Aerial view of Rice's Point, Duluth harbor, waterfront, canal park and Minnesota Point. Duluth's first elevator, Elevator A, was built by the Union Improvement and Elevator Company in 1870 outside of the harbor proper near what is now the Fitger's complex. Elevator A was destroyed by fire November 27, 1886. Elevators B through E were constructed between 1880 and 1884. Most of these concrete elevators were built in the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s. W. W. "Will" Cargill's brother Sam opened an office in Duluth in 1892 and built the company's first elevator, Elevator K. Elevator K could hold 2.5 million bushels. In the 1970s, Cargill purchased the Occident and Peavey elevators from the F. H. Peavey Company, renaming them Cargill Elevators C and D. In 1900, Frank H. Peavey built Peavey-Duluth Terminal on Rice's Point. The 3.35 million-bushel complex consisted of fifty tanks, the first major concrete terminal elevator in the world. In the foreground is the Seaway Port Authority of Duluth's (SPAD) Arthur M. Clure Public Marine Terminal that initially sat on 80 acres of tax-forfeited land. It was in operation in the spring of 1959.
Contributing Institution:
University of Minnesota Duluth, Kathryn A. Martin Library, Northeast Minnesota Historical Collections
View of Duluth from above Skyline Drive out to Lake Superior where laker and saltie vessels wait to come in to the harbor. There can be a pile up of vessels waiting for cargo that has not yet arrived for pick up. In this case, there was a grain millers' strike in progress. The strike, called by local 118 of the American Federation of Grain Millers lasted twelve weeks beginning July 6. You can see the orange bottoms of the vessels. They are riding high on the water without the weight of their cargos. Once filled, the vessel's weight forces the orange portion to be underwater and not visible. You can also see the cranes on the decks of the vessels. The cranes are used to transport commodities onto the vessel. Tourism is a major financial driver for Duluth. Visible are the Arena Auditorium just to the left of the Aerial bridge. The Arena is an oval shape. Opened in August 1966, the Arena Auditorium complex was altered late and finally renamed as the DECC, Duluth Entertainment and Convention Center. The Northwest Passage enclosed walkway parallels the Canal Park area. The walkway stretches from a bank building on Superior Street to the Arena and was completed in 1976. The Normandy Inn hotel and restaurant building stands out. The tall Steam Plant smoke stack is behind it. The Normandy, on Superior Street between Second and Third Avenues West, opened in December 1977 . It becomes the Holiday Inn in the early 1980s, a part of the Labovitz and Goldfine properties. The Normandy stands on what was called the Lyric Block named for the grand Lyric theater that occupied 75 feet of frontage on Superior Street for decades. Duluth's first Skywalk segment connected the Normandy with the First American National Bank across Superior Street. The block with the Lyric theater was razed beginning in June of 1976 for new development. The distinctively shaped, round, Radisson Hotel is further west on Superior Street. The Radisson opened in May 1970 with its restaurant on the top that slowly turns 360 degrees. The view from the restaurant is remarkable. Rooms were added in 1975. The NC sign is on top of the Alworth building. The Northern City National Bank's NC was there from 1957 to 1980 when the bank became First Bank Duluth. The Duluth Public Library is the gray oval shaped building to the left of the Radisson at 520 West Superior Street. The library opened in the summer of 1980. The turrets are visible of the 1892 Union Depot, now the St. Louis County Heritage and Arts Center, just behind the library, at 506 West Michigan Street. This Peabody and Stearns designed building is on the National Register of Historic Places.
Contributing Institution:
University of Minnesota Duluth, Kathryn A. Martin Library, Northeast Minnesota Historical Collections
View over downtown Duluth from Skyline Drive or the Parkway. Skyline Parkway extends from Becks Road east to the Lester River, ending at Lake Superior. The road skirts the ridge line of Duluth, though portions extend into Proctor and Midway Township. About 25 miles of it can traveled by car. The National Scenic Byways Program is part of the U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Highway Administration. The program is a grass-roots collaborative effort established to help recognize, preserve and enhance selected roads throughout the United States. Since 1992, the National Scenic Byways Program has funded 2,832 projects for state and nationally designated byway routes in 50 states, Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia. The U.S. Secretary of Transportation recognizes certain roads as All-American Roads or National Scenic Byways based on one or more archeological, cultural, historic, natural, recreational and scenic qualities. A laker is entering the harbor having just passed under the raised aerial lift bridge. The tall, light-colored buildings on Superior street are, left to right, the First National Bank (1958), the Alworth building (1909), and the Medical Arts building (1932). The cluster of brownish buildings at the tip of the ore boat are the Chicago, St. Paul, Minneapolis and Omaha Railway Station depot Minnesota Point extends in a graceful curve beyond the bridge. You can see the sand beach on the lake side that is enjoyed by locals and visitors. There is a park with amenities at what is called The End, which includes baseball and polo fields and the Park Point Beach house.
Contributing Institution:
University of Minnesota Duluth, Kathryn A. Martin Library, Northeast Minnesota Historical Collections
Nearly a companion photo to 2161.6, this is an autumn day. View of Duluth from above Skyline Drive out to Lake Superior where laker and saltie vessels wait to come in to the harbor. There can be a pile up of vessels waiting for cargo that has not yet arrived for pick up. In this case, there was a grain millers' strike in progress. The strike, called by Local 118 of the American Federation of Grain Millers, lasted twelve weeks beginning on July 6. It began against two of the eight elevators in the Twin Ports, but by July 25 affected all elevators. It had nothing to do with the longshoremen. You can see the orange bottoms of some of the vessels. They are riding high on the water without the weight of their cargos. Once filled, the vessel's weight forces the orange portion to be underwater and not visible. You can also see the cranes on the decks of the vessels. The cranes are used to transport commodities onto the vessel. There is an ore boat and tug in the bay. The Arena Auditorium is just to the right of the Aerial bridge. The Arena is an oval shape. Opened in August 1966, the Arena Auditorium complex was altered later and finally renamed as the DECC, Duluth Entertainment and Convention Center. The Normandy Inn hotel and restaurant building stands out with its red name on a white wall. The Normandy, on Superior Street between Second and Third Avenues West, opened in December 1977 . It becomes the Holiday Inn in the early 1980s, a part of the Labovitz and Goldfine properties. The Normandy stands on what was called the Lyric Block named for the grand Lyric theater that occupied 75 feet of frontage on Superior Street for decades. Duluth's first Skywalk segment connected the Normandy with the First American National Bank across Superior Street. The block with the Lyric theater was razed beginning in June of 1976 for new development. The distinctively shaped, round, Radisson Hotel is obscured by trees. You can just see the top of it. It is further west on Superior Street. The Radisson opened in May 1970. The NC sign is on top of the Alworth building. The Northern City National Bank's NC was there from 1957 to 1980 when the bank became First Bank Duluth. The smokestack at the left is part of the Duluth Steam Cooperative that supplies heat to many downtown buildings.
Contributing Institution:
University of Minnesota Duluth, Kathryn A. Martin Library, Northeast Minnesota Historical Collections
Colorized or hand colored image of a vessel entering the harbor. Waterfront industrial structures are beyond the bow of the ship. The lighthouse structure at the left dates from 1901. The formal name is South Breakwater Inner Light Tower formerly owned and regulated by the federal government. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It is 67 feet tall. The tower's light was first lit in 1901. It was bought in December 2008 by Steve Sola and Matt Kampf of Duluth. The winning bid was more than $31,000.
Contributing Institution:
University of Minnesota Duluth, Kathryn A. Martin Library, Northeast Minnesota Historical Collections
View from the Duluth harbor to the hillside and up the shore. The $283,000 Canal Park Marine Museum's (dark building under the bridge) ground breaking was September 12, 1972, followed by a dedication event September 29, 1973. In 1973, it cost the Army Corps of Engineers $40,000 annually to operate the museum which has always been free to the public. The Museum Expansion dedication was July 5, 1979. To the left of the Marine Museum is the striped awning of Grandma's Restaurant (opened in 1976) but the rest of Canal Park is still in transition. It will become a tourist destination as all of the industrial business are sold and closed and replaced by shops, restaurants, hotels, and the Lake Walk. On the shore line at the far left is Leif Erikson park.
Contributing Institution:
University of Minnesota Duluth, Kathryn A. Martin Library, Northeast Minnesota Historical Collections
View of a lake vessel in the canal entering the Duluth harbor. There are a number of sites visible where rubble is evident as Duluth razes older structures to make way for new construction. Canal Park is evolving from a light industrial commercial district into what will be a model tourist destination in another decade. The Flame restaurant is the bright white rectangle at the left center. The Flame supper club opened in 1930. The Aerial Lift Bridge was first operated on March 19, 1930. The present bridge has a clearance of 138 feet when the lift section is completely up and when down it is 16.5 feet above the water. The length of the span is 386 feet and weighs 900 tons. The distance from the water to the lower edge of the truss is 172 feet 7 inches; to the top of the truss it is 227 feet. During the shipping season it makes about 25 lifts a day. The new bridge is owned and operated by the City of Duluth on permit authorized by Congress. The Ship Canal and grounds are under the authority of the Lake Superior Area Office of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
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
Construction shot of the bridge and the approach to the bridge from Minnesota Point or South Lake Avenue, Minnesota Avenue. This photograph has been physically altered; the background has been whited out and buildings drawn over.
Contributing Institution:
University of Minnesota Duluth, Kathryn A. Martin Library, Northeast Minnesota Historical Collections
Aerial view of the Ore Docks, Stockpile and Railroad Yard at Two Harbors, Minnesota. At Dock 2 is the "Mesabi Miner" and to the left is the "Edna G." There is snow on the ground in this scene.
The vessel is 62.5 meters long. Under engine power, she reaches a top speed of 10 knots, while she can make up to 14 knots under sail. She has a crew of 18 and can accommodate 88 passengers. The Christian Radich, a full rigged three masted steel hull ship, is known through the international release in 1958 of the movie Windjammer. The Christian Radich sailed to the United States in 1976 as part of the Bicentennial Celebration. She was in New York on July 4, 1976. The vessel was built for training sailors for the Norwegian merchant navy, and did so for many years.
Contributing Institution:
University of Minnesota Duluth, Kathryn A. Martin Library, Northeast Minnesota Historical Collections
The Selby-Lake streetcar connected downtown St. Paul with Uptown in Minneapolis via Lake Street. This car is sitting on Girard Avenue at Lake Street, the west end of the line.