Paul Lundgren
Bulk Freighter Maricopa, circa 1900-1910
This Detroit Publishing Company photo of the bulk freighter Maricopa comes with little information. The Library of Congress dates it as “between 1900 and 1910.” There’s no photographer name and no location. It’s even filed as “S.S. Merick [sic] of Duluth,” for some reason. (more…)
Postcard from the Duluth Auditorium
The Duluth Auditorium — now known as the Duluth Entertainment Convention Center‘s Symphony Hall — opened in 1966. It has hosted an extensive variety of musicians, comedians, theatrical companies and other entertainers over the years and is the home stage of the Duluth Superior Symphony Orchestra and Minnesota Ballet. Seating capacity is 2,221. (more…)
Mystery Photo #122: La La
Yes, it’s another car-prop photo from either the Post Card Shop in Minneapolis or the Penny Arcade in Duluth. (more…)
Duluth You & Me: Hawk Ridge
Use the link below for a printable PDF for your drawing and coloring pleasure.
Duluth You & Me: Hawk Ridge
Follow the Duluth You & Me subject tag to see additional pages. For background on the book see the original post on the topic.
North Country Trail in Wisconsin: Town of Summit
One nice thing about hiking on county roads is that if a deer fly is pestering you and you happen to walk by a freshly killed skunk, the fly will transfer to the skunk and leave you to hike in peace.
There are also fewer ticks on roads than on trails, and you are less likely to get lost. But the benefits of a trail instead of a highway are obvious and substantial. In particular: the natural beauty of the land is a bit less interfered with on a trail, there are no motorized vehicles to watch out for, and on hot days there is usually some protection from the blistering sun.
Those are the basic pros and cons as I hike through the town of Summit in my quest to follow the North Country Trail through Wisconsin. As I’ve explained in previous essays, the trail isn’t built yet in the area near the Minnesota border, with the exception of the Nemadji River Valley, so there is a road route connecting sections of the trail.
Last summer I hiked county roads W and B to Pattison State Park. So far in 2020 I’ve hiked from Pattison to the border between the towns of Summit and Gordon. All of this has happened without any overnight camping or serious day of dedicated hiking. It’s just casual car trips to walk the road in there-and-back stretches. (more…)
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. (more…)
Duluth You & Me: Weather
Use the link below for a printable PDF for your drawing and coloring pleasure.
Duluth You & Me: Weather
Follow the Duluth You & Me subject tag to see additional pages. For background on the book see the original post on the topic.
Stewart Shoe Company of West Duluth
One hundred years ago the Stewart Shoe Company was on its way out and American Bakery Company was on its way in at 324 N. Central Ave. in West Duluth. The building there was constructed in 1894 and today is occupied by Wussow’s Concert Cafe, which opened under the name Beaner’s Central in 1999. (more…)
Minnesota Point Lighthouse has been old for a long time
This ad appeared in the Duluth Herald newspaper on Sept. 4, 1920. The Minnesota Point Lighthouse was built in 1858, and it seems its deterioration happened largely in its first 62 years. (more…)
Postcard from a Beautiful Lake Superior Shore Line
This postcard was mailed Sept. 2, 1935 — 85 years ago today. “Lois and Ben” sent the card from Duluth to Mr. & Mrs. Lewis Jones of Highland Park, Mich. (more…)
Monthly Grovel: September 2020 Edition
It’s been nearly six months since the day the world got canceled. At this moment in time, some events are still being canceled, but more aren’t even being planned in the first place. Still, there are hundreds of events each month that are happening as safely as possible, whether they are “virtual” events online or part of the physically distanced masquerade ball the world has turned into. For better or worse, the PDD Calendar continues to report what’s happening today, tomorrow and on into infinity … or at least into 2021.
Once a month we reach out with a beggarly blog post to remind everyone that human beings and not machines are at work editing and publishing calendar events on Perfect Duluth Day. So if you appreciate it, drop a few bucks in the PayPal account. (more…)
Duluth You & Me: Fourth of July Fireworks
Duluth’s 2020 fireworks were canceled … twice … so here’s the best we can do. (more…)
Postcard from Central High School in 1910
This postcard of Duluth Central High School is postmarked Aug. 29, 1910 — 110 years ago today.
The message on the back is to Miss Nevada Simpson of Crookston, Minn. (more…)
Kresge Girls’ Baseball Team of 1920
From the Aug. 28, 1920 Duluth Herald.
Postcard from Jay Cooke State Park
This undated postcard from Gallagher’s Studio of Photography shows a waterfall and the famous swinging bridge on the St. Louis River at Jay Cooke State Park. (more…)
Duluth You & Me: Lake Superior Zoo
Use the link below for a printable PDF for your drawing and coloring pleasure.
Duluth You & Me: Lake Superior Zoo
Follow the Duluth You & Me subject tag to see additional pages. For background on the book see the original post on the topic.
Mystery Photo #121: Buggy Boys
A recurring source of confusion in the Mystery Photo series is whether particular images that share the stamp of the Post Card Shop in Minneapolis and the Penny Arcade in Duluth were shot in Minneapolis or Duluth. Here is another such image.
Postcard from the Duluth Civic Center
This early 1970s postcard shows Duluth’s Civic Center, which includes the St. Louis County Courthouse, Duluth City Hall, Gerald W. Heaney Federal Building, St. Louis County Jail and the Soldiers and Sailors Monument. (more…)
Upset Duluth: Postal Plight Edition
Here’s the latest addition to PDD’s ongoing “Upset Duluth” series, in which we feature Duluth News Tribune photos of people who are upset.
Story link: Plight of Postal Service concerns Duluth customers
And don’t forget to check out the ever-expanding Upset Duluth Gallery.
Guide to Duluth-related Blogs in 2020
While social media platforms with single-sentence content and auto-deleting videos get all the hype, old-school blogging remains as popular as ever. A cataloging of Duluth-related web logs reveals there might be more of them than ever. So if you’re interested in following the musings of those who do more than tweet, snap, tik and tok, read on. (more…)
Mystery Photo: Another from Cook Ely
This image from the Ely Studio of Duluth comes to Perfect Duluth Day via Neal Eisenberg, a native Duluthian. (more…)
Duluth You & Me: Skyline Drive
Use the link below for a printable PDF for your drawing and coloring pleasure.
Duluth You & Me: Skyline Drive
Follow the Duluth You & Me subject tag to see additional pages. For background on the book see the original post on the topic.
Advice Regarding Watermelon
On an early-summer day at the grocery store, you might notice a sale on watermelon and think you should buy some. That would be a mistake. A sale on watermelon means the store wants to get rid of surplus garbage fruit.
If you buy some anyway, you might get home and decide to carry a bag of your other groceries in one hand and the melon in the other while attempting to operate the door handle and greet your happy, beautiful dog jumping up at you. That would be a mistake. Your watermelon will roll out of your hand and split in half on the floor.
You might think the logical response to the splattering of your melon should be to exclaim as loud as possible the most vile words you can imagine. That would be a mistake. Although it is indeed the logical response in that moment, you should realize your spouse is one door away on an important work-related phone call. (more…)
Steamer Christopher Columbus at Duluth
The Library of Congress captions this image “Steamer Christopher Columbus from Duluth passing industrial buildings,” and dates it “between 1900 and 1915.”
The SS Christopher Columbus was the longest whaleback ship ever built and the only one outfitted to serve as a passenger steamer — the rest were cargo barges. It was built by American Steel Barge Company in Superior and was in service from 1893 to 1933. (more…)
Postcard from American Steel and Wire Works
This undated postcard was published by H. C. Wick Company of Duluth, and features an Ektachrome photograph by Rod Peterson.
The caption on the back of the card reads:
American Steel & Wire plant at Morgan Park, Duluth, Minn. View from Skyline Boulevard.