History Posts

Stewart Shoe Company of West Duluth

One hundred years ago the Stewart Shoe Company was on its way out and American Bakery Company was on its way in at 324 N. Central Ave. in West Duluth. The building there was constructed in 1894 and today is occupied by Wussow’s Concert Cafe, which opened under the name Beaner’s Central in 1999.

Selective Focus: Creating Apart

The Tweed Museum of Art will be hosting an exhibition, “Creating Apart: Local Artists Respond to a Global Pandemic” with work by Ivy Vainio, Moira Villiard, Sarah Brokke Erickson, Karen Savage-Blue, Joe Klander and Brian Barber. Annie Dugan curated the exhibition and worked with local documentary filmmaker Mike Scholtz to create a series of short films about each of the artists involved.

The exhibition was originally scheduled to open on Aug. 31 in the Court Gallery of the Tweed. Shifting plans for colleges and gatherings have already affected the actual schedule. In the meantime, the Tweed has released the brief teaser above featuring the artists who were interviewed. Profiles of each artist will be released on a regular schedule in the coming days and weeks, and we will be posting them here on Perfect Duluth Day as they are available.

Minnesota Point Lighthouse has been old for a long time

This ad appeared in the Duluth Herald newspaper on Sept. 4, 1920. The Minnesota Point Lighthouse was built in 1858, and it seems its deterioration happened largely in its first 62 years.

Postcard from a Beautiful Lake Superior Shore Line

This postcard was mailed Sept. 2, 1935 — 85 years ago today. “Lois and Ben” sent the card from Duluth to Mr. & Mrs. Lewis Jones of Highland Park, Mich.

Searching for Oreck

My name is Steve Oreck and I am the great grandson of Louis Oreck. I am seeking information and items from my great grandfather’s store. Any help would be tremendously appreciated.

Postcard from Central High School in 1910

This postcard of Duluth Central High School is postmarked Aug. 29, 1910 — 110 years ago today.
The message on the back is to Miss Nevada Simpson of Crookston, Minn.

Kresge Girls’ Baseball Team of 1920

From the Aug. 28, 1920 Duluth Herald.

Duluth’s North Star Festival and Golden Jubilee of 1920

The Duluth Public Library’s Vintage Duluth blog has published a feature on Duluth’s North Star Festival and Golden Jubilee, which took place 100 years ago. The events marked Duluth’s 50th year as a city.

Postcard from Jay Cooke State Park

This undated postcard from Gallagher’s Studio of Photography shows a waterfall and the famous swinging bridge on the St. Louis River at Jay Cooke State Park.

Mystery Photo #121: Buggy Boys

A recurring source of confusion in the Mystery Photo series is whether particular images that share the stamp of the Post Card Shop in Minneapolis and the Penny Arcade in Duluth were shot in Minneapolis or Duluth. Here is another such image.

Three Minnesota women who paved way for women suffrage

To mark a century of women voting, Minnesota Public Radio took a look back at the work of three Minnesota women who helped break down barriers and paved the way for women’s suffrage. The trio includes Duluthian Sarah Burger Stearns.

Postcard from the Duluth Civic Center

This early 1970s postcard shows Duluth’s Civic Center, which includes the St. Louis County Courthouse, Duluth City Hall, Gerald W. Heaney Federal Building, St. Louis County Jail and the Soldiers and Sailors Monument.

Mystery Photo: Another from Cook Ely

This image from the Ely Studio of Duluth comes to Perfect Duluth Day via Neal Eisenberg, a native Duluthian.

PDD Quiz: Street Namesakes

All map images retrieved from Google Maps.

Howard Gnesen, Morris Thomas, Jean Duluth … how much do you know about the namesakes of the region’s double-named roads? Take this week’s PDD quiz to find out!

The next PDD quiz, on August’s headlines and happenings, will be published on Aug. 30. Submit question suggestions to Alison Moffat at [email protected] by Aug. 26.

Steamer Christopher Columbus at Duluth

The Library of Congress captions this image “Steamer Christopher Columbus from Duluth passing industrial buildings,” and dates it “between 1900 and 1915.”

The SS Christopher Columbus was the longest whaleback ship ever built and the only one outfitted to serve as a passenger steamer — the rest were cargo barges. It was built by American Steel Barge Company in Superior and was in service from 1893 to 1933.