Minnesota Historia: Alexander Miles, Elevator Action Man
In the 1800s, elevator doors were often left open to chance. The last person to use those doors might remember to close them. Or they might not. Then a real estate developer in Duluth invented automatic elevator doors and made the whole world a safer place to elevate. But that was just another day in the incredible life of the richest black man in the Midwest, Alexander Miles.
Minnesota Historia is a PBS North web series dedicated to Minnesota’s quirky past. It is hosted by Hailey Eidenschink and produced/edited/written by Mike Scholtz.
Exploring the Abandoned Boase Elementary School
Boase Elementary School in Hoyt Lakes, about 40 miles north of Duluth, was built in 1956 and has been abandoned since the last classes were held there in 2002. In the video above, Duluth Urbex explores the building’s crumbling classrooms.
The most prestigious flagpole in Duluth. Or perhaps anywhere.
The Soldiers and Sailors Monument. (Photo by Matthew James)
A few weeks ago a postcard of the Soldiers and Sailors Monument appeared on Perfect Duluth Day that included the text “by the noted sculptor Paul W. Bartlett of Paris.” That didn’t seem like a particularly French name to me so I decided to see if he was actually a noted sculptor and actually from Paris. Both counts proved accurate.
Bartlett was from Connecticut, but grew up in France and spent a considerable amount of time in Paris. But Bartlett only designed the statue in front of the monument. The architect Cass Gilbert designed the base that supports the flagpole. And both of these people gained considerable attention during their respective careers. Their most prominent works are within a few minutes walk of each other in Washington D.C. And when I learned this, I was attending a conference in Washington D.C., so I paid a visit to those works. (more…)
Riley Grace Brett at Gabriel’s Book Store
I met a new local author in the wild over the weekend at Gabriel’s Book Store in Lakeside. Riley Grace Brett volunteers there; she has also released a new novel. (more…)
PDD Geoguessr Challenge #12: Caribou Coffee at home, across the country and around the world
A Caribou Coffee in the main train station of Casablanca (Photo by Matthew James)
The first Caribou Coffee opened in Edina, Minnesota, in 1992. Last December, it closed. But there are still plenty of other Caribou Coffee locations to visit. Geoguessr Challenge #12 examines some of these other locations in three separate games. The first draws from the 302 remaining Caribou Coffees in Minnesota, selecting five locations in northern Minnesota (defined as any place at or above Highway 2). (more…)
MPR Archive: Crew Jones in 2004
As Duluth mourns the loss of Ben Larson, aka Burly Burlesque of the bands Crew Jones and Southwire, we point to a nearly 20-year-old Minnesota Public Radio piece that introduced listeners to the hot new “north woods rap” group. The segment was produced by Chris Julin and features Chris Godsey interviewing Crew Jones.
R.I.P. Burly Burlesque
Rest in peace Burly Burlesque, aka Ben Larson, one of Duluth’s best vocalists, lyricists and performers. According to the comments on the Facebook post which broke the news, he died in his sleep. He was newly a father, and a Go Fund Me has been set up to help support his family during this terrible time.
Burly and I weren’t friends but there was a time when we were friendly and familiar in the arts and music scene. I remember seeing him perform for the first time circa 2003. He comprised one-third of the band Crew Jones, and when they hopped up on stage at Pizza Lucé I was like, “Who are these weirdos?” But then they showed me and everybody. Their album Who’s Beach dropped around then; everyone I know from those days speaks of it in reverent tones as a work of genius. A firehose of creativity, the band (Burly, Ray the Wolf, and Mic Trout) all brought their A-game. Their live performances did no less. The album became a must-have and their shows were a must-see. No one could believe these white dudes rapping about life in northern Minnesota could be so legit but there you have it. Like all of the band’s lyrics, Burly’s writing was something great; he was also a master freestyler with an outsized stage presence. (more…)
Breanne Marie & the Front Porch Sinners – “Juniper”
The new video from Breanne Marie & the Front Porch Sinners is the band’s submission to National Public Radio’s Tiny Desk Contest for 2024. The video was recorded live by Ben Anderson at Karpeles Manuscript Library Museum.
The song is from the band’s 2021 album Juniper. A new record is in the works for a planned release later this year.
Pączki Day (and Ash Wednesday) in Duluth
Hello from a former Catholic who misses life in Milwaukee, where Pączki Day was a thing. Ash Wednesday was a day when you could walk the streets and see your tribe, and Duluth seems to have none of that. Maybe I walk the wrong streets. (more…)
Daniel Durant’s Super Bowl National Anthem ASL Performance
Actor Daniel Durant, the Duluth native who starred in the Academy Award-winning movie CODA, performed the national anthem in American sign language at the Super Bowl on Sunday. But the telecast showed only Durant’s introduction before focusing on singer Reba McEntire.
The video above, via the YouTube channel of the Sign Language Studies program at Southwestern Illinois College, shows Durant’s full performance.
Minnesota Historia: Lost Train of Pine City
According to local legend, a train derailed in Pine City in the 1800s. It plummeted down a steep embankment into the impossibly deep Devil’s Lake, where it disappeared forever. There is no evidence this ever happened, but that hasn’t stopped people from looking for the train. How does a legend like this persist? And grow? And add circus animals for some reason?
Minnesota Historia is a PBS North web series dedicated to Minnesota’s quirky past. It is hosted by Hailey Eidenschink and produced/edited/written by Mike Scholtz.
Selective Focus: When Winter Was
Apostle Island Ice Caves, 2014, photo by Chris Plys
There is still time for the winter of 2023/24 to show its stuff. For now, all we have is the past.
Destination Duluth, a nonprofit that shares images and stories on social media in an effort to promote the city and region, recently declared “We want winter back!” A group of photographers have contributed photos from “when we had real winters,” posted with the hashtag whenwinterwas. (more…)
Almanac North: EmbalmingEva Profile
This WDSE-TV Almanac North online-only segment profiles EmbalmingEva ahead of its Valentine’s Day show with Superior Siren at Sacred Heart Music Center.
Almanac North is a weekly public affairs program on PBS North that provides in-depth conversations around issues and events that affect the region.
PDD Quiz: Iron Will
In honor of the 30th anniversary of Disney’s Iron Will hitting theaters, this edition of the PDD Quiz tests your knowledge of places and faces that appear in the film, which was largely shot in the area. Head over to this PDD post if you want to cheat study up ahead of time!
The next current events PDD quiz races your way on Feb. 25. Submit question ideas to Alison Moffat [email protected] by Feb. 22. (more…)
Mystery Photo: Western Duluth and God’s Favorite Band
Twin/Tone Records, a Minneapolis-based record label active from 1977 to 1994, has an artist page for God’s Favorite Band that features the image above. (more…)
Good boy, Jerry
The message on the back of this 113-year-old postcard reads:
Dear Edwin-
This not a very good picture of Jerry but you can tell what he looks like. -KM
Minnesota Historia: Minnesota in the Civil War
Minnesota was the first state to offer troops to the Union during the Civil War. And it was home to the last Civil War veteran when 106-year-old Albert Woolson died on Aug. 2, 1956. For a state so far from Gettysburg, Antietam and Bull Run, Minnesota’s history in the Civil War is full of surprises.
Minnesota Historia is a PBS North web series dedicated to Minnesota’s quirky past. It is hosted by Hailey Eidenschink and produced/edited/written by Mike Scholtz.
Historic Lutsen Lodge destroyed by fire
Minnesota Public Radio reports Lutsen Lodge, also known as the historic lodge at Lutsen Resort, was destroyed in a midnight fire. Resort officials say it’s a total loss. (more…)
Tim Cortes Studio West open in Duluth Heritage Sports Center
The Duluth News Tribune reports artist Tim Cortes has opened an art studio and gallery in the former warming shack at the Duluth Heritage Sports Center’s Sill Arena.
PDD Geoguessr Challenge #11: Lift Bridges
De Hef in Rotterdam carried trains until a tunnel opened in 1993. It is a now a national monument. Photo by the author.
As the principle symbol of Duluth, writing on the Aerial Lift Bridge often focuses on its uniqueness. Because it started as a transfer bridge, the top span makes it unusual for a lift bridge. But lift bridges themselves are not so unusual. Wikipedia lists 137 of them in the world. (more…)
Shane Nelson w/ Maxi Childs Trio – “Love You from a Distance”
Superior’s Shane Nelson has a new music video. The track “Love You from a Distance” is from his upcoming album The Music Saved My Life, recorded at Sacred Heart Music Center. The song features Maxi Childs on backing vocals, Steve Netzel on bass, Ron Koivisto on electric guitar and Jerry Siptroth on drums. The video is by Bo Allen of Bo Allen Productions.
U of M honoring work and legacy of George Morrison
Minnesota Public Radio reports on the new George Morrison Center for Indigenous Arts at the University of Minnesota, which serves as an “interdepartmental study center to support the creation, presentation and interpretation of Indigenous art in all its forms.” Morrison was a renowned abstract painter and sculptor, and a member of the Grand Portage Band of Lake Superior Chippewa. He died in 2000.
The inaugural exhibit at the center is on display in the Katherine Nash Gallery until March 16. It includes work by Duluth-based artist Jonathan Thunder.
Chester Creek Concert Series now Music in the Park, half of season will be in Lincoln Park
Duluth’s Parks and Recreation division announced today that performer applications are being accepted for the 2024 Music in the Park concert series. Formerly known as the Chester Creek Concert Series, the Tuesday-night shows will be held at Chester Park from June 18 to July 16, then at Lincoln Park from July 23 to Aug. 13. (more…)
Northeastern Minnesota Book Awards 2024 Call for Nominations
Lake Superior Writers is seeking nominations for the 2024 Northeastern Minnesota Book Awards. NEMBA celebrates books that substantially represent the history, culture, heritage or lifestyle of northeastern Minnesota.
The six categories are: nonfiction, fiction, children’s literature, middle grade / young adult, poetry and memoir. (more…)
Mystery Photo: Boy behind the wheel circa 1924
The postcard photo above is dated 1924, making it 100 years old. It shows a boy driving a car with a sign on the grill that reads “Western Steel Products Company, New Duluth, Minn.” That doesn’t technically mean the photo was shot in the New Duluth neighborhood, however, so the primary mystery of the photo’s location perhaps hinges on whether the houses in the background match any present-day Duluth homes. The identity of the people in the car is the longshot mystery to solve. (more…)