The Hugh C. Leighton Co., Manufacturers, Portland, ME.
Date Created:
1910?
Description:
During storms water from waves collect in the piers which are designed with drainage gaps so the water runs back into the canal. Here, there is melted snow and a small pack of snow at the base of the pier's walkway that blocks the drainage.
Contributing Institution:
University of Minnesota Duluth, Kathryn A. Martin Library, Northeast Minnesota Historical Collections
The Claude Turner design for the original Aerial Bridge from 1901. Many companies and designers vied for this project. The bridge was built in 1904-1905. This drawing shows the spires and steel structural detail as well as the concrete footings and dimensions. Both towers are shown with an end view. In 1929 the suspended car transfer was eliminated and a lift span was installed.
Contributing Institution:
University of Minnesota Duluth, Kathryn A. Martin Library, Northeast Minnesota Historical Collections
A side elevation of the car, or gondola, which carried vehicles and people across the canal. The drawing shows: decorative circular metal plate with the word Duluth and floral-like details, wooden wall with windows, open lattice feature. Plan of strut is drawn as a detail for the bridge builders. Drawing 163, Sheet M7.
Contributing Institution:
University of Minnesota Duluth, Kathryn A. Martin Library, Northeast Minnesota Historical Collections
Two detailed drawings of the car, or gondola, which carried vehicles and people across the canal. The drawing shows etched glass, punctured decorative steel plates, electric light fixtures, seats with perforated wood bottoms, maple flooring, glass paneled doors, lattice rail, copper flashing, wire supports, wire ropes, dimensions, floor beams, pine planks, and oak flooring. Drawing 162 Sheet M6.
Contributing Institution:
University of Minnesota Duluth, Kathryn A. Martin Library, Northeast Minnesota Historical Collections
Technical details and named parts of the suspended car and its supporting structure for the bridge's builders. Included on the drawing are dimensions, rivet poles, braces, center lines, bolt connections, plates, trusses, knee brace, hanger roll. Drawing 161, Sheet M5.
Contributing Institution:
University of Minnesota Duluth, Kathryn A. Martin Library, Northeast Minnesota Historical Collections
Detailed drawing of the suspended car, or gondola, and the vertical structure that holds it. This is the element that moves from one side of the bridge to the other above the canal. This transfer car could hold vehicles and people. Normal speed of the car was 4 miles per hour; it made the trip in about 1 minute. This drawing includes dimensions of individual structural elements such as braces. Drawing 160, Sheet M4. Turner is identified as engineer, 816 Phoenix Building Duluth.
Contributing Institution:
University of Minnesota Duluth, Kathryn A. Martin Library, Northeast Minnesota Historical Collections
The caption says The Aerial Bridge Span 393 feet 9 inches, 135 feet high from water line, cost $100,000 Duluth, Minn. A few more details that are not on this card are that the Aerial Bridge was completed in February, 1905. The Aerial Bridge transporter or gondola or transfer car roadway was 17 feet by 50 feet with sidewalks seven feet by 50 feet and the cabins were 30 feet long. This original bridge was modified with the lift span in 1929 and first operated March 19, 1930.
Contributing Institution:
University of Minnesota Duluth, Kathryn A. Martin Library, Northeast Minnesota Historical Collections
There are three drawn details: end view, part side elevation, lateral bracing in horizontal plane. The towers are the two end parts of the bridge that hold the central span and the suspended car. The towers are referred to as North and South. The South Tower is nearer to Minnesota Point, the North Tower is on the "mainland." Drawing 167, Sheet M11.
Contributing Institution:
University of Minnesota Duluth, Kathryn A. Martin Library, Northeast Minnesota Historical Collections
This is a general elevation drawing, plus end view of both towers. The suspended car transfer is in the center of the bridge drawing over the canal. Dimensions are included for the distance from the water to the bottom of the bridge span (135 feet) and the footings. The drawing shows small stone and gravel fill near and around the concrete footings at the base of each tower. The finials are shown in detail. Lake Avenue is shown from one tower to the other. Drawing H-5421A, U.S. Patent February 1903.
Contributing Institution:
University of Minnesota Duluth, Kathryn A. Martin Library, Northeast Minnesota Historical Collections
Every student in Duluth learned about the aerial bridge from family or teachers. This table-top model in clay is typical in demonstrating how central to children and families the structure and impact of the bridge was and is to residents of Duluth.
Contributing Institution:
University of Minnesota Duluth, Kathryn A. Martin Library, Northeast Minnesota Historical Collections
Every student in Duluth learned about the Aerial Bridge from family or teachers. This table-top model in clay is typical in demonstrating how central to children and families the structure and impact of the bridge was and is to residents of Duluth.
Contributing Institution:
University of Minnesota Duluth, Kathryn A. Martin Library, Northeast Minnesota Historical Collections
Marshall-Wells Hardware merchandise is loaded and ready for delivery to various railroad lines for transport. The first horse-drawn sleigh will take the orders packed into it to the Chicago, St. Paul, Minneapolis and Omaha depot. The truck behind the sleigh is destined for the Soo Line depot. The next in line will be shipped on the Great Northern railway and the one after that will go to the Northern Pacific. The Union Depot served seven railroads including the GN and NP. It still stands as the St. Louis County Heritage and Arts Center. All of the other depots are gone. The Marshall-Wells Company started in 1886 as Chapin and Wells Company a wholesale hardware business. Albert Morley Marshall, son of Seth, bought controlling interest in 1893 and changed the name to Marshall-Wells Company. The company grew to include 14 wholesale offices throughout the northwestern U.S. and Canada. In 1955 Ambrook Industries Inc. of New York bought controlling interest. Kelley-How-Thomson and Marshall-Wells merged January 1, 1958. Kelley-How-Thomson had been a subsidiary of Marshall-Wells since 1955 when Ambrook bought Marshall-Wells and reorganized. The Coast-to-Coast Stores bought the Duluth division of Marshall-Wells-Kelley-How-Thomson Company in 1958, which ended the Duluth firm's operation. Also in the image are the People's Hotel 246 Lake Avenue South, and the Lyceum Theater billboard.
Contributing Institution:
University of Minnesota Duluth, Kathryn A. Martin Library, Northeast Minnesota Historical Collections
In 1893, James J. Hill's Northern Steamship Company built 385-foot ocean style passenger steamers. In 1911, the peak year, 80,000 passengers traveled to Lake Superior. After 1920, the number of passenger cruise ships diminished with the advent of "motor-cars." Very few cruise ships were still in service after World War II. The Canadian steel steamer Huronic was constructed in Collingwood, Ontario, in 1902. She ran on the Northern Navigation Division of the Canadian Steamship Company, on cruise trips from Detroit to Duluth. In 1940, the Huronic was dismantled and made into a package freighter.
Contributing Institution:
University of Minnesota Duluth, Kathryn A. Martin Library, Northeast Minnesota Historical Collections
Ore boat leaving Duluth. Detroit Publishing Co. was a prolific post card publisher, especially in the U.S. Their cards were published from 1898 to 1933. Using a color process called Phostint, their cards were considered to be very artistic. The hobby of collecting post cards is called deltiology. The first post card was issued by the Austrian government, America's first postcards came out in 1873. Picture postcards were introduced later. The golden age of postcards was supposed to date from 1907 through the first World War.
Contributing Institution:
University of Minnesota Duluth, Kathryn A. Martin Library, Northeast Minnesota Historical Collections
Whaleback is an unusual ship design with steel hulls (body of the vessel) and rounded decks (boat, hurricane, main -which is the lowest full-length deck in a ship's hull, and spar are all decks at different levels) which was introduced by the inventor Captain Alexander McDougall of Duluth in 1888. It was a very stable vessel. American Steel Barge Company, a New York corporation engaged in shipbuilding and transportation on the Great Lakes as well as on the Atlantic and Pacific coasts, purchased all of the patents for McDougalls whaleback vessels for $25,000. The only remaining whaleback is the Meteor, which is now a museum at Barker's Island in Superior, Wisconsin.
Contributing Institution:
University of Minnesota Duluth, Kathryn A. Martin Library, Northeast Minnesota Historical Collections
John H. Darling (1847-1942), U.S. Engineer for Duluth-Superior Harbor, oversaw replacement of the original wooden canal piers with concrete piers in 1897. The piers have been maintained and repaired with a major remodeling/rehabilitation in 1985-1986.
Contributing Institution:
University of Minnesota Duluth, Kathryn A. Martin Library, Northeast Minnesota Historical Collections
139-D The caption of this post card says The unique Aerial Lift Bridge and Ship Canal Entrance to Duluth-Superior Harbor is an outstanding attraction of this popular summer vacation city. Total bridge load lifted is 900 tons. Only 55 seconds are required to lift the span 135 feet. The Harbor is second only to that of New York City in shipping tonnage and through it passes about 60 per cent of America's iron ore production, from the great iron ore ranges just north of Duluth. Another fact, not included in the caption is that John H. Darling (1847-1942), U.S. Engineer for Duluth-Superior Harbor, oversaw replacement of the original wooden canal piers with concrete piers in 1897. The piers have been maintained and repaired with a major remodeling/rehabilitation in 1985-1986.
Contributing Institution:
University of Minnesota Duluth, Kathryn A. Martin Library, Northeast Minnesota Historical Collections
The caption for this post card says The famous Aerial Lift Bridge, at the entrance to the Duluth -Superior harbor, is the largest of its kind in the world. The 900-ton span, lifted by electrical energy stored in batteries, rises 120 feet in 50 seconds each time a boat approaches the harbor.
Contributing Institution:
University of Minnesota Duluth, Kathryn A. Martin Library, Northeast Minnesota Historical Collections
An ore boat is steaming through the canal into Duluth harbor. The canal was cut beginning in 1871, and this bridge was built in 1904-1905 and modified with the lift span (which is up in this photo) in 1929. Canal Park is to the right of the Aerial Lift Bridge. Today a tourist destination, Canal Park was originally an industrial site. In this photograph Canal Park is in transition. You can see some demolition as well as some new parking facilities very near the pier including green space for residents and tourists to get near the vessel traffic and the bridge. The Aerial Lift Bridge is the largest tourist draw in Minnesota.
Contributing Institution:
University of Minnesota Duluth, Kathryn A. Martin Library, Northeast Minnesota Historical Collections
The parallel concrete piers jut out into the lake forming the canal leading to the harbor. Since its remodeling into a lift bridge in 1930, every vessel passes under the Aerial Lift Bridge's raised span. In this view the span is down, and traffic and people cross it as a roadbed. The South Pier is at the left, the North Pier is at the right. Minnesota Point's light sand beach draws residents and tourists in all seasons but especially throughout the summer months. The expanse of the slips and wharves of the harbor indicate an industrial scene. You can see the light road that is Skyline Parkway parallel to the horizon running the length of Duluth.
Contributing Institution:
University of Minnesota Duluth, Kathryn A. Martin Library, Northeast Minnesota Historical Collections
The parallel concrete piers jut out into the lake forming the canal leading to the harbor. Since its remodeling into a lift bridge in 1930, every vessel passes under the Aerial Lift Bridge's raised span. In this view the span is down, and traffic and people cross it as a roadbed. The South Pier is at the left, the North Pier is at the right. Minnesota Point's light sand beach draws residents and tourists in all seasons but especially throughout the summer months. The harbor is still the location of warehouses and coal docks. You can see the light road that is Skyline Parkway parallel to the horizon running the length of Duluth. The Civic Center is at the center of this shot. The St. Louis County Courthouse is in the middle with the Federal Building to the left of the courthouse, City Hall to the right, and the St. Louis County Jail to the left and set back from the courthouse. The Civic Center was designed by Daniel Burnham and is on the National Register of Historic Places.
Contributing Institution:
University of Minnesota Duluth, Kathryn A. Martin Library, Northeast Minnesota Historical Collections
The Duluth Missabe and Iron Range ore docks are the two reddish brown linear structures in the foreground. Ore boats are pulled between the docks by tugboats. Railroad cars loaded with ore or taconite pellets move along the railroad tracks on the top or the length of the dock. A chute or steel pocket beneath the tracks is lowered to the open cargo hatch and a door at the bottom of the pocket opens, allowing the pellets to run into the ore boat that moored parallel to the dock. Four hours is typical for loading ore. Loading is the responsibility of the First Mate. It is important to load the ore in a proper sequence to avoid over stressing the boat unevenly. Each chute (or drop of pellets) is about 20 tons.
Contributing Institution:
University of Minnesota Duluth, Kathryn A. Martin Library, Northeast Minnesota Historical Collections
The lift span is up as an ore boat of the Cleveland-Cliffs fleet approaches the canal. Pioneer Hall and the Northwest Passage skywalk link to downtown are complete. Gateway Towers and Lenox Place apartment high-rises and the new Duluth Public Library are visible. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' Lake Superior Maritime Visitor Center, formerly called the Marine Museum, opened in 1973 and is seen near the north pier with Grandma's Saloon restaurant and its summertime tent visible marking the first two amenities of Canal Park that would develop into a tourist destination.
Contributing Institution:
University of Minnesota Duluth, Kathryn A. Martin Library, Northeast Minnesota Historical Collections
View of Duluth's hillside from just shy of Sixth Avenue West on the left and Fourteenth Avenue East on the far right half-way up the edge. Houses in the Kenwood neighborhood are clustered at the far right. To the left of Kenwood is the College of St. Scholastica with dominant Tower Hall. Drop straight down from the college to the Peace Church built in 1959. The airbase housing cluster called Capehart on Arrowhead Road that was later sold and developed into Aspenwood Condominiums is beyond the college with the Cook Home at the top middle of the photograph.
Contributing Institution:
University of Minnesota Duluth, Kathryn A. Martin Library, Northeast Minnesota Historical Collections
Looking toward the North Shore this aerial view shows the Duluth Arena Auditorium on the lower left. The Arena Auditorium opened in August 1966 and was renamed the DECC or Duluth Entertainment and Convention Center in 1987. Just below the Arena Auditorium is the building that housed the Flame Restaurant. Located at 353 South Fifth Avenue West, the Flame opened in 1930 and closed on January 3, 1973. The water of Minnesota Slip is visible between Canal Park and the Arena-Auditorium. Off the shore of Canal Park in Lake Superior are the remnants of the Whitney rock crushing enterprise, visible here as a small brown rectangle. The Whitney Brothers, of Superior, Wisconsin, had a sand and gravel processing business that was functioning in 1919. The concrete form that is still in the water was the dredging/crushing building.
Contributing Institution:
University of Minnesota Duluth, Kathryn A. Martin Library, Northeast Minnesota Historical Collections
This image shows Canal Park toward the end of its light industrial era. At the bottom center of the image, between First Avenue East and Lake Avenue, at 438 Lake Avenue South, is the Northwestern Iron and Metal Company scrap yard. The newly constructed Marine Museum (now the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' Lake Superior Maritime Visitor Center) is visible below the canal; its grand opening was on September 29, 1973. Also visible in Canal Park are the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers building (1906), next to the Marine Museum, the Sand Bar, 522 Lake Avenue South, and the home of Jeno's Incorporated, 525 Lake Avenue South, now known as the Paulucci Building. In the upper right corner of the image, on Minnesota Point is the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers vessel yard. An excursion boat in the canal approaches the harbor.
Contributing Institution:
University of Minnesota Duluth, Kathryn A. Martin Library, Northeast Minnesota Historical Collections
This aerial view is one of many taken by Wayne Gatlin. Canal Park (under the jet) is in its transformative stage moving from a light industrial site to a tourist destination. Grandma's Saloon and Grill has its striped canvas tent up with the ice cream railroad car in place. The double-decker red bus is at the intersection of Morse and South First Avenue East or Canal Park Drive. The first segment of the Lakewalk will be built in 1988. Duluth-born Mr. Gatlin enlisted in the aviation cadet program in 1942. Later he flew 55 combat missions for the 360th Fighter Group in England and downed an ME-262 jet fighter. In 1948 he joined the Texas Air National Guard but eventually transferred to Duluth, where he became operations officer for the 179th Fighter Interceptor Squadron. Gatlin flew jet fighters while stationed at Duluth during the Korean War. He was the high individual scorer at the 1954, 1955 and 1956 National Air Guard gunnery meets. Gatlin served as commander of the Air Technician Detachment at Duluth, wing commander, group commander and finally chief of staff for the Minnesota Air National Guard. He logged over 6,700 military flying hours during his career. Gatlin studied photography over the years and his marvelous portraits of Guard aircraft have appeared in many publications and journals.
Contributing Institution:
University of Minnesota Duluth, Kathryn A. Martin Library, Northeast Minnesota Historical Collections
The Duluth Arena Auditorium is at the center of this image, above and to the right of the Arena are the grain elevators on Rice's Point, and the John A. Blatnik Bridge connecting Duluth and Superior, Wisconsin. Built in 1961, the High Bridge was renamed for Congressman John A. Blatnik in 1971. Blatnik (1911-1991) was elected to the Minnesota Senate in 1940, he was a representative to the U.S. Congress for Minnesota's Eight District from 1947-1974. The U-shaped building at the lower left is the Hotel Duluth.
Contributing Institution:
University of Minnesota Duluth, Kathryn A. Martin Library, Northeast Minnesota Historical Collections
This image shows a view from about Ninth Avenue West and waterfront at the top right corner of the shot to First Avenue East and Second Street at the lower left corner of the shot. Duluth Terminal and Cold Storage Company is at Ninth Avenue West and Railroad Street or 400 South Ninth Avenue West. The 1892 Central High School and its clock tower occupy the block on Second Street between Lake Avenue and First Avenue East in the foreground. The Canal Park area and the waterfront warehouse districts are still very industrial. The arena auditorium will not open until August 1966, in the area still filled with scrap in the middle-top of this photograph. Railroad and Commerce streets run parallel to the hillside below Superior Street and the area is well described by their names.
Contributing Institution:
University of Minnesota Duluth, Kathryn A. Martin Library, Northeast Minnesota Historical Collections
This aerial view is one of many taken by Wayne Gatlin. The shape of Minnesota Point and the harbor are clear. Duluth-born Mr. Gatlin enlisted in the aviation cadet program in 1942. Later he flew 55 combat missions for the 360th Fighter Group in England and downed an ME-262 jet fighter. In 1948, he joined the Texas Air National Guard but eventually transferred to Duluth, where he became operations officer for the 179th Fighter Interceptor Squadron. Gatlin flew jet fighters while stationed at Duluth during the Korean War. He was the high individual scorer at the 1954, 1955 and 1956 National Air Guard gunnery meets. Gatlin served as commander of the Air Technician Detachment at Duluth, wing commander, group commander and finally chief of staff for the Minnesota Air National Guard. He logged over 6,700 military flying hours during his career. Gatlin studied photography over the years and his marvelous portraits of Guard aircraft have appeared in many publications and journals.
Contributing Institution:
University of Minnesota Duluth, Kathryn A. Martin Library, Northeast Minnesota Historical Collections
This aerial view faces downtown Duluth, incorporating the near end of Minnesota Point and Canal Park. Minnesota Slip runs straight up through the center of the image, between Canal Park and the Duluth Arena Auditorium, and a Coast Guard cutter is docked in front of the Arena. Minnesota Slip is where the 600-foot long William A. Irvin ore boat museum will lay beginning in July 1986. The hillside rises up behind downtown, with Mesaba Avenue running diagonally up the left side of the hill. The rectangle and three dots parallel to the piers of the canal are the remnants of the Whitney Brothers rock crushing enterprise. The lift span of the bridge is up as a ship moves out of the harbor. At the center in the bottom portion of the image is the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Duluth Vessel Yard at Ninth Street and Minnesota Avenue that was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in October 1995. It was a maintenance, storage, mooring facility established in 1904, supporting dredging and maintenance of the Duluth shipping harbor.
Contributing Institution:
University of Minnesota Duluth, Kathryn A. Martin Library, Northeast Minnesota Historical Collections
Aerial view of grain elevators and a lake vessel being loaded. A freighter is outbound, headed for the aerial bridge whose span is up. Norris Grain is named for James E. Norris, Canadian born, whose family accumulated wealth in the grain trade and a fleet of ships. His father moved the company headquarters to Chicago and James relocated there. These elevators were bought from General Mills Inc. in 1944. Norris was later associated with hockey.
Contributing Institution:
University of Minnesota Duluth, Kathryn A. Martin Library, Northeast Minnesota Historical Collections
A ship heads toward the canal to exit the Duluth harbor. The span is up on the Aerial Lift Bridge to allow the vessel to pass. The discoloration in the water around the ship could be fuel or other residue from vessel traffic in the harbor. Minnesota Slip is parallel to Canal Park in the center of the image; to the left is the Duluth Arena Auditorium. The Arena Auditorium's grand opening was in August 1966. It would be added to over the years and renamed DECC or Duluth Entertainment and Convention Center.
Contributing Institution:
University of Minnesota Duluth, Kathryn A. Martin Library, Northeast Minnesota Historical Collections