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
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
The foreground is Superior, Wisconsin the background is Duluth. The High Bridge or Interstate Bridge or John A. Blatnik Bridge is the central feature of this shot. 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, and 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
This autumn aerial view is one of many taken by Wayne Gatlin. Enger park is at the left and Enger Tower in the midst of it. The park acquired partly by gift from J. B. Enger, was acquired by the city of Duluth between 1891 and 1928. Enger Tower cost $30,000 to build, is built six stories high, 70 feet tall, and 583 feet above Lake Superior. You can see 31.4 miles on a clear day. It has a 10 foot conical shaped beacon at the top with 32 vertical tubes. One third of the $185,000 Enger estate, $61,000, was to be used for a civic memorial. Canal Park is to the left of the aerial bridge and Minnesota Point stretches to its right. Sailboats are in the harbor. The Duluth Public Library is under construction and will have its dedication in the summer of 1980. 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 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
This aerial view clearly shows the long narrow sandbar correctly called Minnesota Point but familiarly called Park Point by local residents. The Point has a recreation area at Thirteenth street and the larger facility including bathhouse, playing fields, and lifeguards at "the End" (the Park at the far end of the beach). To the left of the Point is Superior Bay, to the right is Lake Superior. At the top of the image is the hillside of Duluth. Hearding Island is off Minnesota Point toward the harbor. The island is the uninhabited site that has been called Bird Island by Park Point residents and Harbor Island by Duluth Bird Club members. 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
An excursion boat enters Superior Bay (the Duluth harbor) under the Aerial Lift Bridge. Canal Park is on the left of the bridge, and Minnesota Point is on the right. The discoloration in the water of the Bay could be fuel or other residue from vessel traffic in the harbor.
Contributing Institution:
University of Minnesota Duluth, Kathryn A. Martin Library, Northeast Minnesota Historical Collections
In this aerial view the span of the Lift Bridge is down and traffic is free to flow between Canal Park and Minnesota Point. The newly constructed Marine Museum (now the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' Lake Superior Maritime Visitor Center) is visible in the lower portion of the image, adjacent to the right side of the canal; its grand opening was on September 29, 1973. Also visible in Canal Park are the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Building, 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. The sandy beach of Minnesota Point shows on the left side of the canal in this image.
Contributing Institution:
University of Minnesota Duluth, Kathryn A. Martin Library, Northeast Minnesota Historical Collections
This striking image presents an aerial view directly above the Lift Bridge. The span is up and a vessel approaches the canal. On the left, cars on Minnesota Point are visible waiting for the bridge span to return to ground level. In local parlance, if you are stopped for the lifting of the span, you are being bridged. People who live on the Point calculate their comings and goings with getting bridged in mind. You can sit and wait for ten or fifteen minutes and sometimes longer.
Contributing Institution:
University of Minnesota Duluth, Kathryn A. Martin Library, Northeast Minnesota Historical Collections
In this aerial view the span of the Lift Bridge is up and a vessel approaches the canal. The newly constructed Marine Museum (now the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' Lake Superior Maritime Visitor Center) and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Building are visible in the lower left corner of the image. 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
This post card caption says Arena-Auditorium Duluth, Minnesota Fifth Avenue West and Waterfront. This beautiful new $6,100,000 multi-purpose facility will have an Auditorium to accommodate 2,500 people, and Arena with seating capacity up to 8,000 persons, an Exhibit Hall, 9 Meeting Rooms, and complete Banquet Facilities. The Arena-Auditorium will make Duluth the Convention Entertainment and Sports Center of The Upper Midwest. The building will be completed in 1966. This illustration is an architect's rendering of the proposed arena auditorium design. Ground was broken December 19, 1963.
Contributing Institution:
University of Minnesota Duluth, Kathryn A. Martin Library, Northeast Minnesota Historical Collections
The Arlantic Hope is a Liberian bulk carrier built in 1965. She is next to the General Mills grain elevator purchased in 1943 from Consolidated Elevator, Company, in the Duluth harbor. James Ford Bell led the formation of General Mills, Inc., consolidating Washburn Crosby and several other regional milling companies to create what would become the largest flour miller in the world. Among the mills consolidated were the Red Star Milling Company of Kansas, the Royal Milling Company of Montana, Kalispell Flour Mills Company and the Rocky Mountain Elevator Company. Other mills joined the new company early in 1929, including the Sperry Flour Company of California, the Kell Group in the Southwest, the El Reno mill of Oklahoma, and the Larrowe Milling Company of Michigan, which allowed entry into the feed business. And General Mills was born.
Contributing Institution:
University of Minnesota Duluth, Kathryn A. Martin Library, Northeast Minnesota Historical Collections
The lift span is up as pedestrians walk along the north side of the Ship Canal. Behind the bridge footings is the home office of Jeno's Inc, 525 Lake Avenue South, now known as the Paulucci Building.
Contributing Institution:
University of Minnesota Duluth, Kathryn A. Martin Library, Northeast Minnesota Historical Collections
Pedestrians stand on the bridge as the lift span opens for vessel traffic. In 1971 tickets for the Lift Bridge rides sold for twenty-five cents. Riders were required to stay within an enclosure during the ride.
Contributing Institution:
University of Minnesota Duluth, Kathryn A. Martin Library, Northeast Minnesota Historical Collections
A distant view of the Aerial Lift Bridge is framed by the plants in the foreground of this photograph taken at Brighton Beach (Kitchi Gammi Park), Scenic Highway 61 and London Road. The shore here is entirely rocky, in contrast to the sandy beaches of Minnesota Point.
Contributing Institution:
University of Minnesota Duluth, Kathryn A. Martin Library, Northeast Minnesota Historical Collections
A bulk carrier enters the harbor under the Lift Bridge as an excursion boat approaches the canal. In the foreground of the image is the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Vessel Yard, 901 Minnesota Avenue.
Contributing Institution:
University of Minnesota Duluth, Kathryn A. Martin Library, Northeast Minnesota Historical Collections
Noronic was the largest Canadian passenger steamship vessel on the Great Lakes. It was owned and operated by the Canada Steamship Lines Limited. On September 16, 1949, docked in the Toronto harbor, the ship burned in the middle of the night with more than 130 passengers losing their lives. The fire started in a linen closet. The design and construction of the 36-year-old ship were also found to be at fault. The interiors had been lined with oiled wood instead of fireproof material. Exits were only located on one deck instead of all five. None of the ships fire hoses were in working order. Damage suits for the Noronic were settled for just over $2 million. 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 last of those, the South American, made its last visit to Duluth in the 1966 season.
Contributing Institution:
University of Minnesota Duluth, Kathryn A. Martin Library, Northeast Minnesota Historical Collections
View of the lift span taken from the southeast corner of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers building (1906). The canal's piers have walkways, and there are benches for visitors to linger to watch the ships enter and exit the harbor. The Aerial Lift Bridge is the largest tourist attraction in the state of Minnesota. The enclosed portion on the lift span is the operator's house or the power house of the bridge. On one side of the operator is Lake Superior and the other side is Superior Bay and the Duluth Harbor Basin. Leonard P. Green was the bridge operator for 36 years (died September 16, 1944). He was supervisor when the Aerial bridge was altered to become the lift bridge. In 1932, Mr. Green's seven operators worked in eight-hour shifts, two operators to a shift.
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
This post card caption says Dutch Ship Colytto - 475 feet-long and 62-feet wide with a tonnage capacity of 9075 tons arrives at Duluth coming through the canal and under the famous Aerial Lift Bridge. Duluth is the westerly terminus of the St. Lawrence Seaway. This is an ocean general cargo vessel. Its derricks and booms enable it to load various package cargoes. The St. Lawrence Seaway is the common name for a system of locks, canals and channels that permits ocean-going vessels to travel from the Atlantic Ocean to the North American Great Lakes, as far as Lake Superior. Legally it extends from Montreal to Lake Erie, including the Welland Canal. The seaway is named after the Saint Lawrence River, which it follows from Lake Ontario to the Atlantic Ocean. Proposals for the seaway started in 1909, but were met with resistance from railway and port lobbyists in the United States.
Contributing Institution:
University of Minnesota Duluth, Kathryn A. Martin Library, Northeast Minnesota Historical Collections
This post card caption says D-117 Foreign Vessel entering Duluth Canal and passing under the famous Aerial Lift Bridge. Duluth is the westerly terminus of the St. Lawrence Seaway. It looks like this is the Dutch vessel Colytto. The lift span is up. The sand beach of Minnesota Point is at the right with waves moving toward it. The neighborhood on Minnesota Point is called Park Point. There are a number of spots along the Point where access to the beach is especially popular, but life guards and a beach house are only at "the end" where you can also find playing fields including a place for polo. The address is 5000 Minnesota Avenue for the recreation area, and it is not truly at the end of the Point. Further along is the Sky Harbor Airport and further yet is the bird sanctuary.
Contributing Institution:
University of Minnesota Duluth, Kathryn A. Martin Library, Northeast Minnesota Historical Collections
This image gives a view down Fifth Avenue West to the harbor. The Duluth Civic Center complex includes the Duluth City Hall, St. Louis County Courthouse, the former County Jail building, and the Federal Building. At the center of the complex is the Priley Fountain. Named for County Commissioner Joseph C. Priley, the fountain was constructed in the late 1960s as a part of the Gateway Urban Renewal Project. Julia Marshall, Caroline Marshall, and Dorothy Congdon contributed $100,000 toward constructing a landscaped mall descending from the Civic Center to Michigan Street. A formal city dedication of the Mall was held on September 12, 1971, the date that this photograph was taken.
Contributing Institution:
University of Minnesota Duluth, Kathryn A. Martin Library, Northeast Minnesota Historical Collections
This post card caption says D-103 NITE VIEW OF AERIAL LIFT BRIDGE Duluth, Minnesota Vessels from the world's ports arrive at the Duluth-Superior Harbor after transiting the St. Lawrence Seaway. A few more details could include that the St. Lawrence Seaway, after a 40 year struggle, was officially opened June 26, 1959, by President Dwight D. Eisenhower and Queen Elizabeth II. 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 first ocean-going vessels to arrive in Duluth following completion of the St. Lawrence Seaway.
Contributing Institution:
University of Minnesota Duluth, Kathryn A. Martin Library, Northeast Minnesota Historical Collections
Small post card of the aerial lift bridge with the span up and an outbound lake vessel in the canal. On Monday, July 1, 1929, the suspended car made its last trip across the canal. The bridge's modification to operate with a lift span began on April 8, 1929, with a low bid of $448,000 by the Kansas City Bridge Company. The Aerial Lift Bridge was first operated on March 19, 1930. During the shipping season it makes about 25 lifts a day.
Contributing Institution:
University of Minnesota Duluth, Kathryn A. Martin Library, Northeast Minnesota Historical Collections
Aerial view of a portion of Rice's Point and harbor facilities, in the foreground, including (right to left) two 90-ton gantry cranes of the Arthur M. Clure Public Marine Terminal, Peavey elevators, and Occident elevators. In the bay, on the far right, an excursion boat is leaving a wake behind it. A few sailboats dot the blue water. The anchored laker is unidentified. The tall, dark building to the left of the Aerial Lift Bridge is the DeWitt-Seitz building constructed in 1910. The plant, factory, warehouse and offices at 390 South Lake Avenue was one of Duluth's prosperous industries. The company organized in 1905 by Henry F. Seitz and C.E. DeWitt and manufactured all grades of mattresses and box springs, and the 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," and 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 this nine story building now called the De Witt-Seitz Market Place in Canal Park. In 1930, it employed "more than 40 persons" and had a payroll of $100,000. F.S. Kelly Furniture Company bought the furniture stock of the De Witt-Seitz Co in June of 1961. De Witt-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
Spectators line the Ship Canal to celebrate 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
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