Postcards
Ektachrome Postcard from the Aerial Lift Bridge
This undated postcard, perhaps circa the 1960s, offers a view of the Aerial Lift Bridge from across the Duluth Harbor. The card was published by the H.C. Wick Company and features an Ektachrome photo by Rod Peterson. (more…)
Souvenir Folder of Duluth circa 1923
The Duluth Photo Engraving Company published a “souvenir folder” in the early 1920s featuring images previously published by the company as postcards. (more…)
Postcard from Superior Street at Fourth Avenue West
This undated postcard shows buildings on the 300 block of West Superior Street in Downtown Duluth. The building in the foreground is the St. Louis Hotel, which was demolished in the early 1930s and replaced by the Medical Arts Building. The trio of buildings to its left — the Torrey, Alworth and Lonsdale buildings — are all still standing.
The postcard was published by the Duluth Photo Engraving Company with an image from McKenzie Photo Company.
Postcard from the Kitchi Gammi Club in 1916
This postcard was mailed Jan 12. 1916 — 110 years ago today. It shows the Kitchi Gammi Club building at 831 E. Superior St., which opened two years prior. (more…)
Postcard from St. Mary’s Hospital circa 1904 to 1911
This postcard, published by the Rotograph Company of New York City and printed in Germany, shows St. Mary’s Hospital in Duluth. The card has no postmark, but Rotograph’s postcard operation ran from 1904 to 1911. (more…)
Postcard from ‘Our Little Home’ in Duluth
This postcard was mailed 115 years ago from Duluth, and therefore presumably shows a home in Duluth that might still be standing. (more…)
Postcard from a Bird’s Eye View of the West End in Duluth
This postcard of Duluth’s friendly West End was mailed 115 years ago today — Dec. 8, 1910. The recipient was Mrs. Joseph Lindquist of Kerkhoven, Minnesota. The perspective is from the Point of Rocks at West Fourth Street, looking southwest. (more…)
Postcard from the Duluth Carnegie Library
This undated postcard, published circa 1910, shows the Carnegie Library in Downtown Duluth at 101 W. Second St. The building was designed by Edwin S. Radcliffe and Charles Willoughby Adolph Rudolf. It opened in April 1902, serving as Duluth’s main library until 1980. Since then it has functioned as an office building.
Then and Now: Cathedral and Marshall
This aerial photo comparison shows Duluth Cathedral High School circa 1970 and the same campus in 2025 as Duluth Marshall School. (more…)
Postcard from Spirit Lake in Duluth
This postcard might have been mailed 100 years ago today. The year on the postmark has worn out over time, but is clearly from the 1920s and seems most likely to be 1925. The date is Nov. 8. The image shows a view of Spirit Lake on the St. Louis River from the shores of Duluth in the Morgan Park neighborhood. (more…)
Then and Now: Nopeming Sanatorium
The above aerial photo comparison shows changes spanning roughly 80 years at the 40-acre site of the Nopeming Sanatorium in Midway Township, just outside Duluth. (more…)
Postcard from the Minnesota Point Lighthouse Ruins
This postcard was mailed 115 years ago. It shows the ruins of the Minnesota Point Lighthouse, which ended its run as a functional lighthouse in 1885. The faded postmark on the card is from February 1910. (more…)
Postcard from St. Mary’s Hospital
This undated postcard, circa the turn of the 20th century, shows St. Mary’s Hospital at 404 E. Third St. This was Duluth’s second St. Mary’s building; the first was in the Lincoln Park neighborhood. The Third Street building opened in 1898. It was demolished in 1967 and replaced by a new wing of the expanding hospital.
Later known as St. Mary’s Medical Center, it merged with the Duluth Clinic in 1997 to form the SMDC Health System. Miller-Dwan Medical Center joined in 2001. The system became Essentia Health in 2004. Its network now includes hospitals, clinics and other health-care facilities throughout Minnesota, North Dakota and Wisconsin.
Postcard from the Lyceum Theatre in 1915
This postcard was mailed 110 years ago today — Sept. 14, 1915. The Lyceum Theater opened for performances at 423 W. Superior St. in 1891 and became a movie house in 1921. It was demolished in 1966 and replaced by the KDLH-TV studio. The KDLH building was demolished in 2015 and replaced by the Maurices headquarters. (more…)
Postcard from the North Shore Motel and Restaurant
The North Shore Motel and Restaurant was located at 2621 London Road, and was part of Duluth’s “Motel Row.” It later became the Flamette Motel and Restaurant. It’s now the location of a Circle K convenience store and a city-owned parking lot providing Duluth Lakewalk access. (more…)
Postcard from a Duluth House in 1910
This postcard was mailed on Aug. 22, 1910 — 115 years ago today. The photo on the front shows a house that presumably was located in Duluth and might still be standing. (more…)
Postcard from a Giant Freighter Entering Duluth-Superior Harbor
This postcard was mailed 70 years ago today — Aug. 20, 1955. The caption on the card refers to the image as a “picture,” which likely means the illustration is based on a photograph. (more…)
Postcard from the Scenery at Fond du Lac
This postcard shows scenes from the Duluth neighborhood of Fond du Lac, along the St. Louis River.
Postcard from Scenes in Duluth, Minn.
This undated postcard shows prominent buildings in Downtown Duluth — the Alworth Building, Medical Arts Building and Hotel Duluth — along with a panorama of area.
Postcard from the Hotel Duluth in 1955
This postcard, published by the Zenith Interstate News Company, was mailed on July 26, 1955 — 70 years ago today. It shows the Hotel Duluth, 231 E. Superior St., which has been known as Greysolon Plaza since 1980. (more…)
Postcard from the Boulevard Around Duluth
This postcard of Skyline Parkway, from well before it was called Skyline Parkway, is dated July 12, 1905 — 120 years ago today. It is not clear what part of Skyline is featured in the image. (more…)
Postcard from Superior Street Looking East
This undated postcard, published by Zenith Interstate News Company, shows Superior Street in Downtown Duluth looking northeast from between Fourth and Fifth avenues west. (more…)
Postcards from North Shore Drive / State Highway No. 1
The images in this post are all touched up versions of photos from postcards for sale by eBay seller LL Vintage Antiques. They appear to be circa 1925. Two depict scenes from North Shore Drive with Duluth captioned as the location, though they might have been shot outside Duluth city limits. (more…)
Postcard from the Moonlight Over Lake Superior
This postcard, unmailed and undated, shows Downtown Duluth at night, circa perhaps the 1930s.
Postcards from the Androy Hotel
Superior’s Androy Hotel opened 100 years ago today — May 15, 1925. It was advertised as the largest and only fireproof hotel in Superior. (more…)