Photos
Last Chance Liquor and the Pawnbroker, 2011/2021
Here’s a look at a pair of East Fourth Street buildings — one soon to be demolished, another already lost to history. The photos on the left in the side-by-sides above are from Oct. 22, 2011. The ones on the right are from Oct. 22, 2021. (more…)
Mystery Photo: Ekstrom Wedding
Here they are, Berger and Hilda Ekstrom, in their wedding duds. We know their names thanks to the scribbling on the back of the photo. And we know from the cardboard frame that the photographer is Lars Linden, the fiery Swede who had a studio at 1619 W. Superior St. in Duluth. What’s the mystery? Well, everything else. What became of ol’ Berger and Hilda? (more…)
Selective Focus: Mushrooms
Instagram
151 likes, 24 comments - girlkitty on October 11, 2021: "Mushroom Monday!🍄 We found a variety of fungi at the lake this weekend. This one was particularly pretty.
#fungi #mushroommonday #fungilove #fungifanatic #busashutterbug #bestoftheusa_nature #bestoftheusa_macro #tnh_USA #USA_naturehippys #hiyapapayaphotoaday #dof_of_our_world #allkindsofnature #rebel_macro #macrophotography #macro_brilliance #macrophoto #minnesota_macro".
instagram.com
Because, well, everything gets its day, Oct. 15 is National Mushroom Day. And, as naturalist Larry Weber noted a few weeks back, there’s been a “shroom boom” this year, so we’ve selected a few images of local fungal growths via Instagram to highlight here. (more…)
Selective Focus: Geomagnetic Glory
Instagram
201 likes, 16 comments - flowstate_photography on October 12, 2021: "“The sky’s awake so I’m awake” Anna (Frozen)
Oh man, I was tired BEFORE I went out last night. I’m straight up exhausted today! I was thinking of calling it a night at about 11:15 when it just blew up! Honestly it was the best display I’ve seen since the June 2015 display.
Worth it? ABSOLUTELY.
#minnesotaexposure #wildlycreative #landscapephotography #slowphotographymovement #adventure #flowstate
#outside_project
#sharethestoke #wanderlust #opt_outside #ipulledoverforthis #petapixel #fstoppers #getoutside #exploretocreate #hiking
#natgeoyourshot #travelphotographer #chasinglight #ourwild #wildernessculture #findyouradventure #publiclandowner #outsidemagazine #opt_outside #52WeeksofNature #NaturePhotographyCollective #ShareTheOutdoors #northernlights #aurora #cuyuna".
instagram.com
A geomagnetic storm brought vibrant auroras across Minnesota and beyond last night and early this morning. Collected here are images via Instagram of northern lights across the region. (more…)
Postcard from the Jorgensons on Minnesota Point
Remember the Pettersen gals photo on Point of Rocks? Well, they’ve turned up in another old Duluth pic, this time on the beach at Minnesota Point. (more…)
Things I saw on Park Point
I woke up this morning and said to myself, “I’m going to Park Point to take pictures of mushrooms in sunbeams,” and indeed I did (some sunbeams not included). Along the way I saw many strange and wondrous things, it was like The Odyssey. Pics below the fold: (more…)
Successful transplanting of phallus impudicus
I successfully transplanted these phallus impudicus (“impudent phallus,” aka the common stinkhorn) from one end of town to another in my diabolical plan to expand the range of this deLIGHTful species. (more…)
Selective Focus: Fall Colors 2021
Instagram
428 likes, 4 comments - 7o7photography on September 25, 2021: "Calm morning on Lake Vermilion lined with boat houses 🏘️".
instagram.com
The Arrowhead region is awash with color once again. Track the progression of fall and peak color with the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources’ Fall Color Finder.
Featured here are select images from Instagram showcasing this year’s fall color display. (more…)
On patrol: Boat propeller blades
While on patrol I found these two big iron flower petal things not too far offshore, wedged among the rocks. They were about 50 feet from each other in around ten feet of water. I think they may be blades from a large boat propeller. Yes I wore a shark fin for this patrol — a couple years ago I encountered a three-foot muskie in this area, and felt it best I should shark up. (more…)
Selective Focus: Duluth Superior Pride 2021
Instagram
166 likes, 15 comments - afrogeode on September 6, 2021: "Saturday was epic. The festival (almost) got rained out and several people would have prepared for weeks to be told their voices couldn't be heard and their art couldn't be enjoyed. BUT our beautiful rainbow community showed up and our supporters and Allies had our backs and we all got on that stage and cleaned and dried like our lives depended on it. Because in a way...it did. In a world where so many of us are told no, where our relationship and gender orientations are constantly under attack, where we are killed, brutalized, and discriminated against, there are certain sacred spaces that we get to Just Be. We did not allow our space and platforms to be taken away.
I want to thank every performer at Pride who grabbed a towel/blanket, shortened their set, prayed, kept their outfit on, stood up, called bullshit on cis het men acting like God, danced, sang, and performed while being rained on. Baby, we know rain.... and we always know how to find the Rainbow🌈
THANK YOU Jess for being a killer stage manager and being so kind and thoughtful and beautiful.
The audience that stayed through the rain to support and cheer us on!!! The energy GAVE.
And a special thanks to the band @the_nickila , @marlenaboed @emanuwill , @ianbeats__ and @courtneyofduluth !!! I'm so proud ofus!!(pictures to come) your commitment and dedication and talent made this show possible I love you all. I can't believe we found each other. AND WE HAVE MORE IN STORE FOR YOU BECAUSE WE ARE STAYING TOGETHER!!!
PC: Rachel Goossens
#theresalwaysbeenarainbowhanginoveryourhead #duluthsuperiorpride #lovewins🌈 #queeraf #bisexualpride #polyamorous #translivesmatter #protectyourfamily".
instagram.com
Four days of Duluth Superior Pride events wrapped up yesterday. Collected here are select images from Instagram of the festivities. (more…)
Lake Superior Aquaman on patrol
Duluth MN circa 15 feet deep: All clear
Postcard of a Night Scene in Duluth
This postcard was mailed Aug. 14, 1941. It shows the Aerial Lift Bridge and western Downtown Duluth buildings in the city lights and illumination from the Moon. (more…)
SubSuperior: Day 1
Beta-test/proof of concept/first annual; video to come. Making music underwater and projecting it on land with hydrophones.
Postcard from Third Avenue in Hibbing, 1921
This postcard was mailed 100 years ago today — Aug. 6, 1921. The image shows Third Avenue in Hibbing looking north, including the Oliver Hotel at 422 Third Avenue. The card was published by T. C. Congdon. (more…)
West Duluth’s Allyndale Motel circa 1971
The Allyndale Motel has been in operation at 510 N. 66th Ave. W. since 1952. The backside of the postcard image above boasts the motel’s features circa the 1970s: “Overlooking Duluth – Free TV – Room Phones – Tubs and Showers – Large Units – Individually controlled Hot Water Heat.”
Lake Superior Aquaman graffiti in Iowa City
Thanks to citizen @wiscontron for bringing this to my attention. It reads “Lake Superior Aquaman” with a picture of a trident, then someone has followed that with “<- The Admiral Nelson of Great Lakes.”
Photos from Old Central’s 1890s Classroom and Clock Tower
This oil painting of Old Central was donated to the school in 1970 by the class of 1949. It was painted by Central alum Jo Kossett.
The original Central High School, which later became Duluth Public Schools’ Central Administration Building, aka Historic Old Central, will soon enter its next phase. Saturday Properties, a development and management firm based in St. Louis Park, plans to turn the Richardsonian Romanesque-style building into 121 mixed-income apartments. The project is called Zenith DCHS.
Collected in this post are images from inside the 1890s Classroom Museum at Old Central and the interior of the building’s clock tower, shot during a tour on July 2. (more…)
Selective Focus: Lupines
https://www.instagram.com/p/CQcV5thHNFE/
Numerous photos of lupines near Duluth and the North Shore have been shared recently on Instagram. The Wild Lupine (Lupinus perennis) is native to the area, while others are considered invasive species. Their flowers can be pink, purple and white in color. Please enjoy the collection of photos we pulled of local lupine sightings. (more…)
Selective Focus: A Year of Sunrises with Ron Benson
Stoney Point, March 6, 2021
Ron Benson, a Duluth glass and ceramic artist, began posting daily photos of sunrises over Lake Superior to Facebook during the first winter of the pandemic. I hadn’t known him as a photographer, so I was surprised. He posted these images almost every day, and they were amazing. I knew, and eventually thousands of people knew, that he’d be out perched on rocks as ice water slammed or sloshed, aiming a camera at the sunrise, every day. It was impressive. (more…)
Mystery Photo: Three Men in Caps
Anyone who wants to delve into the difference between a flat cap and a newsboy cap and a bakerboy cap and on and on can feel free to do so, but the main mysteries we seek to solve are who these three gentlemen might be and whether they were Duluthians. (more…)
Blueprints of Paul Baby
Found the blueprints on the internet and this anonymous cartoon in an old notebook.
Paul Baby