History Posts

Postcard from old Duluth Post Office and Incline Pavilion

This postcard was mailed Jan. 15, 1910. The image is referred to on the back of the card as depicting “Duluth about 18 years ago,” which would be 1892, the year the Beacon Hill Pavilion opened at the top of the Duluth Incline.

History of the Arrowhead Radio Amateurs Club

Arrowhead Radio Amateurs Club marked its 90th anniversary in December with the release of this documentary, written and produced by Kim Waller. ARAC was founded on Dec. 3, 1929 with the mission to promote the growth and enjoyment of ham radio in northeast Minnesota and northwest Wisconsin.

Duluth Trivia Deck Sampler #36: Engwall Edition

Another trivia card from a board game purchased at Savers.

Postcards from the Kitchi Gammi Club

This postcard was mailed 100 years ago today — Jan. 12, 1920. It shows the clubhouse of the Kitchi Gammi Club, which opened six years before the postcard hit the mailbag. The building still stands at 831 E. Superior St., and the organization is still active. The Kitchi Gammi Club formed in 1883, making it the oldest incorporated club in Minnesota.

Duluth Schools of the 1890s

Courtesy of the New York Public Library and Google Books, detailed Duluth School Board annual reports from 125 years ago are available online to geek out on.

Links:
Report of the Board of Education of the City of Duluth, Minnesota (1891 to 1894)
Report of the Board of Education of the City of Duluth, Minnesota (1895 to 1901)

Postcard from the Spalding Hotel: “Duluth’s Popular Rendezvous”

This undated postcard, printed by Brown & Bigelow of St. Paul, depicts the Spalding Hotel in Downtown Duluth. The back of the card notes the Spalding was “Duluth’s Popular Rendezvous” and offered a coffee shop, cocktail lounge and bar.

The Spalding opened at 428 W. Superior St. on June 6, 1889 and was demolished on Sept. 25, 1963.

Duluth Trivia Deck Sampler #35

Another trivia card from a board game purchased at Savers.

Soo Line Port Switcher 2118

This photo is dated Jan. 5, 1980 — 40 years ago today. It shows the Soo Line Port Switcher 2118, one of two switchers honoring the Twin Ports cities of Duluth and Superior.

View from Skyline Parkway of Downtown Duluth in 1899

Stitched together above to produced a jagged panorama are three photos by William Henry Jackson of Downtown Duluth shot just uphill from a gravel road we presume is an early version of what we call Skyline Parkway today. Below are the isolated images, which show greater detail.

New Year Greetings from Fitger’s Brewing Co.

From the Jan. 1, 1910 issue of the Duluth Evening Herald.

Duluth Trivia Deck Sampler #34

Another trivia card from a board game purchased at Savers.

Duluth’s Christmas of 1889 was finer than ever

This Christmas card from Duluth jeweler Andrew Jackson promotes a special holiday sale 130 years ago, featuring “greatly reduced prices.”

Merry Christmas from Northern Drug Company of Duluth

Duluth Trivia Deck Sampler #33

Another trivia card from a board game purchased at Savers.

Mystery Photo #102: Three Dudes in Fake Car

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.