Image of new steel bridge over Beaver River near Beaver Bay, Minnesota. Completed during the Trunk Highway 1 project, now known as Scenic Highway 61. A second, older bridge appears beneath the new bridge. Grand opening of the highway was celebrated in 1925, construction north of Two Harbors began 1922.
Image of a group of men leveling the ground behind a steam powered machine. A man appears in the foreground, seated on a second piece of equipment. Bridge over the Beaver River near Beaver Bay, Minnesota. Completed during the Trunk Highway 1 project, now known as Scenic Highway 61.
Close up image of steam powered shovel stamped with "Foley Brothers Contractors" on the top. Shovel is loading a horse drawn wagon with dirt. Wagon ruts appear on the level surface. Caribou River section of Trunk Highway 1, now known as Scenic Highway 61. Foley Brothers Contractors, based out of Saint Paul, worked with the Minnesota Highway Department to construct roads across Minnesota including Trunk Highway 1.
Image of steam powered shovel stamped with "Foley Brothers Contractors" on the side. Shovel is loading a horse drawn wagon with dirt. Construction of Caribou River section of Trunk Highway 1, now known as Scenic Highway 61. Foley Brothers Contractors, based out of Saint Paul, worked with the Minnesota Highway Department to construct roads across Minnesota including Trunk Highway 1.
Image of John Beargrease and brother delivering mail for Grand Marais, Minnesota by dogsled. Packed trail is somewhere between Two Harbors and Grand Marais, Minnesota. Before road improvements in the 1920s, a combination of dogsleds, steam ships, sail boats, and sleighs were used to deliver mail to settlements north of Two Harbors. Working in pairs, contracted carriers would make the perilous journey twice weekly.
Image taken from bluff above bay showing passenger steamer "Ossifrage" at dock. Large dock owned by the Weiland Family, a prosperous family that owned and operated a lumber company out of Beaver Bay (1860-1883). Note the group of men and women of the village standing next to a tipi in the image foreground. Weiland homestead on hill above the dock.
Image of wooden sign spanning road that reads "Silver Creek Cliff." on Trunk Highway 1, currently Scenic Highway 61. Dirt road runs underneath the sign which frames the road. A wooden storefront appears beyond the sign.
Street scene shows a packed dirt road lined with sidewalks. Several multi-story houses line the road. Two harbors courthouse on the right. Two Churches on the left. Identified as 4th Avenue, Two Harbors.
Mail delivery, especially in the winter, was tough on the north shore of Lake Superior. During the wintertime, a combination of sleigh and dogsled were used to distribute mail and people north of Two Harbors. Not until 1925 when the roads were improved North of Two Harbors could mail carriers easily travel their routes.