Proctor, near Duluth, was the home base of the DM & IR and its predecessor roads the D & IR and the DM & N. Proctor was created in 1892 when the railroad was extending into Duluth and needed large flat areas. It was the largest such yard in the world. In 1894, the village was incorporated as Proctorknott after J. Proctor Knott, a U.S. Congressman from Kentucky who delivered a satirical speech ridiculing Duluth. The name was later shortened to Proctor. The locomotive back shop was was completed in 1905 and used continuously until the end of the steam era. The old roundhouse at the left had already been superseded by a new engine facility at the north end of the yard when this photograph was taken.
Contributing Institution:
University of Minnesota Duluth, Kathryn A. Martin Library, Northeast Minnesota Historical Collections