Paul Lundgren Posts

Ten years without Bayside Market

Bayside Market at 1901 Minnesota Ave. closed on Dec. 31, 2008 after 37 years in business. Originally named Clem’s Market, it was the only grocery store in the Park Point neighborhood.

Postcard from the Sellwood Building

This postcard, mailed 110 years ago today — Dec. 29, 1908 — depicts what was then the relatively new Sellwood Building at 202 W. Superior St. in Downtown Duluth. The Sellwood still stands today, with Western Bank as its most visible tenant.

Saturday Essay: Select gems from 2018

Saturday Essay logo genericLast week we highlighted the five most-read pieces from the third year of Perfect Duluth Day’s “Saturday Essay” series. This week we ignore the numbers and look back at a few select essays of similar quality that might have been missed by non-compulsive followers.

In the past three years PDD has published 150 essays showcasing the work of 27 different writers; we hope to expand that roster in 2019. Anyone who has an original piece of literary excellence that seems to fit (or appropriately defy) the established format should email paul @ perfectduluthday.com to get involved.

And now, links to a few select gems from season three …

Postcards from Silver Creek Cliff

Before the Silver Creek Cliff Tunnel was built in the early 1990s, Highway 61 wound around the edge of the cliff. Drivers relied on skill and luck to avoid tumbling boulders or anything that might send them plunging over the edge into Lake Superior. The Gitchi-Gami State Trail was later built following the old Highway 61 path.

Mystery Photo: Miss Edna May Boyle

Here she is, Edna May Boyle, 120 years ago. Who was she? Why did she get her photo shot on Christmas Day 1898? Well, if we knew that it wouldn’t be a mystery photo, would it?

Christmas Greetings from Lester Park in Duluth, Minn.

Mystery Photo #81: Markus Family, Christmas 1893

Some mystery photos are less mysterious than others. Often cabinet card photos have nothing written on the back, but this particular card comes with info suggesting the subjects are William Frederick Markus and his family. The photo was likely shot 125 years ago, around Christmas of 1893.

The Most Read Saturday Essays of 2018

Saturday Essay logo genericPerfect Duluth Day’s “Saturday Essay” series has reached the end of its third season. As has become tradition, we now take a look back at some of the favorites of the past year. This week is part one, highlighting the essays that were read the most times according to Google Analytics. Because statistics should always be used to organize creativity, right?

Will Branch – “Duluth”

Milwaukee-based American roots musician Will Branch released a song called “Duluth” on his 2004 album Press On.

And the harsh wind is blowing up steep streets of old Duluth
Around the house you were born in, middle of World War II

Mystery Photo #80: Rust-Parker and its neighbors

Lars Waldner posted this circa 1916 image to Facebook, tagging PDD. It’s kind of a bizarre angle on Duluth, and for some reason identifying buildings in the photo is exceptionally challenging. The only cheater we’re given is the big sign on the side of Rust-Parker Wholesale Grocery Company, which was at 217 S. Lake Ave.

Postcard from Tweed Gallery

This undated postcard image of the Tweed Museum of Art appears to be circa the 1970s. The text on the back reads:

Tweed Gallery

The only major art gallery in Northern Minnesota, Tweed Gallery on the University of Minnesota, Duluth campus has attracted more than 300,000 visitors since it opened in 1958. Funds for the gallery were donated by Mrs. Alice Tweed Tuohy, now of Santa Barbara, California and her daughter, Mrs. John Brickson, Duluth. Twenty shows each year feature international, national, faculty and student artists in four separate exhibition areas.

The Feelin’ – “Bob Dylan Loves Duluth”

Before Nicholas David was a finalist on NBC’s The Voice, he was known as Nick “The Feelin'” Mrozinski, a singer-songwriter based in St. Paul whose band frequently backed up Duluth music-scene staple Teague Alexy.

The song “Bob Dylan Loves Duluth” first appeared on the Feelin’ Band’s 2008 album The Sacred Play of Life and was released again the same year on Mrozinski’s solo piano album, Oak Chase Way. The version above is from the 2010 compilation album Midwest Jam Season 1, on which Mrozinski is credited simply as the Feelin’.

Mystery Photo #79: Piper & Johnson

This cabinet card photo is from the Piper & Johnson studio at 227 E. Superior St., Duluth. Today that location is where Greysolon Plaza, the former Hotel Duluth, sits. Since cabinet cards were popular at the end of the 19th Century, the Piper & Johnson studio must have been in a building that predates the Hotel Duluth, which opened in 1925.

Video Archive: World Wrestling Federation 1988 Duluth Promo

The World Wrestling Federation’s sixth-ever card at the Duluth Arena featured …

Andre the Giant vs. Jake “The Snake” Roberts
Demolition vs. The Powers of Pain
“Outlaw” Ron Bass vs. Brutus “The Barber” Beefcake

Postcards from Duluth’s Radisson Hotel

When the Radisson Hotel was built at 505 W. Superior St. in 1970, it was Duluth’s first new hotel in 43 years. It would be difficult to count the number that were built in the next 43 years, but not impossible. Go ahead and try.