UMD Library’s Northeast Minnesota Historical Center recently contributed 493 images of Duluth businesses to the Minnesota Digital Library. This is a great collection of images, selected by NEMHC curator Pat Maus. These images add to the over 2000 photographs, documents, and maps from the Center already in the Digital Library.
The collection includes business interiors and exteriors and business owners and workers dating from the 1880s to the 1960s. Most of the photographs are of downtown Duluth but there are quite a few that show the Grand Avenue and Central area in West Duluth as well as a small selection of West End businesses. A major highlight of these selected images is a set of photographs by Perry Gallagher of Superior Street in 1963 that cover every block on both sides of the street from Third Avenue East to Sixth Avenue West.
The Minnesota Digital Library’s Minnesota Reflections website offers nearly 62,000 images and documents shared by more than 120 cultural heritage organizations across the state. The site offers a variety of resources on Minnesota’s history for researchers, educators, students and the public.
To look at the Businesses of Duluth, Minnesota collection go to:
Minnesota Reflections https://reflections.mndigital.org/index.php
Advanced Search https://reflections.mndigital.org/cdm4/search.php
In the exact phrase search box type: Businesses of Duluth, Minnesota
Then select specific collection: Northeast Minnesota Historical Center
To see the Superior Street photographs use the advanced search with the exact phrase: Superior Street 1963
8 thoughts on “Businesses of Duluth”
I love the photo of the Loop Tavern. The building is still standing — it’s the Tappa Keg Inn Restaurant at 7036 Grand Ave.
They have one photo of the current Alakef shop so far … from 1440-1330 E. Superior … which, I’ve found if you’re talking to a longtime resident (senior citizen type), the building’s still often called the Bridgeman’s building.
Zra, I grew up on 2nd St. and 13th Ave east. The Alakef shop is where I had my first Lalapalooza experience. It was an awesome restaurant/creamery.
The first photo is Halvorson Trees, Inc. Located on Lake Ave. South, east side. About where the Happy Sleeper Mattress Co. was. They were in business from!929-1975 They sold miniature Christmas trees.
The man working at Halvorson Trees makes me think of the Tin Man in the Wizard of Oz, he’s covered in silver paint. Here’s a link. to the high resolution picture.
They have photos of that Christmas tree set up + some packaging in the hallway of the ground level of the DeWitt Seitz building, right?
Yep. Outside Lake Avenue.
We lived across Grand Avenue from the Loop Tavern from 1940. Its mainstay business was 3.2 beer on draft. My dad enjoyed a friendly beer with friends and neighbors. He let me tag along on occasion and I played shuffleboard while he stood at the bar talking politics with the guys.
I also remember running across the street at times to buy and bring home cashew nuts and carry out ice cream by the pint.