a shootout in a house on Chester Creek. Also: “Diaper Island,” in which the Robinson Crusoe of Diaper Island tells his terrible tale. Warning: gross. And another Zwonk story, “The Tale of Crusty McGee,” about Zwonk’s yeast rancher in Superior. Also gross.