History
If there really was a lull in the flowing of the poppy juice, it did not occur until long after the hour set by law
From the Jan. 1, 1914, Duluth News Tribune
Revelers laugh at law calling for early close
In two hotels the price brings liquid refreshment after hours with no questions asked and no evidence of police as delirium marks new year.
“Five dollars for a table and a bottle of wine,” the going quotation at Holland – “It’s after hours; can’t be served,” greeted with wild laughter. (more…)
Down on Raleigh Street
Slideshow by Roger Nesje with music by Steve Johnson, paying tribute to old Two Street in West Duluth.
The attitude 100 years ago
Just a cheesy Dutch Boy Paint greeting card from 1913. The company printed cards with various city names, so Duluth was nothing special. Folks were in for everything back then.
Elim Lutheran Church 1983 Directory
Here it is in all its splendor, recovered from the More Than Memories Antique Emporium in West Duluth.
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Connolly’s: Behind the Batter
For the past few years around this time, the discussion on PDD has turned to Tom & Jerrys – where to find the fixins, if there are acceptable alternatives to Connolly’s, and the ups and downs for Connolly’s.
The PDD film crew got sweet and sticky with Steve Knauss and John Kurth as they began production on this year’s batch of Connolly’s Tom & Jerry batter.
Stay warm, stay frothy.
Who remembers Scarlett Feed Store on First and Second avenues east?
I’m looking for a description of it (my memory is not always to be trusted) or, even better, old photos. I remember it from when I was a child, so that would have been in the mid-to-late 1960s, maybe even 1970s. I don’t remember when it closed but it had been there since the late 1800s.
Babe Ruth visited Duluth
. . . in 1926. For the story of that visit see the latest posting at the Reference@Duluth blog.
Name Origin of Clough Island
Does anybody know who is the “Clough” behind the name of Clough Island?
Fond du Lac Park’s Winter Sports Center: The Lake Placid of the Northwest
The subject of Fond du Lac’s old Winter Sports Center came up on PDD once before, about a year ago. Earlier this week, I came across this Feb. 4, 1940, Duluth News Tribune clipping at the Duluth Public Library, reporting on construction of the ski jumping hill and amenities.
The floods of 1972 marked the end of this western Duluth attraction, when the ski jump was removed due to erosion.
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A few images from the Woodland Middle School auction
Amid the chaos of the auction, I managed to snap a few shots for posterity. I was only there for an hour, but I wouldn’t be surprised to hear this auction went on from 4 p.m. to midnight. There was a lot of stuff, a lot of bidders, and things weren’t going cheaply. Wanna buy an auditorium? A pool?
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Duluth reference in The Goodbye Girl
It’s probably been dealt with here before, but Richard Dreyfus (as Elliot Garfield) and Quinn Cummings (as Lucy McFadden) have a conversation at the supper table in the 1977 film The Goodbye Girl and have this exchange:
I taught drama at Duluth Junior College.
You taught drama? Far out!
Very far out. It’s up near Canada.
Audio Archive: The Replacements at Saints Roller Rink in 1982
This recording popped up in the comments to an old PDD post — “Treatment Bound” — but it seems as if it warrants its own post.
Woodland School Song
While wondering the halls of Woodland Middle School, I came upon the school song.
The school is slated for destruction in the very near future. I can hardly wait for the Chipotle or other chains that they will force upon us.
The Louie Show: Intro and Theme
Here it is, the opening theme to The Louie Show. Thanks to Waferdog for passing along this essential archival VHS treasure from 1996.
There isn’t really any Duluth footage in the opening, other than the big “Duluth” sweatshirt Louie sports.
Goodbye, Woodland Jr.
Last chance to visit Woodland Middle School this weekend. Classic junior high 1980s memories of fashion issues and general awkwardness. And lots of “going out with people” started and ended often via notes.
Duluth News Tribune: Say goodbye to Duluth’s Woodland Middle School
Old Howard Mill and the (Possibly) Incendiary Howard Boys
Back in 2009, some folks on PDD wondered about the Old Howard Mill Road, where it went, and who the heck the Howards were. I just wrote an article that sheds some light on that subject, for your reading pleasure.
Above is a photo of the Howard family marker at Forest Hill, with an annoying late afternoon shadow across it.
Did JFK have a ball in Duluth?
Well, this is a pretty big anniversary. Not two months after his 1963 stay in the Hotel Duluth, Jack found a bullet, or three, in Dallas. I’ve been reading up on the frothy array of differing assassination opinions and greatly look forward to another go around with the subject this week on PBS. The more you get into it, the deeper and messier it gets, the more suspects there are, and on and on. I doubt the fine bloggers of PDD are closer to the truth than anyone, but please, offer your ideas or memories.
Jim Heffernan’s Blog: “A Kennedy affair to remember — even in Duluth“
Miss Dorothy Crawford’s Duluth Adventure
There’s a fun piece on the Glensheen Blog called “No Outdoor Sports Until it Warms Up to Zero.” It’s a 101-year-old letter from a Vassar College student named Dorothy Crawford, who traveled to Duluth to visit her classmate, Helen Congdon, and stayed at the Congdon mansion. She writes about the comforts of Glensheen, going to the bonspiel, going to a show at the Orpheum (now the NorShor), eating caviar sandwiches at the Hotel Spaulding, skating on the lake, etc., and concludes with a tobogganing party at Chester Bowl.
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The Louie Show
Minnesota-born comedian Louie Anderson starred in a CBS sitcom in 1996 that was set in Duluth. It didn’t last long. Six episodes were produced; five were aired. None of the episodes were shot in Duluth, but the opening theme featured Louie in a sweatshirt with “Duluth” across the chest and some transition footage was shot in Duluth. The show is not available on DVD or streaming on Netflix, but thanks to old VHS copies floating around town we’ve been able to pull together excerpts from four episodes (see below).
Duluth-Superior Harbor Circa 1975
This postcard image was published by Gallagher’s Studio of Photography. My great aunt Jennie mailed it to me in 1975, noting she had a “wonderful ride on a boat called the Vista Queen.” She specified that “there were 147 people on the boat” and “the trip took two hours.”
I was 3 years old at the time, and my family was living in Albuquerque, N.M., with plans to move back to Duluth. Jennie ended her message with, “Little Paul, can you count all the boats in the picture on this card?”
Well, I’m 40 years old now and I got the answer wrong. I counted 12 boats. How many do you see, little readers?
The printed info on the postcard reads: “Duluth-Superior Harbor: Foreign vessels are shown at the Arthur M. Clure Public Marine Terminal. The Duluth-Superior Harbor is the westerly terminus of the St. Lawrence Seaway.”
And that concludes today’s Show and Tell.
Duck’s feet and bird’s nest soup in Duluth
Duluth News Tribune — Oct. 16, 1916:
Hello, my name is October 2003
A search through the PDD Archives for October 2003 reveals a wild month. Rick Boo closed the NorShor Theatre (causing much reminiscing on PDD), Bone Appetit was supposed to open for Ratt at the Third Rock Bar until Ratt cancelled at the last minute, people on PDD started posting short introductions about themselves and telling ghost stories, Starfire got his jaw jacked, Jamie Ness was voted Hottest Ness Brother, a cake/fist fight broke out at Slim Goodbuzz’s book-release party, Elliot Smith died and Shaky Ray Records hosted some kind of party.
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And now a commercial break … from 1993
Here’s a block of 1993 Duluth-related television commercials, because, as noted before on this site, commercials stop being annoying and turn into cheesy little historical treasures when they get old.
The lineup includes: Daugherty’s, Republic Bank, Duke Skorich Assignment: Serbia/Croatia, Minnesota Surplus, KBJR 6 News: The Team to Watch, Floor to Ceiling Store, Menards and Bullyan Recreation Center.