Photos Posts

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.

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.

Selective Focus: Heavy Rain and High Wind

The National Weather Service has issued a coastal flood advisory until 10 p.m. tonight. Duluth city staff issued a news release reminding the public not to drive through standing water, and keep a safe distance from the shoreline.

Mystery Photo #101: Forest Service Office at Grand Marais

This photo seems to be of a forest service office on the southern part of Cook County Road 12, aka the Gunflint Trail, in or near Grand Marais. Or does it show a private residence and the arrow on the forest service sign indicates the office is up the road? Who is the gal posing the photo? What year is was this picture taken? Mysteries abound.

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.”

Selective Focus: William A. Irvin on the Move

The SS William A. Irvin was moved back to the Minnesota Slip yesterday evening after being worked on at Fraser Shipyards in Superior since September 2018. The ship began its trip from Fraser at 5:30 p.m. and arrived at the Minnesota Slip bridge at 8:30 p.m. It took more than two hours to guide the big boat through the narrow blue bridge back to its permanent home. Here are a few views of the process, via Instagram.

Mystery Photo #100: Early Settler

This photo is labeled “Early Settler Duluth MN.” And that’s all we know. Who is this dude?

Selective Focus: Benjamin Olson

Benjamin Olson has a show of his photography opening tonight (Friday, Oct. 4) at Tettegouche State Park. It’s a perfect setting for his images that focus on wildlife and nature. His photos make you feel like you’re witnessing a spectacular, brief moment that takes patience and persistence to find.

BO: I am a photographer, specializing in nature and conservation. It was through my background in both science and art that I was able to bridge the gap between two separate fields to help communicate environmental issues at hand.

Lady Aurora at Boulder Lake

Selective Focus: Fall Colors 2019

Fall in Minnesota is just the best. Here’s proof.

Upset Duluth: Collapsing Driveway Edition

Story link: “Duluth pastor tweets to appeal church matter

Duluth Library Wildcats Women’s Hockey Team of 1929

Not much is known about the Duluth Library Wildcats. The photo above is from the Duluth Public Library’s Facebook page, and is from a slide titled “Library Wildcats,” found in the staff section of the library’s slides.

“There isn’t a lot more information than that, but a librarian is on the case and she’ll be looking for more on this story,” the library’s Facebook post noted.

Selective Focus: Keefography

There’s no shortage of subjects to shoot in our area, and photographer John Keefover is taking them all in. From landscapes to live performances to product shots, he’s turning out stunning images regularly, and always working on sharpening his skills.

JK: My name is John Keefover. I’m a Freelance Photographer here in Duluth going by the name of Keefography. I created this small photography business recently in May of 2019. Since then I’ve been extremely grateful for all of the support I’ve been shown starting this new venture. Though I’m humbled by the realization that there’s always room for improvement every time you pick up a camera, and also because of my self-deprecating humor. I think that latter part is mostly just a by-product of being a Vikings fan, or rather a Minnesota sports fan in general… Anyways, as a freelance photographer I dabble in a wide variety of genres including (but not limited to):

Landscapes. Northern Minnesota is beautiful, offering some of the best hiking trails in the area with the Superior Hiking Trail that follows along the North Shore. I enjoy being out in nature and sharing my experiences with others, often times with a short story to go along the image to really pull you into the scene. Landscape photography is great because no matter how many times you go to a location it’s always different. There’s lighting ranging from sunrise to sunset with cloud cover that brings various colors and moods. The unpredictable Lake Effect weather can also bring massive waves, Northern Lights, lightning, blizzards, rainbows, and other unique situations. The different seasons and transitions in between add a whole new dimension as well. Get outside and enjoy it as much as you can or follow me for the next best thing!

Aerial Bridge and Duluth Waterfront view from Observation Hill

This photo from Detroit Publishing Company is copyright 1906. The photographer is not credited.

Frog in Jay Cooke tidepool