Chester Park
Bathing girls frolic in Chester Park snowdrift
As an addendum to the “High spots from West Duluth Day at the 1926 Winter Frolic” post we present this digitally enhanced photo from the cover of the Feb. 11, 1926 Duluth Herald. It appeared in the paper with the headline “Bathing girls frolic in Chester Park snowdrift.” (more…)
Original Chester Bowl warming house opened at end of 1925
The Jan. 2, 1926 Duluth Herald reported on the recent opening of a warming house at Chester Park, one month ahead of the national ski tournament held there. A new chalet was built at the ski hill in 1972. It was named the Thom Storm Chalet following Storm’s 2015 retirement as Chester Bowl’s director. An expansion and renovation project for that chalet is planned for later this year.
Carl Holmstrom jumped 110 feet at Chester Bowl in 1925
Carl Holmstrom had the longest ski-jump at Chester Park during the opening event of the 1925 season, held on Jan. 4, 100 years ago today. The newspaper clip above is from the previous day’s edition of the Duluth Herald. Below is the report of the race from the Jan. 5 Herald. (more…)
Chester Creek Concert Series now Music in the Park, half of season will be in Lincoln Park
Duluth’s Parks and Recreation division announced today that performer applications are being accepted for the 2024 Music in the Park concert series. Formerly known as the Chester Creek Concert Series, the Tuesday-night shows will be held at Chester Park from June 18 to July 16, then at Lincoln Park from July 23 to Aug. 13. (more…)
Duluth’s Lost Township on Chester Creek
Co-written with Allen Richardson
The Duluth Inside Duluth
In 1963, on 14th Avenue East overlooking Chester Creek, seven houses installed their own sewer rather than hook up to the city system. To do so, they took advantage of the experimentation sweeping the nation regarding public services. New forms of neighborhood government had emerged as housing associations. These seven houses applied for a federal grant as an independent municipal corporation. Technically they seceded from Duluth and became an autonomous township inside the city limits.
A democratic sub-society, the citizen-residents named the township “Duluth” by unanimous vote. After all, they felt they should not have to change the name of where they lived; in fact they were the real Duluth. Their right to name themselves was blessed by an appellate court ruling in 1968, hence “the Duluth inside Duluth.” (more…)
Chester Park has a new kind of tree: A poetree
“This book is offered in the form of a poetry chrysalis to encourage us to think about how we are a part of nature and how our actions cause change,” Wildwood wrote on the note. (Photo by Rob Wildwood via Facebook)
Picking a new summer book just got easier. Duluth writer Robert Wildwood has taken the free library idea to new heights, offering up copies of his latest book of poetry to the public in a novel way. This month, chrysalides of poetry appeared in Chester Park trees, and they are a gift for you. (more…)
Postcard from the Ski Scaffold in Duluth
The ski scaffold in this postcard should not be confused with “Big Chester,” the jump that stood in Chester Park from 1924 to 2014. The postmark on this card is March 8, 1912. (more…)
Philip Jones Keeping the Stairway into Chester Park Clear
As I struggled to get down into and then out of the Chester Park ravine during a walk, I recalled this short video interview I made with Philip Jones in 2017. Enjoy Philip’s thoughts on stairways, community, and the fact that the Hillside was built for trolleys, not for thousands of cars!
Quiz regarding the location of the Northeast Passage to follow!
Duluth You & Me: Chester Bowl Ski Jump
Sadly, the ski jumps at Chester Bowl were demolished in 2014, but the memories live on in this coloring exercise.
Use the link below for a printable PDF for your coloring and drawing pleasure.
Duluth You & Me: Chester Bowl Ski Jump
Follow the Duluth You & Me subject tag to see additional pages. For background on the book see the original post on the topic.
Chester Park Walk: 360 Reframe
Shot in Chester Park with a GoPro Max 360 using the Reframe effect.
Duluth Parades, Ski Jumping and Coal Shipping Circa 1941
On Feb. 1, 2000, Duluth businessman Monnie Goldfine recorded a voiceover track for his family films, most of which he shot himself between 1939 and 1946. Perfect Duluth Day has divided the footage into three segments:
- Part one: “The Goldfines Go East” depicts a family trip to the World’s Fair
- Part two: “Duluth Parades, Ski Jumping and Coal Shipping Circa 1941” is a collection of Duluth footage
- Part three: “Goldfines in the 1940s: Picnics and Fishin’ Trips” features scenes of family and friends in Duluth or on picnics and cabin retreats in the region.
Wild, a spoken-word musical tribute to weasels, inspired by an encounter in Chester Park
A celebration of the weasel family (mustelids) inspired by an encounter I had with a least weasel in the deep woods portions of Chester Park Ravine, which led to a re-reading of Annie Dillard’s essay, “Living Like Weasels.” (more…)
“The Glen” at Garfield Park in Duluth
This 1897 issue of Duluth’s Labor World shows the waterfall and cauldron of “the Glen” in Chester Park. From 1894 to 1902 the area was named Garfield Park. (more…)
Lower Chester Park Mini-Master Plan draft released
Duluth’s Parks and Recreation Division is requesting public comment on the Lower Chester Park Mini-Master Plan draft until Jan. 31. There is also a supplementary survey for the plan that members of the public are encouraged to complete.
Following the public comment period, a final draft of the plan will be reviewed and voted on by the Duluth Parks Commission on Feb. 14 at 5 p.m. in Duluth City Hall, Council Chambers. For more information about the plans, visit the Parks Planning webpage at duluthmn.gov.
One of Duluth’s first four parks, Chester Park spans approximately 131 acres between 13th and 15th avenues east and stretches from Kenwood Avenue to Fourth Street, where Chester Creek runs under the street and, a few blocks later, disappears underground before emerging near Leif Erikson Park, where it empties into Lake Superior. Lower Chester Park, specifically, is located at 15th Avenue East and East Fifth Street and is about two acres in size.
PDD at Fall Fest
Despite a little drizzle, Fall Fest is happening today as scheduled, Saturday, Sept. 16, at Chester Bowl Park, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Join us in the PDD tent, located between the playground and the stage. You can hang with us in our photo booth and listen to Woodblind, Ingeborg von Agassiz and Mama’s Stolen Horses perform throughout the day. Keep up with happenings via #pddfallfest.
“Restoring” Chester Creek?
This afternoon I went running in Chester Park for the first time in a while. I parked at the Chalet and immediately noticed this posting on a light pole:
Apparently the city and the Soil and Water Conservation District will be removing the old dams at the foot of the ski hill, revegetating the stream banks, and building a pedestrian footbridge. My first reaction to this was, “Cool! It’ll be great to have a restored stream habitat.” But as I thought about it a little more, I started wondering what it was exactly that needs restoring here. (more…)
Breanne Marie and the Front Porch Sinners – “Carousel”
New video for “Carousel” by Breanne Marie & the Front Porch Sinners. Shot at Chester Bowl by Michelle Truax of Duluth.com. From their upcoming album Wildflowers & Tumbleweeds, recorded at Sparta Sound with Rich Mattson.
The record release party is Saturday, Sept. 16 at Beaner’s Central. (more…)
Portion of Chester Park Trail washed out
A segment of the hiking trail in Chester Park on the east side of the creek, between Skyline Parkway and the Eighth Street bridge, washed out during recent heavy rainfall. Trail closure signs are in place leading up to and around the area, along with orange fencing.
Duluth’s Parks and Recreation Division requests hikers avoid the washed-out area and instead use the trail on the west side of Chester Creek. The pedestrian bridge near Eighth Street is open for trail users to safely cross the creek to the west side.
Video Archive: Chester Creek Highline Slackline
Ten years ago Jason Hedlund uploaded this little gem to YouTube. It later landed on Perfect Duluth Day and has gathered over 8,000 views in the past decade. (more…)
Video Archive: Water Skipping at Chester Bowl in 2007
One decade ago the springtime water-skipping action at Chester Bowl in Duluth was excellent. This video depicting the skiing, snowboarding, saucering, couching and so on that took place has gathered more than 32,000 views in the ten years since it first appeared on PDD in 2007.
Taking it Outside
I’ve overbooked myself lately.
A common problem and in this case, it’s completely my fault — taking on more foolishness than hours in the day. So, like most of us, I cut corners by eliminating “extra” stuff, like exercise and staring into middle space.
My near daily walk in Chester Bowl or less frequent craning-of-neck views of the bluffs at Tischer Creek has been put on hiatus. (Even though I live near one park and drive past the other daily.) I’ll ’fess up to only one, maybe two visits to Canal Park and Park Point beach this winter. I mean, I’ll be back, you know, just after the due date passes, that class ends, oh – and, that other thing.
I’m embarrassed to say that recently I’ve seen more Duluth landscape on Perfect Duluth Day and Destination Duluth these days than actually experienced.
And I’m worse for it.
I need to take a Sharpie and write, “I’m happier when I play outside” backward, then slap it on my forehead so I can read it in the mirror in the morning. Plan accordingly. (more…)
Chester Bowl scheduled to open Saturday
The weather has finally been cooperating and the two snow guns have been running since last Thursday, so Chester Bowl is planning to open this Saturday, Dec. 26. That will also be the first day of Ski Camp. Chester will also be open New Year’s Eve from 11 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., but closed New Year’s Day. The first race is Jan. 3.
Rink Relief: Episode 1
Video by Rawlin Kessler shot at Rip Williams Memorial Rink at Chester Park.
Postcards from Chester Park
“Chester Park is popular both in summer and winter,” according to old postcard propaganda. “In it is located one of America’s highest ski jumps and also Chester Creek, one of several flowing thru the city in which trout may be caught. Duluth is the only city in the United States where trout fishing is possible within city limits.”
Well, we know the famous ski jumps came down in 2014, but there seems to be another fact in there worth examining. Was Duluth at one time really the only city with trout fishing? Prove it or debunk it, dear reader.
In the meantime, here are more snappy postcards … (more…)