Postcards Posts

Leaving Duluth: June 30, 1916

Leaving Duluth 1916June30

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

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.

Shooting the Life-Line at Duluth, Minn.

Shooting-Life-Line 1907

This postcard was mailed from Duluth on July 24, 1907, and arrived two days later in the mailbox of Mr. A. G. Pack, Jr. of 823 Colorado Ave., Colorado Springs, Colo. It does not necessarily depict a Duluth scene; versions of this postcard exist for Wildwood, N.J.; Atlantic City, N.J. and probably other cities.

Early Lincoln Park Postcards

lincoln_park_postcard

millers_creek_lincoln_postcard

A couple cards I’ve not seen before. Both are postally unused.

A Thrilling Sight

Lift Bridge Thrilling Sight

This image is from an undated postcard published by Gallagher’s Studio of Photography in Duluth.

Photo description from the back of the card:

The French Ship Racroi enters the Duluth-Superior Harbor through the famous Aerial Lift Bridge. Also shown is the Streamliner, an excursion boat. A tug helps guide the 13,000-ton bulk cargo carrier Racroi, which is 555 feet long with a 69-foot boom and a 27-foot draft.

Having a Bully Time in Duluth

having-a-bully-time-in-duluth

V. O. Hammon Publishing Company of Chicago put out this postcard in the early 1900s. The image does not necessarily reflect a Duluth scene; the company also put out a “Having a Bully Time in Minneapolis” postcard with the same art … and there are probably others.

Postcards from Glensheen

glensheen-mansion-london-road-2

Oh, that Congdon opulence. Glensheen Mansion and Museum, “the Historic Congdon Estate,” has been open for tours since 1979. In this post we look at some early postcards from the historic house museum, which of course looks very much the same today. Above is the north entrance of the Jacobean manor house.

Merry Christmas: Greetings from Duluth, Minn.

merry-christmas-duluth

Boulevard Lake, Duluth, Minn.

boulevard-lake-duluth-mn-postcard

This undated postcard must be showing one of what Duluthians call the “Twin Ponds” these days. Skyline Parkway was commonly referred to as “The Boulevard,” short for Rogers Boulevard, before taking its modern name in 1929.

Duluth’s Cascade Hotel

cascade-hotel

“Your home when you’re in Duluth” is the Cascade, “the friendly hotel.” Located on the corner of First Avenue West and Third Street, it features “kitchenette apartments – hotel rooms” that are “transient – residential.”

Downtown Duluth – Looking east on Superior Street

downtown-duluth-looking-east

Readable business signs: Boyce Drugs, (?)ornser Hats, Bagley Jewelers, City National Bank and Miller’s Cafeteria.

Mystery Photo #42: SS Columbia of Duluth

excursion-steamer-columbia

This postcard image bears the ink stamp of the Russell Photo Co. of Fond du Lac, Minn. on the back, along with a handwritten note: “The ‘Columbia’ of Duluth, Minn.” There have been numerous S.S. Columbia’s throughout the world, but this one seems likely to be the same as the one profiled on Zenith City Online, which was launched in 1885 as the Mascotte. There are numerous physical differences between the ship in the image shown there and the one shown here, but the article notes “in 1912 Duluth’s Clow & Nicholsen purchased the vessel, lengthened it by over thirty feet, and renamed it Columbia.” If they are the same SS Columbia, why do both images (presumably before and after the redesign of the ship) bear the name Columbia and neither Mascotte?

When Spirit Mountain had a pool

spirit-mountain

Spirit Mountain did away with its swimming pool in 1984. It was probably a maintenance nightmare, and the notion of a pool on a hill overlooking the tributary to the world’s largest freshwater “pool” might be considered a little absurd in retrospect.

Trust me, though. It was fun while it lasted.

Iff you vill come to Duluth ve vill lock up all de cops

ve-vill-lock-up-all-de-cops

Similar to the “Vilkome to our city of Duluth” version, this is another “Dutch Kid” pennant postcard, popular from about 1900 to 1920. The same cards were produced for various cities across the country.

Postcard from the Boulevard Around Duluth, Minn.

boulevard-around-duluth-mn-1907

It’s difficult to read the names on this postcard dated July 13, 1907, so the transcript will represent them with blanks.

____ and I are having a glorious time. Took a beautiful drive this a.m. and saw this very spot. Be good till we get home.
_____