Collections and Memorabilia
Duluthy Stickers
Duluth-themed stickers created by artist Samantha Nielsen.
A previous post on Perfect Duluth Day featured “Duluth Band Stickers.” Now we present the rest of the adherent merch representing Duluthy stuff. (more…)
The S.S. Meteor Placemat
Found at a thrift store in Webster: a packet of 50 paper placemats promoting tours of the SS Meteor in Superior.
Duluth-area Hockey Pin-back Buttons
With hockey season well underway, we’ve pulled out the hockey-related buttons from Perfect Duluth Day’s larger button collection. (more…)
Duluth Dukes 1955 Program Cover
Duluth Dukes’ pitchers gave up five home runs in a 12-8 loss to the St. Cloud Rox on July 22, 1955 — 70 years ago today. The program above has that particular date penned on its cover, along with the word “vacation.” (more…)
Ashtrays of Duluth
In celebration of the nasty habits of smoking and advertising, collected here are various Duluth-branded ashtrays representing a variety of establishments. (more…)
The Duluth Artwork of J. W. Perry
The photo of a painting above comes to Perfect Duluth Day via Dean M. Brickson, who wondered why there was no information online about the artist J. W. Perry. (more…)
Duluth Band Stickers
In the aftermath of the 2024 Homegrown Music Festival a few band stickers that got crammed into jacket pockets and tossed onto shelves have been assembled into a tiny pile at the Perfect Duluth Day World Headquarters. Which got us to wondering how many there are in total, either stuck to something or crammed into drawers. It turns out, maybe not that many. The initial search at PDDHQ turned up only ten, but there might be more hiding in forgotten spots. So consider this post a work in progress, and please share images of the local band stickers you’ve got on your bumpers, lockers or the paper-towel dispensers of your favorite drinking establishments. (more…)
Lozon’s Marine Bar and Grill
Tracey Clark, owner of the resale shop Tracey’s Treasures of Duluth, submitted this photo of an old beer glass she recently acquired. It raises two questions: Where and when could a person or mermaid find Lozon’s Marine Bar and Grill? The answer, according to Superior city directories, was at 3827 E. Second St. in the Allouez neighborhood. Today that spot is the parking lot of the Tipsy Beaver Bar. (more…)
Mystery Logo from Duluth Shirt
This sweatshirt logo is clearly connected to some sort of Duluth organization, but what? Does that symbol represent some combination of letters or some concept? Does anyone recognize this logo? (more…)
Arty Duluth Concert Ticket Stubs
In general, concert tickets are not attractively designed. These days people show up at the gate with a computer printout as evidence of admission purchased online, or more often just hold up their phone to display a code. When there are physical tickets involved, they tend to be nothing more than a faded Ticketmaster logo with the show details in grey, all-caps print. And that’s just in the case of mainstream traveling artists.
When it comes to shows featuring local bands, there often are no tickets involved at all. Admission is frequently free or it’s a cash-at-the-door affair. But there are a few occasions where tickets to local shows get arty. (more…)
Duluth-area School Pin-back Buttons
Be true to your school and let your colors fly. Collected here are various pin-back buttons promoting schools in, or near, Duluth. (more…)
One Great Lake. Two Great Cities.
Early 1980s Twin Ports tourism newspaper ad.
Matchbooks from Duluth Hotels and Motels
Modern and fireproof, featuring the finest food and liquors, located at the center of everything and on the shore of beautiful Lake Superior, containing all possible comforts and conveniences, with lodging available for the whole family, they are the classic hotels and motels of Duluth.
This is the fourth in Perfect Duluth Day’s series of matchbook collection posts. As always, we remind everyone to please close the cover before striking. (more…)
Sexy 1938 Denfeld Beanie
Beanies are not likely to make any back-to-school fashion lists in 2022, but at some point in time Denfeld High School had a line of round, brimless, snug-fitting, maroon-and-gold skullcaps. (more…)
Canal Park souvenir invites tourists to envision a lift bridge over the Mississippi
Some years ago, I had a Duluth nameplate hanging from the back of my bicycle, which I suppose is why I impulsively bought another when I saw it recently in a Canal Park souvenir shop. I vaguely remember the one I had purchased in my younger years having a generic cityscape and not actually showing Duluth.
This one seemed no different, and might even be the same design, but this time I noticed that the building on the far left had a rather specific architecture. Checking with a group of skyscraper-obsessed friends led me to a conclusion that I should have reached myself: this Duluth souvenir depicts the skyline of St. Paul. (more…)
The “Souvenir of Duluth” decorative pillow cover
It’s certainly no odder than the Pink Aerial Lift Bridge Dollhouse Toilet, but the Duluth pillow cover still qualifies as an oddity. I nabbed the image from an eBay listing circa 2018 and figured it was a one-off thing someone made, but then … (more…)
The Pink Aerial Lift Bridge Dollhouse Toilet
It’s been nearly 10 years since the pink Aerial Lift Bridge dollhouse toilet was first mentioned on Perfect Duluth Day — back when it was listed for sale on eBay. Since the reference to it was just a brief mention in a comment to the PDD Gift Guide 2012, perhaps it is time the Duluthy commode is revisited and given its own separate post, if for no other purpose than for speculating on its origin. (more…)
Matchbooks from Superior-area Restaurants and Bars
One year ago Perfect Duluth Day published a collection of “Matchbooks from Duluth Restaurants and Bars.” Now we honor the neighboring city of Superior, and the rest of northwestern Wisconsin, with a collection of matchbooks from Superior-area restaurants and bars. (more…)
Time Capsule Needed
What’s the proper endgame for this shirt? In my practice, bleach spillage (as is the case here) would usually qualify this shirt for a move from my Saturday pile to the rag bin. But with this being such a noteworthy piece of early Perfect Duluth Day, and for that matter Duluth history, it seems like there should be a more proper retirement. (more…)
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…)
Duluth is the Summer City of the Continent
Happy solstice! This magazine advertisement from 1918 promotes the summer weather and charm of Duluth, including the “hundreds of miles of perfect roads.” (more…)
Duluth Dukes bus for sale on Facebook Marketplace
An interesting ad for a 1956 Flxible Visicoach popped up May 4 on Facebook. The destination sign on the bus reads “Duluth Dukes.” Apparently, it’s a former team bus. (more…)
Winter Sports in Duluth, 1929
This brochure from 1929 highlights “Winter Sports in Duluth,” including the old toboggan chute at Chester Park, as seen on the cover. (more…)
Matchbooks from Duluth Restaurants and Bars
Perfect Duluth Day published its first gallery of Duluth-area matchbooks in 2015. Since then, the collection has grown significantly. This new post features only matchbooks from bars and restaurants in Duluth. Some of them have been pulled out of the original post and placed in this new post; others are appearing for the first time.
Enjoy the nostalgia and, whatever you do, for the love of humanity, please close cover before striking. (more…)
Duluth Athletic Club Cigar Box
Because nothing says physical fitness like a box of stogies.