PDD Quiz: June 2020 in Review
See how much you remember about the events that made headlines this month!
The next PDD quiz will explore area swimming spots; it will be published on July 12. Submit question suggestions to Alison Moffat at aklawite@d.umn.edu by July 8. (more…)
Steve Solkela jumps a bike while holding an accordion
Iron Range musician/stuntman Steve Solkela straps on the squeezebox and leaps over a moving bicycle … because … fun.
Postcard from Franklin School in 1910
This postcard was mailed 110 years ago today — June 27, 1910. It shows Franklin Elementary School at 411 E. Seventh St., and the surrounding neighborhood. Franklin School was demolished in 1979 and is today the site of Hillside Sport Court Park. More on the history of Franklin School can be found on zenithcity.com. (more…)
Ripped at JT’s Bar in 2000
[Editor’s note: Set your Gayback Machine to the last few months of the Clinton administration. For this week’s essay we’ve once again pulled out a relic from the archive of Slim Goodbuzz, who visited JT’s Bar at 1506 N. Third St. in Superior and penned this report for the June 28, 2000 issue of the Ripsaw newspaper. Additional historical notes: JT’s closed in the summer of 2011 and was replaced by Shenanigan’s Bar. In late 2012 it became the Whiskey Ward, which closed in 2013. Izzy’s BBQ Lounge & Grill opened in August 2014 and remains there today.]
The first time I went to JT’s, I was young and foolish. I didn’t know it was a gay bar. “This place looks like a gay bar,” I exclaimed to the room, provoking a barrage of turned heads and strange looks. But despite embarrassing myself in public, I actually ended up having a pretty good time that night.
Then, a few weeks ago, a press release from the White House showed up at the RipSaw office reading, “I, William J. Clinton, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim June 2000 as Gay and Lesbian Pride Month. I encourage all Americans to observe this month with appropriate programs, ceremonies, and activities that celebrate our diversity and recognize the gay and lesbian Americans whose many and varied contributions have enriched our national life.” So, I decided to get drunk at JT’s. I simply could not pass up an invitation like that. (more…)
Selective Focus: LampsnTime – Rob and Teresa Reese
When you walk through the Duluth Antique Marketplace on Grand Avenue, like most antique malls, each booth has its own specialty and feel. But when you approach the LampsnTime booth, even from a distance, it’s clear there’s another layer of personality to it. Rob and Teresa Reese transform old discarded items into reimagined pieces of functional and decorative art.
LNT: With Teresa’s fascination with the Borg technology portrayed in Star Trek and Rob’s interest in all that is “haunted” naturally we fell in love with the Steampunk alternate history of the “Past that never was.” We repurpose all sorts of odd pieces we happen upon into industrial lamps, clocks, steampunk accessories and Assemblage art.
Six years ago, Rob made a lamp and friends expressed a desire to purchase one if he made more. That was the start to what we have become, Lampsntime. (more…)
Interview with Artist/Activist Votan
Artist and activist Votan visited Duluth’s American Indian Community Housing Organization with his family to show support and bring supplies during COVID-19. Video produced by Jeremy “JayGee” Gardner.
Ingeborg von Agassiz – “Elixir of Love”
A new track by Duluth’s Ingeborg von Agassiz.
Kitchi Gammi Club improves its Lake Superior view
Work has started on a new entrance and east lawn improvements at the Kitchi Gammi Club on Superior Street. (Photos by Mark Nicklawske)
The historic Kitchi Gammi Club is improving its front yard.
The 106-year-old landmark clubhouse at 831 E. Superior St. is undergoing an entrance upgrade that includes plans to improve an east lawn overlooking Lake Superior. The two-phase, $500,000 project broke ground in May. (more…)
Postcard from George A. Gray Company of Duluth
The George A. Gray Company was located at 117 W. Superior St. The building became a Wahl’s department store in 1936 and is still standing today, though it looks quite different. (more…)
This Town
This new documentary from WDSE-TV presents four small towns with big stories — Grand Portage, Ball Club, Kettle River and Sandstone. The one-hour feature is narrated by storyteller Kevin Kling, with music by Grammy winner Jon Vezner. This Town looks at the stories behind these towns and the people who are carrying those stories into the future.
Steve’s Overpopulated One-Man Band – “The Allergies Polka”
Iron Rangers Steve Solkela and Milliscent the Mannequin present this important message about allergies. The song is from Solkela’s 2019 album Flying Finns.
Duluth You & Me: The Depot
Use the link below for a printable PDF for your drawing and coloring pleasure.
Duluth You & Me: The Depot
Follow the Duluth You & Me subject tag to see additional pages. For background on the book see the original post on the topic.
Mystery Photos: Wide Awake Studios
The same pair of gentlemen appear in the photos above from the Wide Awake Studio in Duluth. In addition to the mystery of who the subjects of these photos might be is the question of why the particular studio they are standing in was open seven days a week until midnight. Why would people at the turn of the 20th Century want to, for example, get their photos taken at 11 p.m. on a Sunday? Was that normal? (more…)
Missing Person: Maxwell Willis
Update: Maxwell Willis and his vehicle have been located. The St. Louis County Sheriff’s Office would like to thank the citizen tipsters who contacted law enforcement, which led to his whereabouts.
The St. Louis County Sheriff’s Office is asking for the public’s assistance in locating a missing person from the Ely/Winton area. Maxwell Willis has not been heard from since June 18, and family and friends are concerned for his welfare.
Willis was last seen in the Winton area — about 80 miles north of Duluth — driving a black 1995 Chevy Tahoe with larger tires, bearing Minnesota license 6CD551.
Anyone who knows of Willis’s whereabouts, has seen him or his vehicle, or has had contact with him, is asked to contact the St. Louis County Sheriff’s Office by calling 911.
For Father’s Day I Denounce My White Confederate Heritage
I am disgusted by the Confederate flag, and by those white people who defend its display as “honoring their heritage.” I say this as a white native of the South, with deep Southern roots. I was born in Texas (slave state) to a mother from North Carolina (slave state) and a father from Georgia (slave state). I was raised below the Mason-Dixon line in Maryland (slave state).
The year I was born (1969), my father taught at an all-white private high school in Houston. The Civil Rights era raged. When the headmaster refused to desegregate the school, my father was part of a faculty exodus. My folks found a Maryland school that did not discriminate, and went to teach there. They raised me to believe in equality. But looking back through the history of the country, the full story of my family and race is a terrible thing: the Richardsons owned slaves for generations, and I can document it.
My dad was a Civil War buff. When I was a child, he told me many things about it, including: 1) there were Richardsons on both sides of the war, and 2) the Southern, slave-owning Richardsons were angry when their slaves were freed. (more…)
Local author Scott Laderman on the New Books Network
Scott Laderman is featured on the New Books Network. Hang ten, dudes, and listen to Laderman share his research. (more…)
Duluth: Wherever I’ve Been and Gone
Modern footage of a trip to Duluth, shot through an old Super 8 camera by Carsten Johnson, featuring Nick Drake’s “Blues Run the Game” as a soundtrack.
Sky Harbor Airport open after runway relocation
Sky Harbor Airport in Duluth reopened on June 12 following a third phase of construction. The runway was relocated from its previous position in order to protect an old-growth forest of red and white pine trees, which were growing into the approach and departure surfaces.
Video by Short Elliott Hendrickson.
Carolyn Olson on the PBS News Hour
https://youtu.be/ibHPjUtvkRk?t=3059
Duluth artist Carolyn Olson (previously on PDD) was featured in a segment on the PBS News Hour covering artists responding to the COVID-19 pandemic. The “Creative Moment” segment includes Olson discussing her series of pastel drawings of essential workers. The segment starts at the 47:20 mark of the video. Olson appears at the 51:05 mark.
Duluth Lynchings Legacy
The Minnesota Historical Society is commemorating the 100th anniversary of the 1920 Duluth lynchings with a week of remembrance and conversations about its legacy. A collection of resources is available at mnhs.org/duluthlynchings. Below are short video commentaries offering modern perspectives on the past and thoughts about the present and future.
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Selective Focus: Annelisa Roseen
Toward the beginning of the pandemic, Annelisa Roseen started posting a photo of herself in make-up and costumes looking like a person who has a birthday on that day. The individual images are entertaining and impressive, but when you view the body of work as Instagram thumbnails, you get a much better sense of the variety, commitment, and skills Roseen has to make this work. It’s not just about the props and make-up, the expressions in her face, whether deadpan or over the top, are often the thing that make the connection to the celebrity.
What was the inspiration for this ongoing project?
I had seen that it was Gloria Steinem’s birthday; she is one of my heroes. So when I was brushing out my two-day-old pandemic bun I noticed I was sporting a kind of ’70s Gloria-frizz-do. So I took a selfie (no real make-up or costume) and posted a happy birthday to her. The next day I saw it was Lenard Nimoy’s birthday and thought “that would be funny” to do him today. I studied pics and read up on his life. And then I never stopped! I have been doing my #homageaday every day since then! Every day I pick someone whose work is inspiring or meaningful or has made an impact on culture. I love becoming these (big and small) icons each day! Most days I do an individual’s face, but sometimes I honor their image in a different way — like I did James Brown’s feet dancing on his birthday. (more…)
I Can’t Breathe: A CJM Memorial Documentary
This documentary by DanSan Creatives honors the victims of the 1920 Duluth lynchings with modern perspectives on police brutality and the murder of George Floyd. (more…)
Duluth’s Neighborhood Telephone Exchanges, 1920
One hundred years is a long time, and the Duluth of one hundred years ago can seem like a place without much connection to the present. But whether we are aware of them or not, elements of the past always carry over into the present. As an illustration of that, these five images, taken by Duluth photographer Hugh McKenzie and included in UMD’s Kathryn A. Martin Library Archives and Special Collections, show the city’s neighborhood telephone exchanges in 1920. Shown individually below, they are followed by the most recent Google Streetview image of the same location. (more…)
Duluth You & Me: Port Town Trolley
Use the link below for a printable PDF for your drawing and coloring pleasure.
Duluth You & Me: Port Town Trolley
Follow the Duluth You & Me subject tag to see additional pages. For background on the book see the original post on the topic.
PDD Quiz: Superior’s Architectural Details
This week’s quiz is a companion to last month’s Duluth architectural details quiz. See how many Superior buildings you can identify based on their architectural features (and a few written clues)! To learn more about the buildings in this quiz, check out the Wisconsin Historical Society website, which was an invaluable resource for this quiz.
The next PDD quiz will test your knowledge of June 2020 headlines; it will be published on June 28. Submit question suggestions to Alison Moffat at aklawite@d.umn.edu by June 24. (more…)