Zenith Interstate News Company Posts

Postcard from a Great Lakes Packet Freighter

This undated postcard, published by Zenith Interstate News Company, shows a Great Lakes packet freighter passing through the Duluth Shipping Canal under the Aerial Lift Bridge.

Postcard from Gooseberry Falls and River

This postcard of Gooseberry Falls — presumably the upper falls, northwest of the Highway 61 bridge — was mailed Aug. 20, 1952. The recipient was Mrs. Lester H. Dixon of North Vernon, Ind. The sender is probably her sister, based on the salutation. The signed name is Golda.

Postcard from the Opening of Navigation Season

This undated postcard shows a freighter entering the Duluth Shipping Canal at some point in the early 1900s.

Postcard from the Aerial Lift Bridge at Night

This undated postcard, published by Zenith Interstate News Company, depicts the Duluth Ship Canal and Aerial Lift Bridge circa the early half of the 20th century.

Postcard from an Outbound Freighter

This undated postcard from Zenith Interstate News Company shows a freighter exiting the Duluth shipping canal into Lake Superior.

Postcard from the Passenger Steamer South American

This undated postcard, published by Zenith Interstate News Company, shows the Steamer South American on Lake Superior. It was built for the Chicago, Duluth & Georgian Bay Transit Company and launched as an overnight passenger ship on Feb. 21, 1914. A fire in 1924 required the upper works of the vessel to be rebuilt, resulting in the addition of a second smokestack, which is shown on the postcard.

Postcard from a Warship in the Duluth-Superior Harbor

This undated postcard, published by Zenith Interstate News Company, shows the USS Forrest Sherman Destroyer-931 docked on Rice’s Point in Duluth, with the Peavey grain elevator in the background.

Postcard from Enger Memorial Tower in 1950

This postcard was mailed 70 years ago. The date on the postmark is not clear, but it looks like July 8, 1950. The signature of the sender is also not entirely clear, but it appears to be Helen Lold. The recipient is Henry Maursey of Midland, Mich.

Airplane View of Grain Elevators, Lift Bridge and Duluth Harbor

This undated postcard from Zenith Interstate News Company offers a view of grain elevators on Rice’s Point, the Duluth-Superior Harbor, Aerial Lift Bridge and other waterfront locations.

The caption on the back reads:

Duluth-Superior Harbor ranks second in the world, second only to New York City in tonnage handled annually. More than ten thousand vessels arrive and depart annually from the Duluth-Superior Harbor. In this picture you see featured part of the great grain elevators and docks in the harbor. There are also the world’s largest iron ore and coal docks in this magnificent harbor.

Postcard from Duluth’s Waterfront

This undated postcard, published by Zenith Interstate Company of Duluth, with Plastichrome by Colourpicture Publishers of Boston, appears to be circa the early 1960s.

The caption on the back reads:

A Panoramic View of Duluth, Minnesota
The Harbor at Duluth-Superior is the second largest harbor in the world in total tonnage handled annually. More than 10,000 ships arrive and depart annually from the Duluth-Superior Harbor.

Postcard from West Superior Street

This undated postcard from Zenith Interstate News Company has a very 1960s look to it. The image shows businesses and traffic on the 400 block of West Superior Street in Downtown Duluth, looking northeast.

Postcards from Duluth’s Shipping Canal

There are a bazillion postcards of the Aerial Lift Bridge and various ships, but in this post the aim is to steer attention more to the shipping canal.

Postcards from Silver Creek Cliff

Before the Silver Creek Cliff Tunnel was built in the early 1990s, Highway 61 wound around the edge of the cliff. Drivers relied on skill and luck to avoid tumbling boulders or anything that might send them plunging over the edge into Lake Superior. The Gitchi-Gami State Trail was later built following the old Highway 61 path.

Postcard from the College of St. Scholastica, 1948

This postcard was mailed Aug. 4, 1948.

Postcard from Skyline Drive at Night

This postcard image looking out from Skyline Drive at the city’s hillside, downtown, Aerial Lift Bridge, Minnesota Point, Lake Superior and so on has been used a few times as Perfect Duluth Day’s cover photo on Facebook, and more than once has been met with the question, “Who did this painting?” The answer is, we don’t know. Old postcards rarely credit the artist. But maybe someone out there knows.

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