History Posts

Duluth’s Emerson School: 1892 to 1982

A post on the Duluth Public Library’s Vintage Duluth blog looks at the “Early History of Duluth’s Emerson School.”

A Video Tour Inside Old Central’s Clock Tower

This video offers another horological nerdout session inside the Historic Old Central High School clock tower, this time brought to you by videographer Paul Scinocca.

“Not many of us get to see what makes this clock tower tick,” Scinocca writes on the YouTube description. “Sorry, had to say it. I was actually on site for a work project, lucky for me the tower is in part of the project.”

Views from Duluth’s Point of Rocks circa 1898

The six photos in this post are all from Detroit Publishing Company, and appear to have been shot on the same date — unless someone with a keen eye can call out evidence to the contrary. They are generally labeled as scenes from “the Bluffs,” which is an area of Duluth that later became known as the Point of Rocks. These photos appear to have been shot in a part of Point of Rocks that is known as Central Park, at the eastern-most part of the Lincoln Park neighborhood.

Duluth Trivia Deck Sampler #27: Gas and Water Edition

Another trivia card from a board game purchased at Savers.

R.I.P. Merritt Park Recreation Center Building

This week the field house at Merritt Park joined the growing list of historic West Duluth buildings demolished in recent years. The 2,016-square foot building was constructed in 1939.

Video Archive: WDIO-TV Halloween Weather Report

From the haunted film vault comes this 1970s clip featuring WDIO-TV weatherman Jack McKenna, two mice and Dracula. Also featured at the end are anchorman Dennis Anderson and sportscaster Bill Stefl.

Happy Halloween!

Postcards from the Buena Vista Motel

This postcard of the Buena Vista Motel was published by Gallagher’s Studio of Photography and appears to be circa the early 1970s.

Duluth Trivia Deck Sampler #26

Another trivia card from a board game purchased at Savers.

One century ago Duluth police cracked down on the Shimmy

Warehouse District and Downtown Duluth circa 1905

It’s not a perfect connection, editing these two old Detroit Publishing Company photos together, but it does create a passable panoramic view of the Warehouse (or “Wholesale”) District and western Downtown Duluth circa 1905.

Postcard from the Publicity Bureau of Edwin H. Lee

For a little background on what the deal is with Edwin H. Lee, we turn to a supplement of the Nov. 1, 1913 issue of Skillings Mining and Market Letter.

William A. Irvin: Monarch of the Steel Industry

With all the news surrounding the SS William A. Irvin moving out and back into the Minnesota Slip in 2018 and 2019, we take a moment here to look at William A. Irvin, the man. The brief bio below appeared in the March 28, 1932 issue of the Billings Gazette of Billings, Mont.

Duluth Trivia Deck Sampler #25

Another card from the Duluth Trivia game.

Steamer Augustus B. Wolvin, “Queen of the Lakes”

This image from Detroit Publishing Company shows the Great Lakes freighter Augustus B. Wolvin on Lake Superior at Duluth. The vessel was built for the Acme Steamship Company of Duluth and launched April 9, 1904. The Library of Congress dates the image above as “between 1904 and 1910.”

Postcards from Duluth Normal School (UMD Old Main)

The postmark on the card above is difficult to read, but it appears to have been mailed in March of 1916. It depicts the State Normal School at Duluth, which later became the State Teachers College and then the University of Minnesota Duluth’s Old Main building.