The Slice: Gateway to Madeline
The town of La Pointe created a Public Arts Committee that has spent the past few years working on a new sculpture for Madeline Island. Hear from artist Lisa Kosmo on how she was selected to design this piece and why it’s important to her.
In its series The Slice, WDSE-TV presents short “slices of life” that capture the events and experiences that bring people together and speak to what it means to live up north.
Postcards from the College of St. Scholastica
Featured here is a pair of old College of St. Scholastica postcards. (more…)
Five Movies that Almost Reference Duluth
Among the many silly obsessions on Perfect Duluth Day is the practice of noting whenever Duluth is mentioned in a mainstream film — which by our count has happened more than 40 times. But what about when the script calls for a Duluth namedrop and the director or editor nixes it? Well, there are at least five examples of that.
Here’s PDD’s look at movies that were supposed to reference Duluth but ultimately didn’t. (more…)
Exploring Santa Fe U.S. Mail Railway Post Car 57
Duluth Urbex takes a peek inside an abandoned railway post-office car in West Duluth.
Lincoln Park trades print shop for restaurant, tea and spices
JS Print Group moved into the Lincoln Park neighborhood about five years ago. The business then outgrew the location at 1927 W. Superior St. and moved this summer to a larger facility in the Central Hillside.
(Photos by Mark Nicklawske)
A fast-growing print shop has moved out of Lincoln Park for a bigger building and plans are in the works for two new businesses — including an Indonesian restaurant — to take over the prime Superior Street location. (more…)
Video: Black bear rolling around in sawdust
This black bear in Voyageurs National Park, about 100 miles north of Duluth, is pretty happy to roll around in sawdust and also have a little back scratch on a nearby tree. The footage is from a Voyageurs Wolf Project trail camera.
Sexy 1938 Denfeld Beanie
Beanies are not likely to make any back-to-school fashion lists in 2022, but at some point in time Denfeld High School had a line of round, brimless, snug-fitting, maroon-and-gold skullcaps. (more…)
Charlie Parr on Writing Songs
Charlie Parr shares insights with Kyle Orla about how he wrote “1922 Blues,” “Remember Me if I Forget,” and his songwriting process in general.
Riding a Train to Duluth on YouTube
I love trains. So when this showed up in my YouTube feed, I was excited. (more…)
St. Louis River frogs devouring mayflies
Shot with a simple iPhone — little leopard frogs gobbling up mayflies on the edge of the St. Louis River in Duluth’s Riverside neighborhood.
Model Trains of the Duluth Depot
Recently inspired to look into trains in Duluth, I found this video. It’s a bit older than some of the videos I’m posting, but it’s still more or less contemporary.
I love the practice of model trains. My grandpa helped me set one up in my basement, and it was wonderful, but being in my basement made the tracks tarnish, hindering the current that made the train run. So I eventually just used the track board as a table.
A New Duluth Podcast
There’s a new podcast floating about that might be an enjoyable listen: Getting Bridged. What happens on the podcast? Gar and Kelli, lifelong Duluth residents, chat over the places in the city with stories that need to be told. It’s light on history and heavy on nostalgia, and when you’re waiting in line for the Aerial Lift Bridge to come back down as a Laker is heading through, this might be just what you need.
There are nine episodes available, with topics like the old Bryant Elementary School, shopping downtown back in the day, and, most recently, serving in the 148th Fighter Wing. Check it out on rss.com.
Model Trains of an Imaginary Duluth
Model railroaders have incredible imaginations. This person has established an imaginary rail company carrying materials from the range to Duluth and from Duluth to Minneapolis. (more…)
Duluth’s Ten Most Endangered Places in 2022
The Duluth Preservation Alliance has announced its 2022 list of the ten most endangered places. The intention is to raise awareness about historic properties that are likely to be lost. The organization previously released endangered properties lists in 2021 and 2017. An interactive story map for the 2022 list is available at arcgis.com. (more…)
PDD Quiz: August 2022
It’s nearing the end of the month, which means that it’s time for PDD’s current events quiz!
The next PDD quiz will look at bygone Duluth school buildings; it will be published on Sept. 11. Submit question suggestions to Alison Moffat at [email protected] by Sept. 7. (more…)
The Train Ride to Two Harbors
There are a ton of videos of the train ride from Downtown Duluth to Two Harbors. The one above is from the engine. (more…)
Alternate Duluths
Co-written with Allen Richardson
Dr. Mallard McPurdy disappeared in 2005 while surveying regional probability for the University of Minnesota Duluth’s short-lived Anomalies Department. A team led by Dr. Leon Oswald recovered McPurdy’s yellow pressure suit on Skyline Boulevard, but McPurdy remains at large. His suit contained video files from which the following transcriptions were made; we obtained these with a Freedom of Information Act request.
Duluth 1. Air analysis complete: Bacteria Spore, Origin Unknown. I hope these cheap-ass containment suits actually contain.
The dim, overcast light coming through my smeared faceplate told me little about season or time of day. “Dr. Oswald!” I screamed, weeping as the dread and isolation overwhelmed me. I put on a brave face, clenching my fists, unimpressed by the amount of courage I could muster. (more…)
Trampled by Turtles – “On the Highway”
The new Trampled by Turtles music video, “On the Highway” aka “Return of the Owl Face,” was shot and edited by Cooper Baumgartner. The band’s upcoming album Alpenglow, is scheduled for release Oct. 28.
Duluth’s Building For Women featured in abortion-access article
Minnesota Set to Become “Abortion Access Island” in the Midwest, but for Whom?
“For nearly three decades, long before the fall of Roe v. Wade, the blond brick Building for Women in Duluth, Minnesota, has been a destination for patients traveling from other states to get an abortion. They have come from places where abortions were legal but clinics were scarce and from states where restrictive laws have narrowed windows of opportunity.” (more…)
The Slice: The Committed Duo
Juraj Kojš and Jennifer Beattie, together known as the Committed Duo, performed music on a sinking barge off Minnesota Point in Duluth during the the second annual SubSuperior Underwater Music and Art Festival in July.
In its series The Slice, WDSE-TV presents short “slices of life” that capture the events and experiences that bring people together and speak to what it means to live up north.
Selective Focus: Duluth Boudoir Photography
© Mad Chicken Studio
Duluth Boudoir Photography is a gender inclusive photography studio dedicated to helping humans build confidence and see themselves in a new light. Led by Jes Hayes, a Duluth Boudoir session provides clients with hair, makeup, dress, full studio and safe space to feel sexy. (more…)
Duluth women got breakfast in bed after 1952 voting gimmick
Duluth Mayor George W. Johnson reads a newspaper while he samples some of his own cooking before bringing the breakfast tray up to his wife. This United Press Photo comes with a recommended headline: “The (breakfast) tables are turned.” (Photo via Historic Images Outlet)
The women of Duluth were feasting comfortably in their pajamas 70 years ago. Or, at least, that’s what they were entitled to. A competition between the men and women of the city to increase voter registration was won by the women — 27,204 to 27,123. Mayor George W. Johnson proclaimed that husbands must serve their wives breakfast in bed for seven days or take them out to dinner for the same length of time. In many cases, however, the men either reneged on the bet or supplied a subpar meal, according to news accounts at the time. (more…)
Minnesota Point: Duluth’s Hay Fever Haven and Summer Resort
In the early half of the 20th century Duluth was often promoted as a haven for those who suffer from hay fever. Such is the case with this postcard of a trolley car on Minnesota Point, mailed Aug. 23, 1912 — 110 years ago today. (more…)