a 1/2 day in Duluth

I had occasion yesterday to drive to Duluth for part of the day. I've never spent much time in Duluth, but it seems like an interesting place to spend some time. I have to say, I felt a bit like the narrator in The Doors' song 'People Are Strange'. It was almost like people knew I wasn't one of them. Many strange looks were directed my way, cast by strange-looking people. Which was more than fine -- I don't mind.

I did dig up a little history on Duluth, which I thought I'd share with you today. Duluth was founded in 1902 by a dry merchant, who realized the climate would be perfect for selling canned goods. In the space of two years, he made a small fortune. In 1905, the wife of one of his poker buddies noticed the town had been founded on the shores of a rather large lake. After further investigation, it was discovered she was correct in this assessment. This discovery threw the fledgling community into a tizzy. Though no one was really sure how this might profit the denizens of the region, though some suspected it would prove to be quite profitable (somehow), what really puzzled them was what to name the pristine body of water. Finally, after going through several focus groups and committee hearings, a name was settled on.

However, in 1912 -- after the lake failed to catch on with tourists -- the townspeople decided a more forceful name was needed to attract the public's attention. And so in 1913, the name of the lake was changed from Lake Meets Expectations to what it is called today, Lake Superior.

The rest is history.

Songs for this day: Men At Work's 'Overkill', 'It's A Mistake' and Colin Hay's 'Beautiful World'. Oh, and the Doors' 'People Are Strange'. As you well know, they certainly are. Those are songs 131, 132, 133 and 134.