Photos Posts

Postcard from the Hiawatha

Hiawatha

The stamp was removed from the back of this postcard, and the postmark went with it, but it appears to be circa the 1960s. The caption reads: “Daily excursions during season from Grand Portage, Minn., to Isle Royale National Park. For further information write the Sivertson Bros., in Grand Portage or Duluth, Minnesota.”

Park Point Asterisk

Giant asterisk_02

A giant asterisk has appeared on Park Point, leading some observers to wonder: Does this beach have a caveat?

Suggestions for a cheap wedding photographer in Duluth

My fiancé and I are getting married in 2018 and we have done some searching and the prices for professional photographers are ridiculous. We are looking for a photographer for our wedding and we don’t want to spend more than $1,000. Perhaps someone who does it part time and has some wedding photography experience. Any suggestions?

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.

Selective Focus: Five Friday Fun Fotos tagged in Duluth

A post shared by Joao Quental (@joaoquental) on

Show off your Homegrown photos

As we do each year, PDD is putting out the call for some super skinny horizontal images to put in the banner at the top of the page during Homegrown.All the regular guidelines apply.

If you have your sights set beyond the PDD banner, the Homegrown committee and the Duluth Art Institute are currently accepting submissions for the show that will hang at the Red Herring.

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.

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.

Lady Aurora at Boulder Lake in Winter

Boulder-Lake-2017-Lady-Aurora-Rich-Hoeg

Lady Aurora danced at midnight last night, Rich Hoeg reports on his 365 Days of Birds blog. Hoeg was shooting from frozen Boulder Lake, about 20 miles north of Duluth.

“The Northern Lights display last night was not a ‘classic’ rays shooting skyward,” Hoeg wrote. “Instead bands of color turned on and off, sometimes blinking to appear only for a few seconds, followed by the lights flashing on in a totally different part of the sky. Totally cool … just different.”

Leaving Duluth: June 30, 1916

Leaving Duluth 1916June30

Another photo from the “Leaving Duluth” collection; Arcade Camera Shop/Studio, 110 West Superior St., Duluth.

Kip’s Memory Card Dump #11

Another collection of photos in rapid succession by Kip Praslowicz, covering the time span of September to November 2016, featuring the usual stuff — rock shows at the Red Herring Lounge, cribbage, canoeing, kitty cat sprawls, etc.

Overhaul of USS Duluth at Swan Island, 1985

USS-Duluth-1985-Oregon

Sept. 29, 1985 — Dawn Kee, with daughter Melissa, 4, and holding son, Jeremiah, 2, shouts to husband, Chief Signalman Rick Kee, who is among crew arriving at Swan Island for overhaul of USS Duluth. She said she was living in a motel until the family found housing but was “excited” about living in Portland.

Photo by Joel Davis of The Oregonian.

USS Duluth was a Navy ship named for the city of Duluth. It was launched in 1965 and was scrapped in 2014. Its anchor was salvaged and installed along Duluth’s Lakewalk.

Selective Focus: Jeff Lemke

SF-TeaserJeff-Lemke

Jeff Lemke operates a web site, Twin Ports Rail History, and Flickr account where he posts photos he has taken as well as photos he has collected documenting the history of the rail business in Duluth and Superior. We are showing a very small sample of the images here, but you really need to check out the collection he has, as well as read his descriptions for each photo. If you are so inclined, you can also donate to keep the project going. It really is an impressive historical collection.

J.L: Most people look at my site and think it is about trains. Perception is reality in most cases. But for those who actually look closer and read the details of each image that I post, they discover that it’s really a developing story in pictures about the people who worked for the railroads and the industries that those railroads collectively served. The locomotives, railroad cars, and facilities that each railroad used were in a constant state of flux—right from the beginning. During the late 1880s railroads like the Northern Pacific and Great Northern established strongholds of land in Duluth and Superior respectively, on which they built their inland-port empires. Other railroads came along, prospered too, but to a much lesser degree.

Two Harbors photographer in Iceland

Gregor in Iceland

John Gregor is in Iceland. So beautiful.

Postcards from First United Methodist Church of Duluth

First Methodist Church Coppertop Church

Before there was a “Coppertop Church” in Duluth, First Methodist Episcopal occupied the corner of Third Avenue West and Third Street. The 1,800-seat brownstone structure was dedicated on Feb. 5, 1893, closed in November 1966, and was razed in 1969. It was known as “the Meth” … because those were simpler times.

The new First United Methodist Church was built on seven acres of land on Skyline Parkway bought at public auction in 1959. Construction began on “The Coppertop Church” in 1966, based on architectural designs by Pietro Bellushi.