WDSE-TV – PBS North Posts

Minnesota Historia: Lost Train of Pine City

Feb 13, 2024 No Comments

According to local legend, a train derailed in Pine City in the 1800s. It plummeted down a steep embankment into the impossibly deep Devil’s Lake, where it disappeared forever. There is no evidence this ever happened, but that hasn’t stopped people from looking for the train. How does a legend like this persist? And grow? And add circus animals for some reason?

Minnesota Historia is a PBS North web series dedicated to Minnesota’s quirky past. It is hosted by Hailey Eidenschink and produced/edited/written by Mike Scholtz.


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Almanac North: EmbalmingEva Profile

Feb 12, 2024 1 Comment

This WDSE-TV Almanac North online-only segment profiles EmbalmingEva ahead of its Valentine’s Day show with Superior Siren at Sacred Heart Music Center.

Almanac North is a weekly public affairs program on PBS North that provides in-depth conversations around issues and events that affect the region.


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Minnesota Historia: Minnesota in the Civil War

Feb 06, 2024 No Comments

Minnesota was the first state to offer troops to the Union during the Civil War. And it was home to the last Civil War veteran when 106-year-old Albert Woolson died on Aug. 2, 1956. For a state so far from Gettysburg, Antietam and Bull Run, Minnesota’s history in the Civil War is full of surprises.

Minnesota Historia is a PBS North web series dedicated to Minnesota’s quirky past. It is hosted by Hailey Eidenschink and produced/edited/written by Mike Scholtz.


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Minnesota Historia: Inventing Pizza Rolls

Jan 30, 2024 2 Comments

Scandinavian cookbook author Bea Ojakangas developed pizza rolls while working for Jeno Paulucci in Duluth. But she hasn’t tasted one for 50 years. This video reveals what she thinks of pizza rolls today.

Minnesota Historia is a PBS North web series dedicated to Minnesota’s quirky past. It is hosted by Hailey Eidenschink and produced/edited/written by Mike Scholtz.


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The Slice: Amnicon Falls

Dec 02, 2023 No Comments

Amnicon Falls State Park, located about 20 miles southeast of Downtown Duluth, is known for its upper and lower waterfalls, carved through dark basalt and Lake Superior sandstone.

In its series The Slice, PBS North 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.


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The Slice: The Great Catsby

Oct 14, 2023 No Comments

A wandering cat in Duluth’s Lakeside neighborhood was memorialized in bronze back in 2017. In this video, artist Ann Klefstad tells the story of the Great Catsby, who sits near 40th Avenue East and the Duluth Lakewalk.

In its series The Slice, PBS North 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.


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The Slice: Ventriloquist Jeremy Lepak

Sep 08, 2023 1 Comment

Duluth native Jeremy Lepak has been a ventriloquist for more than 15 years. In this video he talks about the craft and entertains a crowd in Gary New Duluth during Far West Kids Fest.

In its series The Slice, PBS North 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.


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A Sea Change for Lake Superior: Mishi Bizhiw — Great Panther

Aug 28, 2023 No Comments

This short video explores Ojibwe perspectives and cultural stories associated with Lake Superior, with interviews and artwork by Carl Gawboy and Jonathan Thunder. A version of it will be included in the public television documentary, A Sea Change for Lake Superior.

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The Slice: Olcott Park Greenhouse and Botanical Garden

Aug 23, 2023 No Comments

The Olcott Park Greenhouse and Botanical Garden in Virginia is open year-round during volunteer-staffed open hours on Fridays and Saturdays from noon to 4 p.m. It offers the chance to view a variety of tropical plants in the comfort and warmth of a unique green space during the long winter months.

In its series The Slice, PBS North 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.


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A Sea Change for Lake Superior: When the Ice Melts

Aug 14, 2023 No Comments

Notoriously cold Lake Superior is among the fastest warming of the world’s large lakes. This excerpt from the upcoming public television documentary A Sea Change for Lake Superior documents research at the Large Lakes Observatory at University of Minnesota Duluth investigating how variations in winter ice-cover plays in that change.

The documentary is a coproduction of the Center for Global Environmental Education at Hamline University and WDSE-TV PBS North. It is scheduled for release in December.


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The Slice: Sailboat Racing on Lake Superior

Jul 06, 2023 No Comments

Captain Chris Friese has owned the sailboat Radio Flyer for five years, racing with his crew in the A-Class on Lake Superior.

In its series The Slice, PBS North 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.


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Minnesota Historia: The Ope Files

Jun 08, 2023 1 Comment

The story of a UFO that ran into a deputy sheriff’s car in Marshall County may have inspired The X-Files. But since this is Minnesota, it’s being calling the “Ope, I’m Just Gonna Scooch Right Past Ya Here” Files.

Minnesota Historia is a PBS North web series dedicated to Minnesota’s quirky past. It is hosted by Hailey Eidenschink and produced/edited/written by Mike Scholtz.


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Minnesota Historia: Boomtown!

Jun 01, 2023 2 Comments

The history of Minnesota’s Iron Range is full of boomtowns. That word usually refers to any town that grows rapidly due to economic prosperity. But in the case of Eveleth, “boomtown” took on a more literal definition. Twice.

Minnesota Historia is a PBS North web series dedicated to Minnesota’s quirky past. It is hosted by Hailey Eidenschink and produced/edited/written by Mike Scholtz.


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Minnesota Historia: The Magic of Smelting

May 24, 2023 No Comments

Explore Minnesota’s love affair with smelt, the shimmering silver fish that’s easy to catch and fun to eat. Now that Lake Superior’s smelt population is in decline, an annual parade in downtown Duluth keeps that love alive.

Minnesota Historia is a PBS North web series dedicated to Minnesota’s quirky past. It is hosted by Hailey Eidenschink and produced/edited/written by Mike Scholtz.


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Minnesota Historia: Mr. Magoo the Mongoose

May 18, 2023 No Comments

In 1962, a mongoose at the Duluth Zoo was sentenced to death by the federal government, but he’s not the only animal in Minnesota who finds himself at the wrong place at the wrong time.

Minnesota Historia is a PBS North web series dedicated to Minnesota’s quirky past. It is hosted by Hailey Eidenschink and produced/edited/written by Mike Scholtz.


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