Paul Lundgren Posts

Duluth You & Me: A Souvenir Activity/Coloring Book

Right in the middle of a shelter-in-place order, when a Duluth coloring and activity book is most needed, Perfect Duluth Day pulls this 1993 relic out of the basement library.

Postcard from Duluth’s Lighthouse Lot in Canal Park

This undated postcard from the Gallagher Studio of Photography shows the parking lot near the Duluth Shipping Canal, which is known as the Lighthouse Lot.

The caption on the back of the card reads:

Canal Park in Duluth, Minnesota
Westerly Terminus of the St. Lawrence Seaway

Duluthians shed tears openly at news of Roosevelt’s death

President Franklin D. Roosevelt died in office on April 12, 1945, after a massive intracerebral hemorrhage at the age of 63. Shown here is how it was reported in Duluth.

Postcard from Duluth’s Waterfront

This undated postcard, published by Zenith Interstate Company of Duluth, with Plastichrome by Colourpicture Publishers of Boston, appears to be circa the early 1960s.

The caption on the back reads:

A Panoramic View of Duluth, Minnesota
The Harbor at Duluth-Superior is the second largest harbor in the world in total tonnage handled annually. More than 10,000 ships arrive and depart annually from the Duluth-Superior Harbor.

Betty Grable & Dick Haymes – “The Back Bay Polka”

From the 1946 film The Shocking Miss Pilgram, Betty Grable and Dick Haymes sing “The Back Bay Polka,” written by George and Ira Gershwin. A reference to Duluth is around the 50-second mark.

Mystery Photo #104: Mustached Dude with Fat Tie

Who is this handsome Duluthian? Was he actually a Duluthian at all or just passing through and feeling photogenic?

Monthly Grovel: April 2020 COVID-19 Edition

(Enter the amount of your choice.)

Typically Perfect Duluth Day’s monthly pitch for donations brags about how many events we publish on the PDD Calendar and notes all the labor required to do it. In the past three weeks, however, most of that work has shifted to marking events “cancelled” or “postponed.” We are still publishing new events, but most of them are either “virtual” events happening online, or concerts and neighborhood celebrations planned several months into the future. So our mission continues, but it’s a much lamer mission, at least for the short term.

Why do we need your help now more than ever? Because when life gets cancelled the advertising revenue that keeps Perfect Duluth Day in business slowly disappears. Nearly every enterprise in town is struggling in these challenging times.

Masonic Temple, Duluth, Minn.

The Duluth Masonic Temple at 4 W. Second St. opened 115 years ago — March 24, 1905, and continues to operate today as the Duluth Masonic Center.

The Value of Duluth Telephone Service in 1920

This advertisement in the March 9, 1920 issue of the Duluth Herald notes Duluth had 20,706 telephones.

Duluth Album Releases in 2020

Big Into
Cold Fortunes and Warriors Obscura
(Jan. 2)
Available on Bandcamp

Glitteratti
Among the Wild
(March 6)
Available at glitterattiduluth.com

Social Animals
Best Years 7-inch
Rise Records (April 3)
Available on riserecords.com

Superintendents of Duluth Public Schools, 1870 to 2020

Minnesota’s Independent School District #709 was led by 29 individuals during its first 150 years. For the historical record we list here the superintendents of Duluth Public Schools from 1870 to 2020.

Unnecessary Quotation Marks: COVID-19 Edition

Another one for the collection of unnecessary quotation marks in Duluth.

So, are we limited to 2 or “2”?

Do you know? Facts about Duluth from 1920

From Feb. 23 to March 25 of 1920 the Duluth Herald newspaper published a daily fact about Duluth on its front page. Some are pretty interesting, some are kind of silly. All in all, it’s a fun snapshot of what Duluth was bragging about a century ago.

Postcard from Astor Trading Post

This undated postcard depicts a replica of the American Fur Company trading post at Fond du Lac, which opened in 1935 at Chambers Grove Park in Duluth’s Fond du Lac neighborhood and was demolished in the late 1960s.

The original fur post operated from 1817 to 1847 at the present-day site of Historical Park, just a bit downstream from Chambers Grove Park along the St. Louis River.

Mystery Photo #103: Girl with Curls

What’s the deal with this curly haired lass? Was she a Duluthian?