History Posts

Air Canada Silver Broom 1976 World Curling Championship

Duluth-World-Curling-Championship-1976

Video Archive: Insane Clown Posse in Duluth

Crack open a Faygo soda and … do something other than watch this video if you know what’s good for you. Nothing of much interest happens, unless you are enough of a Juggalo that listening to professional wrestler Pat Tanaka talk about the size of Andre the Giant’s penis sounds appealing. Nonetheless, for the purpose of novelty if not entertainment, Perfect Duluth Day presents two segments from the earliest days of video blogging, when the Detroit-based horrorcore duo of Violent J and Shaggy 2 Dope brought their Insane Clown Posse to Duluth.

Duluth helps Uncle Sam kick the Kaiser off the map

Kicking the Kaiser off the map

This photo was shot about a century ago, outside the American Exchange National Bank at 230 W. Superior St. in Duluth — where Wells Fargo Bank has its main Duluth branch today.

Popular Mechanics: Duluth adopts system of community garages

Popular Mechanics 1921 Duluth Community Garages

According to this very vague story from the November 1921 issue of Popular Mechanics, Duluth may have been at the forefront of developing community garages. What happened? One of the garages shown in the magazine still exists today in the Morgan Park neighborhood.

Duluth and the United Nations

 Portrait_of_George_W_Johnson_Mayor_19451953_Duluth_Minnesota1

A new posting at Vintage Duluth / Duluth Public Library (formerly Reference @ Duluth) is about “Duluth’s bid to become headquarters of the U.N.” in 1945.

Duluth Golden Girl Friendship Postcard

Duluth Golden Girl Duluth Golden Girl back

An oddity circa the 1970s from the minds at Gallagher’s Studio of Photography in Duluth.

A Zenith City Ballad

I am studying abroad in Rotterdam, Netherlands via UMD. Today I missed Duluth a little more than normal and wrote a piece for my own blog, but I wanted to share it with you all because the PDD community inspired it.

Ice Formation on Minnesota Point

Ice Formation on Minnesota Point

A Busy Corner in Duluth

a Busy Corner

The view looking east from the corner of Second Avenue West and Superior Street in Downtown Duluth.

Remembering America and her life on the water

SSAmerica-2012Noreaster

A post last week of a 1925 photograph of the steamship America led to a tip about this story from the 2nd Quarter 2012 issue of Nor’easter, the journal of the Lake Superior Marine Museum Association. The story, written by Gina Temple-Rhodes and used here with permission from the LSMMA, includes a more complete history of the vessel, including tales from Arthur Wright, a Duluthian whose father was a crew member on America. Wright was 99 at the time of the article; he died a year later at the age of 100.

SS America, 1925

America

The America was a passenger and delivery ship that operated between Duluth and Port Arthur from 1902 to 1928, servicing outposts along the way such as Isle Royale and Split Rock Lighthouse.

Old English radio spot from 1943

Via WDSE-TV, enjoy the sounds of this Old English 600 ad. Peoples Brewery in West Duluth developed the recipe for Old English 600 in the 1940s. The company sponsored a radio show with old-time music and several pitches for Regal Supreme Beer and Old English 600 Malt Liquor.

The documentary Brew North follows the boom, bust and rebirth of brewing in the Arrowhead region. The premiere broadcast is on Monday, March 6.

Fitger’s Beer radio spot from the 1950s

Via WDSE-TV, enjoy the sounds of this old Fitger’s Beer ad. The documentary Brew North follows the boom, bust and rebirth of brewing in the Arrowhead region. The premiere broadcast is on Monday, March 6.

Photos of the Great Whiteout of 2007

1 storm

WildWest snowhouse

2007whiteout2 2007whiteout3

Above are photos from the PDD archives of the blizzard conditions in Duluth over March 1 and 2, 2007.

Duluth: For Rest and Relaxation on Beautiful Lake Superior

Duluth Duluth