Two Harbors and Duluth MN

Our nearly 800 mile trek across Minnesota was completed with a stay in Two Harbors at a very nice city-operated campground on Lake Superior. This location allowed us to tour the North Shore All-American Scenic Drive as well as the busy commercial harbor facilities in Duluth.

This area is historically important because of its proximity to "The Iron Range", the location of the world famous Mesabi Iron mines which yield large amounts of Taconite. Taconite is a mineral containing up to 25-30% iron. The iron is removed by grinding the ore and magnetically removing the iron. This is then blended with other minerals and formed into pellets which are shipped to steel factories. The added minerals allow lower smelting temperatures and produce a superior form of steel.

It is these pellets that are loaded in Two Harbors and Duluth onto lake freighters up to 1000 feet in length. Other cargo carried on these vessels include limestone, grain, coal, sand and cement among other bulk commodities. For freighters passing through the Great Lakes to the Welland Canal, which bypasses Niagara Falls, the practical length limit is about 730 feet since the Welland locks are but 800 feet in length.

This was our view through the windshield from our space at Burlington Bay Campground in Two Harbors

A pretty sunset over Lake Superior.

Our day trip on the North Shore Scenic Drive took us to Gooseberry Falls State Park for a look at the Middle Falls one of a group of three spilling the Gooseberry River into Lake Superior.

The many days of rains had the the falls running pretty heavily.

The rocky shore presented some continuity problems for the highway designers which were solved by two interesting tunnels through solid rock formations.

Silver Creek Tunnel is 1344 feet long. The picture shows the entrance northbound.

Apparently un-named, this tunnel has a graceful entry facade and is much shorter than Silver Creek Tunnel.

Split Rock Lighthouse State Park is accessed from the North Shore Scenic Highway.

Another view of Split Rock Lighthouse

This Lighthouse was first put into service in 1910 by the federal government as a navigational aid in response to a storm in 1905 that sank or destroyed 29 ships on western Lake Superior.  During the first 20-years, the site was accessible only by boat so the keepers and their families lived on site for the summer shipping season and left for the winter.

Since the location was so remote the job of Keeper was done by three families who lived in identical housing just beneath the Lighthouse itself. These are the keepers facilities now.

Above is a view of the freighter loading facility at Two Harbors. The ships entered the harbor and pulled into the spaces on either side of the loading piers. Originally trains loaded with taconite were moved onto the top of the piers, the cargo doors of the ships opened, and the train cargo was dumped in by gravity. Modern facilities transfer ore from nearby stockpiles by conveyer systems and load the cargo somewhat automatically. One or two operators are all that is needed to load thousands of tons of bulk material in a matter of hours. Computer monitoring and control allow constant adjustments to maintain the proper load distribution to maintain stability of the craft.

Two Harbors Lighthouse is now a Bed and Breakfast,

Two Harbors Lighthouse was put into service at its present location in 1892 to serve the busy port activities between Agate Bay and Burlington Bay. The two towns consolidated as Two Harbors in 1907.

A view of Agate Bay from Two Harbors Lighthouse.

 As we were enjoying a quiet afternoon at the RV, we heard a low flying plane which turned out to be two planes flying very low and slow along the shore. I was able to get a picture of this one. I could see the MN DNR markings and discovered it is used in fighting wildfires.

A noisy overhead visitor on an otherwise quiet afternoon on Lake Superior.

Another day trip took us to Duluth to the Lake Superior Marine Museum of the US Army Corps of Engineers.  The day was extremely cool and blustery causing waves and whitecaps on the lake water. The museum is chock full of exhibits relating to the history of shipping on the Great Lakes. It also affords a good vantage point for viewing incoming freighters away from the wind and waves!  

The Museum Staff announces the arrival and departures from the harbor in advance so there is ample time to find a spot to watch. The 728-foot long Joseph L. Block was arriving as we were there. The freighter was built in 1976 specifically to haul iron ore in the Great Lakes. Its capacity is listed at 37,200 tons and it is powered by twin 3500 horsepower diesel engines.

The Joseph L. Block at 20-minutes out with the Duluth Harbor Light in the foreground.

Arrival

The Vertical Lift Bridge carries highway traffic from downtown Duluth and is somewhat of an attraction itself.

The bridge spans the Duluth Ship Canal and is one of only two such bridges ever constructed in the U. S. Built in 1905 and still in operation it is on the National Historic Register. Shown above raised to allow the Joseph L. Bock to enter the harbor and below as it descends to normal level to allow automobile traffic to cross.

You can see the Joseph L. Block making its turn to the unloading facility in the distance as the bridge descends to its normal position.

And that will complete our entry for Minnesota. As this is written we are halfway across Wisconsin headed to West Bend for the July 4th holiday and to visit Cathy's very best and longest friend and her family.