Lester River Posts

Postcard from the Rustic Bridge at Lester Park in 1912

This postcard of the Rustic Bridge at Lester Park was mailed on New Year’s Eve of 1912 — 110 years ago today — to Mrs. Frank Larson of Stockholm, Wis.

An exotic village on the Lester River

Barbara Kiser, a former Duluthian who has lived in London since the 1980s, has published an essay that prominently references the Lester River Fish Hatchery. The article appears on Arizona State University’s Zócalo Public Square, which syndicates “ideas journalism.”

Article link: Where I Go: From Northeast London Back to Duluth

Virtual Field Trip: Lester River Fish Hatchery

For this report we turn to our junior news team at Raleigh Edison Charter School.

Who (or what) was Sonny?

This 1910 Duluth postcard raises at least one large looming question.

Lester River Fish Hatchery circa 1900

The state fish hatchery at 6008 London Road, near the mouth of Lester River in Duluth, was constructed in 1888 and operated until 1946. The photo above, from Detroit Publishing Company, is dated by the Library of Congress as “between 1900 and 1910.”

Does anyone have any info on the pioneer behind the name of the Lester River?

My maiden name is Lester. Through the years we have been told of a great-great grandfather Albert Julius Lester, who fathered a son William O. Lester.

Feodor von Luerzer painting of Lester River

This painting of the Lester River circa 1900 was recently sold on eBay, mislabeled as a painting of “Luster River.”

Long Winter Reprieve

Summer scenes from several of Duluth’s many swimming locations to help shake off what seems a very long winter.

Video: Lester River Otter

Eleven seconds of nature shot yesterday at Lester River by Richard Hoeg.

Video: Lester River Race 2018

Video of last weekend’s Lester River whitewater kayak race by Blue Forest Films.

Mystery Photo #59: Duluth Wau-Pse-Ke Club Cabin

What’s the deal with the Wau-Pse-Ke Club and its cabin? Though the stamp, and presumably the postmark with it, were torn off this old postcard, we know the cabin dates back at least to 1911 and was on the Lester River.

Searching for a Distressed Citizen’s Lost Glasses in Lester River

I got a distress call the other day. A citizen fan of my Lake Superior Aquaman page wrote me saying, “While swimming in the Lester River (at the spot where it’s like a little swimming hole, right before the first bridge that leads to the park) my husband dived off one of the rocks and lost his glasses. Another younger boy lost his goggles… what are the chances that they fell into the bottom of the hole made by the waterfall? We tried to go down but I couldn’t see or hold my breath that long lol.” So I offered to help, for am I not … Lake Superior Aquaman?

Traditional Summer Diving Montage

From the Lester River Bridge to Uncle Harvey’s Mausoleum and various other Duluth locations, it’s diving season — also known as “give mom a heart attack when she sees your dangerous stunts on the internet season.”

This montage was put together in the summer of 2016.

Of course it must be noted that pretty much every summer there are serious injuries, and occasionally deaths, resulting from dives into Duluth bodies of water. Be careful out there.

Video: Lester River Race 2016

Point-of-view video of a run during last weekend’s Lester River Race in Duluth.

Fat bikes at mouth of Lester

Saturday night we were enjoying a picnic dinner on the gravel bar on Lake Superior at the mouth of the Lester River, when along come three guys on fat bikes. They rode on the gravel bars and through the water. They entertained and we cheered.

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