Video of the Infamous Eagle at Cascade Lodge

A juvenile bald eagle went after a woman’s leg near Cascade Lodge and Restaurant in Lutsen yesterday. The video clips above show the before and after of the incident. Fox 21 News has footage of part of the attack.

Heely Tricks with JamesG: July 2020

Here it is, the midsummer montage of wheeled-sneaker stunts from former Duluthian James Geisler, also known as the hip-hop artist JamesG.

Selective Focus: Rainbow Over Lake Superior, Again

We’ll get tired of it when you get tired of it.

Steamer Christopher Columbus at Duluth

The Library of Congress captions this image “Steamer Christopher Columbus from Duluth passing industrial buildings,” and dates it “between 1900 and 1915.”

The SS Christopher Columbus was the longest whaleback ship ever built and the only one outfitted to serve as a passenger steamer — the rest were cargo barges. It was built by American Steel Barge Company in Superior and was in service from 1893 to 1933.

Lake Superior Bull Shark encounter, Duluth MN, 8/8/20

[Update: Not a real shark! I’m writing it all up for my next Saturday essay at the end of August, stay tuned…]

John Sonofmel: Hayward’s Wayward Musician

Hayward musician John Sonofmel is finding new and interesting ways to share his music with the town he nicknames “Wayward.”

In its series The Slice, WDSE-TV presents short “slices of life” that capture the events and experiences that bring people together and speak to what it means to live up north.

Postcard from American Steel and Wire Works

This undated postcard was published by H. C. Wick Company of Duluth, and features an Ektachrome photograph by Rod Peterson.

The caption on the back of the card reads:

American Steel & Wire plant at Morgan Park, Duluth, Minn. View from Skyline Boulevard.

Duluth 2020 Primary Election Results

Absentee ballots will continue to be accepted after election day, but below are the statewide numbers for races relevant to Duluth with all precincts reporting.

Duluth You & Me: Native American Pow-wow

Use the link below for a printable PDF for your drawing and coloring pleasure.
Duluth You & Me: Native American Pow-wow

Follow the Duluth You & Me subject tag to see additional pages. For background on the book see the original post on the topic.

Dwight Woodbridge’s 1920 Sub-Arctic Exploration

One century ago, Duluth’s Dwight Woodbridge returned from a trip exploring “uncharted islands” in Hudson Bay in northeastern Canada. His story appears in the Aug. 10, 1920 Duluth Herald.

Mystery Photos #118 and #119: Gals at H. Mathieson Studio

Many early studio photographers around Duluth printed their photographs on flowery pre-printed cabinet cards, often with their names prominently displayed. Often the name of the person photographed is lost to history, but we can easily locate the photographer in the records more than 100 years later.

Lake Superior Shark Pics


 

Vansplaining, Episode 4: Mikaela Davis and Southern Star

In the fourth episode of Vansplaining, Duluth’s Alan Sparhawk performs a one-of-a-kind magic trick for Mikaela Davis and her band Southern Star.

Living Your Best Life Without Ever Leaving Your House for Any Reason

My name used to be Anna. Now it’s Mamahoney. You can call me Mama, or Honey, or Mamahoney (but not Honeymama: Honeymama was my mother’s name). Honestly, I’ll probably respond to any combination of these sobriquets because the sooner I do the faster I can get back to this Jim Butcher wizard mystery I’m reading. And I really want to get back to it because it takes place in another city, which is not anywhere in my house. In fact, not one part of this fantastic story about how a handsome, middle-aged wizard solves supernatural crimes whilst single-parenting a daughter and negotiating the perilous political landscape of the supernatural world’s equivalent of the United States Senate (if it were diverse and cared about anyone) — not one single page — takes place in my house. Amazing!

I, like many of you (or a couple of you if you’re college-aged and reading this in Texas or Florida), have not been out much in the past five months. For nigh half a year, I, my partner, and our loin fruit have confined ourselves nearly entirely to our house. Our house, in case you’re curious, is 1,000 square feet of space, with two bedrooms, one bathroom, and very nice original woodwork. It’s decorated just how we want it, and doesn’t resemble an oubliette in any way, save one — the fact that we cannot leave it. This has made us all a little barmy. And not in the cute, eccentrically quirky way, like we’ll take up painting with dark chocolate or bat guano or something. More in a Grey-Gardens-meets-Biosphere kind of way.

Selective Focus: Thomas Spence

Thomas Spence’s photos of the landscapes and wildlife of the North Shore have been published and featured in regional and national magazines and TV shows. His Instagram feed is filled with the critters that we all know are around, but rarely get to see so up close and personal. He talks about how he got started with his photography and the patience required to get shots like these.

TS: I have been taking photos with a DSLR for about seven years. I used to carry a point-and-shoot around on trips and gatherings, just to capture the moments with friends and family. I never really was into scenery or wildlife with a camera growing up. In 2007 I gave up a loooong drinking career and needed a new hobby. I wanted to take better photos and I wanted to capture two things. Waterfalls with that silky smooth look, and northern lights. I bought a little Canon digital point-and-shoot and was able to figure out how to do long exposures on it. I learned that camera and was able to get some northern lights photos and the waterfall look I was trying for. I was hooked. In 2011 I took a road trip through the Smoky Mountains and south to Kennedy Space Center. It was that trip that I decided I needed a “real” camera. I think I bought my first DSLR in 2012. Lake Superior, the surrounding State Parks and Superior National Forest soon became my daily haunts. I was mainly doing landscape photos, but I see incredible wildlife on a regular basis, so I knew I needed a long lens to add to the camera. I found myself going into the woods to search for wildlife a lot more once I had the “reach” with a long lens. I live in a great place on the Sawbill Trail in Tofte. When I leave home, if I turn left, I can be on Lake Superior in minutes for sunrise or sunset. If I turn right, I am in Superior National Forest where I see Moose, bear, wolves, lynx and more on a fairly regular basis.