History Posts

Ye Olde Duluth Train Stations

Random collection of Duluth train station postcards.

Postcard from the Aerial Bridge in 1908

Greetings friends of Duluth!

I thought I would share a postcard with you from my Gramma Myrtle’s collection. My Gramma built an extensive collection and I have been taking some time to organize it during our frigid February.

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.

City Pages: “Hey, We’re in Duluth!”

Twenty years ago today — Feb. 6, 2001 — City Pages published a cover story on Duluth’s “tiny counterculture.” The Twin Cities alternative weekly paper ceased operations last fall and its online archive is on hiatus, but Perfect Duluth Day is here with the flashback goods.

Adventures of the Little Pats: 20 Below

Santa Claus Island circa 1875

Where precisely was Santa Claus Island and when did it collapse into Lake Superior? Well, although this photo was shot by a Duluth photographer, all signs point to the rock formation having stood on the shore of Isle Royale. The internet doesn’t easily offer answers on when it collapsed or if it still stands.

Tokle makes streamlined 197-foot jump at Duluth

On Feb. 2, 1941, Norwegian ski-jumper Torger Tokle jumped 203 feet at the new 60-meter ski jump at Fond du Lac. He’s shown in images here hitting 197 feet. An estimated 5,000 spectators were in attendance. Duluth hosted the National Ski Jumping Championship the following year.

Postcard from the Masonic Temple in Duluth

This illustrated postcard of Duluth’s Masonic Temple was mailed 110 years ago today — Jan. 31, 1911. Mrs. Baylis of Cedar Rapids, Iowa was the recipient. The card was sent by one of her children, who was staying at the McKay Hotel.

Morgan Park: Remembering Our Past

Retired Duluth Fire Chief John Strongitharm put together this half-hour photo slideshow depicting the history of Duluth’s Morgan Park neighborhood. It’s been 50 years since United States Steel announced it would begin phasing out its Duluth Mill operations, but much of the Model Community it created in the early 20th century remains.

Mystery Photo: Going Some

Going some? Huh? What is that supposed to mean? Seems like a weird name for a fake boat.

The back of this postcard photo indicates it was shot at the Owl Studio, 10 E. Superior. St., next to Duluth’s Empress Theatre. Estimated year: 1912.

Postcard from Duluth’s Downtown Motel

This undated postcard from Gallagher’s Studio of Photography offers a view of the Downtown Motel at 131 W. Second St. in Duluth. Built in 1959, the motel later became known as the Best Western Downtown and is still in operation, now as the Downtown Duluth Inn, owned by ZMC Hotels.

First Presbyterian Church of Duluth circa 1870

Duluth’s First Presbyterian Church was built at 231 E. Second St. in 1870. It was replaced by a larger building in 1891, across the street at 300 E. Second St., which still stands. The original church was used by other congregations until it was demolished in 1971. The area is now part of the Rainbow Senior Center property.

Breaking Ice to Bring in Freighters on the 20th of January

This postcard, published by the Hugh C. Leighton Company, was never mailed and has no year marked on it, but the caption on the front would indicate the illustration is based on a photo shot on Jan. 20 of some year in the early 1900s.

Whether the artist drew people standing on the edge of the ice as a creative choice or whether they were really standing there is not known, unless the photo exists somewhere. Either way, file the act of walking out to ice breakers in the “no, don’t do that” category.

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.

PDD Quiz: Snow Foolin’

Step up to this week’s quiz and test your knowledge of snow-related events, celebrations and disasters.

As with all history-related quizzes, the Minnesota Reflections and the Zenith City websites were indespensible resources.

The next PDD quiz, reviewing headlines from January 2021, will be coming your way on Jan. 31. Submit question suggestions to Alison Moffat at [email protected] by Jan. 26.