Having spent a great deal of time in the park over the last few years I definitely prefer Leif Ericson, although the official Duluth spelling appears to be Leif Erikson.

This is better than Erickson which I simply cannot abide.

Just goes to show, there's no undo or spellcheck on solid rock.

Am I the only one who got excited about this post because I thought it was referring to the Viking bar in Superior? The "old Viking" was great...colorful characters, a high likelihood the guy with the hook would be there hitting on all the ladies, an even higher likelihood the police would come by to pick someone up, cheapest beer in town.  Once the ownership changed hands things just haven't been the same. Leif Erickson's cool and all, but not as cool as my favorite old Viking.

There's another one besides Los Angeles but I'm disqualified because I accidentally found it yesterday while I was trying to verify the "correct" spelling in Duluth Parks and Rec.  I'm assuming you wanted people to guess sans Google/Wikipedia support, right?

By the way Tony D. you totally persuaded me on this subject now, 180 degrees.  If that's the spelling the shipbuilders used now it makes perfect sense to me to use it for the park, I still don't LIKE it, but it makes sense.  

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As for Leif EriKson's latest conquest, sjxxxy must have been referring to the tradtion of Nursing students "dressing" him up on graduation each spring.  I could see a PDD gallery of various incarnations over the years ... and maybe some more history on that long run of playful (not harmful or destructive) pranks.  The best kind just wrecking stuff like apparently those kids did in Hibbing area last week is tragic, not at all funny.

"Leif the Lucky"

Not L.A.; not Chicago.

It is a major city, though, so hard to hint without giving it away.

The same neighborhood where the staue is found includes a restaurant called Hattie's Hat that has lutefisk on the menu, a few doors down from the Tractor Tavern, named for a painting by Duluth native Dan Amell, which hangs behind the bar.

I actually thought you meant this one, Brooklyn, New York City which has yet another spelling: Leiv Eiriksson.

I would support Erikson, since I don't believe in the letter C.

Does anyone knows why the statue was erected in Duluth? Also, is it possible to get hold of someone who lived in Duluth in 1956 and remembers the statue being erected?