You can walk down to the Lake at Leif Erikson Park near downtown Duluth. There are large rocks to sit or stand upon and a rocky shoreline. At all seasons, individuals, families, people and their dogs, spend hours at this spot watching the Lake, wading, watching for boats to enter the harbor, watching for loons on the water. On the right of this shot is the bluestone retaining wall below the Fitger's Brewery whose smokestack and water tower are prominent. Fitger's at 600 East Superior Street closed in 1971, but was remodeled and reopened in 1984 as a 48-room inn, with shops and restaurants.
Contributing Institution:
University of Minnesota Duluth, Kathryn A. Martin Library, Northeast Minnesota Historical Collections
Looking north from the Minnesota Point beach. The neighborhood of Minnesota Point is called Park Point. The park at the end of the point is also called Park Point. The building to the right of the black and white lighthouse is the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Building. built in 1906. The Marine Museum will be joined to it in 1973. The 67-foot tall lighthouse in front of the Aerial Lift Bridge is formally called South Breakwater Inner Light Tower. Owned by the federal government and listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1983, 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. Mr. Sola grew up on Park Point, Kamps in Hibbing, but lived many years on Cape Cod before moving to Duluth. They cannot move the tower.
Contributing Institution:
University of Minnesota Duluth, Kathryn A. Martin Library, Northeast Minnesota Historical Collections
The newly built High Bridge connecting Duluth and Superior, Wisconsin is highlighted in this postcard. 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.
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
The aerial lift bridge is owned and operated by the City of Duluth on Congressional permit. The Ship Canal and grounds are under the authority of the Lake Superior Area Office of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Minnesota Point, also called Park Point, is a well-known Duluth neighborhood that has a population of about 1,500; it is a major year-round recreational area with beaches and an airport. You can see the light edge of the sand beach parallel to the edge of the photograph. Minnesota Point is located at the western tip of Lake Superior, at the mouth of its largest tributary, the St. Louis River. Minnesota Point, seven miles long and averaging 500 feet wide, is geologically part of a continuous, sandy, bay mouth bar that stretches between Duluth and Superior, Wisconsin. The middle of the bar is submerged, creating the natural entry that separates Minnesota Point on the northwest from Wisconsin Point on the southeast. This bar was formed by two processes: primarily by sands carried from the South Shore and deposited by lake currents, and secondarily by sediment deposited by the St. Louis and Nemadji rivers. There are erosion and flood problems on the two sides of Minnesota Point. Most of the Minnesotas Lake Superior shore consists of rock and red clay. The vast sandy beach of Minnesota Point is not common. Shifts in dunes and breaks in dune line can occur in just a few hours. If a blow hole forms in a dune line, up to 3,000 cubic feet of sand can shift during a single storm. Vegetation can help prevent dune erosion. Dunes are extremely important in controlling wind erosion on Minnesota Point. To protect the dunes, it is essential to control pedestrian traffic and prohibit the use of vehicles. If it is necessary to cross dunes, the use of designated trails with boardwalks or bark mulch can minimize damage.
Contributing Institution:
University of Minnesota Duluth, Kathryn A. Martin Library, Northeast Minnesota Historical Collections
The aerial lift bridge is owned and operated by the City of Duluth on Congressional permit. The Ship Canal and grounds are under the authority of the Lake Superior Area Office of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Minnesota Point, also called Park Point, is a well-known Duluth neighborhood that has a population of about 1,500; it is a major year-round recreational area with beaches and an airport. You can see the light edge of the sand beach parallel to the edge of the photograph. Minnesota Point is located at the western tip of Lake Superior, at the mouth of its largest tributary, the St. Louis River. Minnesota Point, seven miles long and averaging 500 feet wide, is geologically part of a continuous, sandy, bay mouth bar that stretches between Duluth and Superior, Wisconsin. The middle of the bar is submerged, creating the natural entry that separates Minnesota Point on the northwest from Wisconsin Point on the southeast. This bar was formed by two processes: primarily by sands carried from the South Shore and deposited by lake currents, and secondarily by sediment deposited by the St. Louis and Nemadji rivers. There are erosion and flood problems on the two sides of Minnesota Point. Most of the Minnesotas Lake Superior shore consists of rock and red clay. The vast sandy beach of Minnesota Point is not common. Shifts in dunes and breaks in dune line can occur in just a few hours. If a blow hole forms in a dune line, up to 3,000 cubic feet of sand can shift during a single storm. Vegetation can help prevent dune erosion. Dunes are extremely important in controlling wind erosion on Minnesota Point. To protect the dunes, it is essential to control pedestrian traffic and prohibit the use of vehicles. If it is necessary to cross dunes, the use of designated trails with boardwalks or bark mulch can minimize damage.
Contributing Institution:
University of Minnesota Duluth, Kathryn A. Martin Library, Northeast Minnesota Historical Collections
The lift span is up; a vessel either just entered the harbor or is soon to exit but the ship is not visible. From the Marshall-Wells sign at the left to the Aerial Bridge is the area known as Canal Park. At the time of this image, there is still a mix of business and industry in this compact area. It is not going to be a tourist attraction until Grandma's Restaurant opens in 1976, followed by dozens of other amenities. Minnesota Slip will hold the 600-foot William A. Irvin ore boat museum in 1986. 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, 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. Coolerator Company began in 1908 as the Duluth Show Case Company. Its name changed to Duluth Refrigerator Company in 1928, and to the Coolerator Company in 1934. It was a subsidiary of the Marshall-Wells Building Corporation.
Contributing Institution:
University of Minnesota Duluth, Kathryn A. Martin Library, Northeast Minnesota Historical Collections
There are many places along the Lake shore to pause, wade, throw rocks into the water, and enjoy views toward the bridge and Canal Park or across to Wisconsin's south shore which you can see well on a clear day, or up the shore toward Canada.
Contributing Institution:
University of Minnesota Duluth, Kathryn A. Martin Library, Northeast Minnesota Historical Collections
The post card caption says These giant ore and grain carriers measure as long as 729 feet and have a pay load of up to 26,000 tons. They make the round trip from Duluth to Lake Erie ports and back in 4 to 5 days. There are over 300 ore and grain carriers operated by some 25 companies.
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
Tanker Asia transported grain from Canada to the Great Lakes. It was sold in February 1960 to D. B. Deniz Nakliyati T.A.S., Istanbul, renamed and reflagged Gaizan, Turkey and delivered to the buyers in Galveston, Texan in 1960. There is no trace of this vessel after 1977.
Contributing Institution:
University of Minnesota Duluth, Kathryn A. Martin Library, Northeast Minnesota Historical Collections
A Norwegian-flagged vessel is moored at the Port Terminal. Another vessel moves through the harbor, with the Aerial Lift Bridge and Duluth in the distance. The completion of the St. Lawrence Seaway in 1959 opened the Duluth-Superior port to ocean-going vessels. The photographer, Elizabeth Jo Goodsell, was a Duluth community activist, teacher, and long time resident of Minnesota Point.
Contributing Institution:
University of Minnesota Duluth, Kathryn A. Martin Library, Northeast Minnesota Historical Collections
This 26-foot, 2,000 pound statue of Neptune was featured at the Minnesota State Fair in 1959. Following the Fair it was given to Duluth by the Minnesota State Fair Board and placed in Canal Park for the opening of the St. Lawrence Seaway in 1959. Made of fiberglass and plastic over papier-mch it eventually disintegrated. The statue was removed in 1963.
Contributing Institution:
University of Minnesota Duluth, Kathryn A. Martin Library, Northeast Minnesota Historical Collections
Minnesota Slip (water), on some 1920s maps called Lake Avenue Slip, is bounded by the Northern Pacific Railway Dock No. 6, and the businesses and warehouses on the harbor edge of Canal Park. The Marshall-Wells water towers are a feature standing tall next to the DeWitt Seitz Company building that stands today. The DeWitt-Seitz Co., whose plant, factory, warehouse and offices were at 390 S. Lake Avenue, was one of Duluth's prosperous businesses. The company, organized in 1905 by Henry F. Seitz and C E. DeWitt, manufactured all grades of mattresses and box springs, and included wholesale and jobbing of furniture and floor coverings. The DeWitt-Seitz best grade mattress and box spring, known as the Sanomade, carried the slogan "Remember the Name, the Rest is Easy." It was used and advertised all over the country. Its wholesale furniture and jobbing business covered Minnesota, northern Wisconsin and Michigan, North Dakota and parts of South Dakota and Montana. Including salesmen, the company employed a total of 60 persons in its nine story building that still stands as the DeWitt-Seitz Market Place in Canal Park. F. S. Kelly Furniture Co. bought the furniture stock of the DeWitt-Seitz Co in June of 1961. DeWitt-Seitz continued manufacturing mattresses and reorganized the firm, but the mattress company was sold in 1962.
Contributing Institution:
University of Minnesota Duluth, Kathryn A. Martin Library, Northeast Minnesota Historical Collections
This view is from just below First Street looking down Second Avenue West. Glass Block department store and the Sellwood building are on the corners of Superior Street and Second Avenue West. Railroad Street and ice filled slips are between downtown and the bridge. Minnesota Point extends beyond the bridge at the top of the image. Glass Block was built in 1893 and three floors added in 1902. It closed in 1981. The Sellwood was built in 1908 and still stands.
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
Submarine Corsair, accompanied by three small vessels, arrives in Duluth for the Seaway Celebration, July 11, 1959. Navy destroyers Sherman, U.S.S. C.H. Roan and Forrest Royal, also took part in this celebration marking the opening of the St. Lawrence Seaway.
Contributing Institution:
University of Minnesota Duluth, Kathryn A. Martin Library, Northeast Minnesota Historical Collections
A Navy destroyer arrives in Duluth for the Seaway Celebration, July 11, 1959. Navy destroyers Sherman, U.S.S. C.H. Roan and Forrest Royal, along with submarine Corsair, took part in this celebration marking the opening of the St. Lawrence Seaway.
Contributing Institution:
University of Minnesota Duluth, Kathryn A. Martin Library, Northeast Minnesota Historical Collections
Spectators line the Ship Canal while a Navy destroyer and two small vessels pass under the Lift Bridge. In the background, sprays of water add to this celebration of the opening of the St. Lawrence Seaway.
Contributing Institution:
University of Minnesota Duluth, Kathryn A. Martin Library, Northeast Minnesota Historical Collections
A Navy destroyer and other small vessels pass under the Lift Bridge, as spectators celebrate the opening of the St. Lawrence Seaway. Clearly visible in Canal Park is the small white Army Corps of Engineers Building, which was constructed in 1906.
Contributing Institution:
University of Minnesota Duluth, Kathryn A. Martin Library, Northeast Minnesota Historical Collections
Spectators line the piers of Duluth's Ship Canal to welcome Navy destroyers Sherman, U.S.S. C.H. Roan and Forrest Royal, along with submarine Corsair, marking the opening of the St. Lawrence Seaway. The photographer, Elizabeth Jo Goodsell, was a Duluth community activist and a physical education teacher at Duluth East High School. She lived on Minnesota Point and was an avid photographer.
Contributing Institution:
University of Minnesota Duluth, Kathryn A. Martin Library, Northeast Minnesota Historical Collections
The lift span is up as spectators watch a line of pleasure craft sail through the Ship Canal, passing under the Aerial Lift Bridge. On July 11, 1959 several thousand people gathered in Canal Park, and more lined the lake shore as far north as the Lester River, to celebrate the completion of the St. Lawrence Seaway. At the foot of the bridge, on the right of the image, is the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Building. Observation Hill stands behind Canal Park and the harbor.
Contributing Institution:
University of Minnesota Duluth, Kathryn A. Martin Library, Northeast Minnesota Historical Collections
This image shows spectators lining the Ship Canal to witness the first foreign ship entering the Duluth harbor. The merchant vessel Ramon de Larrinaga arrived in Duluth on May 3, 1959, to load grain. Departing from its home port of Liverpool, it was the first foreign ship to arrive in Duluth through the newly opened St. Lawrence Seaway.
Contributing Institution:
University of Minnesota Duluth, Kathryn A. Martin Library, Northeast Minnesota Historical Collections
Members of the Duluth Fire Department create water sprays to mark the arrival of the Ramon de Larrinaga. The Larrinaga was the first foreign ship to arrive in Duluth through the newly opened St. Lawrence Seaway. It was followed five minutes later by the Liberian-registered Herald. The photographer, Elizabeth Jo Goodsell, was a Duluth community activist, teacher, and long time resident of Minnesota Point.
Contributing Institution:
University of Minnesota Duluth, Kathryn A. Martin Library, Northeast Minnesota Historical Collections