No. 502 People have always watched the aerial bridge. Engineer C.A.P. Turner, of the Gillette-Herzog Manufacturing Company of Minneapolis, designed the Ferry Bridge with Suspended Car Transfer in February 1901, meeting federal specifications. Bids were opened March 25, 1901, but only one was received. The Duluth Canal Bridge Company was awarded the contract but abandoned the work. In February 1904, the Modern Steel Structural Company of Waukesha, Wisconsin was issued a contract. Work began July 20, 1904. On February 23, 1905, with a full complement of local dignitaries at hand, the bridge was first operated. Regular service began the next day according to newspaper accounts. The city engineer's report for 1905 stated that the bridge was "completed and commenced operation on May 5, 1905, and a few problems were corrected in running the bridge over the next few days." This post card was mailed in 1914.
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
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
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. The 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
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
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
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
Whaleback is an unusual ship design with steel hulls (body of the vessel) and rounded decks (boat, hurricane, main -which is the lowest full-length deck in a ship's hull, and spar are all decks at different levels) which was introduced by the inventor Captain Alexander McDougall of Duluth in 1888. It was a very stable vessel. American Steel Barge Company, a New York corporation engaged in shipbuilding and transportation on the Great Lakes as well as on the Atlantic and Pacific coasts, purchased all of the patents for McDougalls whaleback vessels for $25,000. The only remaining whaleback is the Meteor, which is now a museum at Barker's Island in Superior, Wisconsin.
Contributing Institution:
University of Minnesota Duluth, Kathryn A. Martin Library, Northeast Minnesota Historical Collections
This photograph may have been shot from Seventh Street and about Lake Avenue. The bright narrow strip in the lower middle of the image is Lake Avenue leading to the Aerial Bridge. The rectangle and three dots parallel to the piers of the canal are the remnants of the Whitney rock crushing enterprise. 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. A tunnel ran from the building to the Point. There was a conveyor belt and railroad spur adjacent to the concrete building. Sand from the Apostle Islands and gravel from Grand Marais were carried to Duluth on a small vessel named Limit. The business also used a tug the William A. Whitney. The Limit was secured to the concrete building and the load of sand or gravel was unloaded into the steel hopper using a jaw-like clam shell, steam powered device. The belt conveyed the materials to shore and it dropped into a tunnel where trucks were ready. On Federal lake charts it is referred to as cribs. Telephone lines are in this photograph. In 1880, the first telephones were installed in Duluth by Walter Van Brunt for C. H. Graves and Company. In 1881, the Duluth Telephone Company was incorporated with $10,000 capital. In 1882, the first telephone directory was issued for 30 subscribers. In 1898, long distance lines between Duluth, Cloquet and Carlton were strung. In 1899, Duluth had 794 telephones. In 1900, the Zenith telephone Company (independent) started operations in competition with Duluth Telephone Company. The tower is the Central High School clock tower. The 1892 school has been the Central Administration Building for ISD 709 since the late 1970s.
Contributing Institution:
University of Minnesota Duluth, Kathryn A. Martin Library, Northeast Minnesota Historical Collections
Ore boat leaving Duluth. Detroit Publishing Co. was a prolific post card publisher, especially in the U.S. Their cards were published from 1898 to 1933. Using a color process called Phostint, their cards were considered to be very artistic. The hobby of collecting post cards is called deltiology. The first post card was issued by the Austrian government, America's first postcards came out in 1873. Picture postcards were introduced later. The golden age of postcards was supposed to date from 1907 through the first World War.
Contributing Institution:
University of Minnesota Duluth, Kathryn A. Martin Library, Northeast Minnesota Historical Collections
Detailed drawing of four parts of the Aerial Bridge. The end view is a drawing of a tower; part side elevation is of half of the Aerial Bridge with the suspended car transfer. The third drawing is called Section A-A and depicts a tower without the cross structures drawn in. The last drawing is called Section B-B, which is a top down view of one of the towers resting on its footings. All of these drawings have dimensions. The part side elevation includes a very small drawing of the side of the gondola car. The end view includes the phrase "car approaches built by city." The finials are shown on three of the four drawings. Drawing H5421, Sheet 2.
Contributing Institution:
University of Minnesota Duluth, Kathryn A. Martin Library, Northeast Minnesota Historical Collections
This drawing identifies wind forces and their effects on the physical structure. Notes are included on this drawing for example: "Stresses in lower sections of tension diagonals equal or smaller than top sections, but same riveting to be used in detail." The drawing includes a key for live load, dead load, impact, wind at 150 pounds per linear foot, wind stress due to traveler, equivalent to live load. The drawing shows top and bottom laterals. Total weight of the carrier and car is given as 240,000 pounds. The scale is given as 20 feet equaling one inch. Drawing H5421, Sheet 3.
Contributing Institution:
University of Minnesota Duluth, Kathryn A. Martin Library, Northeast Minnesota Historical Collections
In 1893, James J. Hill's Northern Steamship Company built 385-foot ocean style passenger steamers. 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 Canadian steel steamer Huronic was constructed in Collingwood, Ontario, in 1902. She ran on the Northern Navigation Division of the Canadian Steamship Company, on cruise trips from Detroit to Duluth. In 1940, the Huronic was dismantled and made into a package freighter.
Contributing Institution:
University of Minnesota Duluth, Kathryn A. Martin Library, Northeast Minnesota Historical Collections
The information on this post card says Crowd leaving bridge; The Aerial Bridge; Miniature Train, White City. Joyland White City was the name of the amusement park at the end of Minnesota Point at Oatka Park. It was named White City based upon the buildings constructed at the recently experienced World's Fair where buildings were constructed using "white" building materials. There were rides and a pavilion for performances, dances and music. White City was short lived, about 1905-1911. The pavilion remained and the location reverted to the prior name of Oatka Park. The small train was moved to the Duluth zoo when the last features of the amusement park were dismantled in the 1950s. This post card was mailed in July 1907.
Contributing Institution:
University of Minnesota Duluth, Kathryn A. Martin Library, Northeast Minnesota Historical Collections
The caption of this post card says The Aerial Bridge, Span 393 feet 9 inches, 135 feet high from water line. Cost $100,000. Entrance to Duluth-Superior Harbor. The white building at the left is the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Building constructed in 1906.
Contributing Institution:
University of Minnesota Duluth, Kathryn A. Martin Library, Northeast Minnesota Historical Collections
The post card caption says The Aerial Bridge, Span 393 feet 9 inches, 135 feet high from water line. Cost $100,000. This post card illustration is of a view from the Duluth harbor with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Building at the left and the South Breakwater Inner Light Tower at the right. Houses on Minnesota Point are at the far right. Engineer C.A.P. Turner, of the Gillette-Herzog Manufacturing Company of Minneapolis, designed the Ferry Bridge with Suspended Car Transfer in February 1901, meeting federal specifications. Bids were opened March 25, 1901, but only one was received. The Duluth Canal Bridge Company was awarded the contract but abandoned the work. In February, 1904, the Modern Steel Structural Company of Waukesha, Wisconsin was issued a contract. Work began July 20, 1904. The aerial bridge transporter or gondola or transfer car roadway was 17 feet by 50 feet with sidewalks seven feet by 50 feet; the cabins were 30 feet long.
Contributing Institution:
University of Minnesota Duluth, Kathryn A. Martin Library, Northeast Minnesota Historical Collections
This post card was mailed in 1906, but the image is from an earlier year. In the 1890s commercial fishing on Lake Superior was feeding Duluth and the entire Midwest with major operators: A. Booth and Sons (whose sign is visible at the left), Lake Superior Fish Company, H. Christiansen and Sons.
Contributing Institution:
University of Minnesota Duluth, Kathryn A. Martin Library, Northeast Minnesota Historical Collections
The caption says The Aerial Bridge Span 393 feet 9 inches, 135 feet high from water line, cost $100,000 Duluth, Minn. A few more details that are not on this card are that the Aerial Bridge was completed in February, 1905. The Aerial Bridge transporter or gondola or transfer car roadway was 17 feet by 50 feet with sidewalks seven feet by 50 feet and the cabins were 30 feet long. This original bridge was modified with the lift span in 1929 and first operated March 19, 1930.
Contributing Institution:
University of Minnesota Duluth, Kathryn A. Martin Library, Northeast Minnesota Historical Collections
The post card caption says The Aerial Bridge, Span 393 feet 9 inches, 135 feet high from water line. Cost $100,000. This post card illustration is of a view from the waterfront. At the right is the South Breakwater Inner Light Tower. Houses on Minnesota Point are at the far right. Engineer C.A.P. Turner, of the Gillette-Herzog Manufacturing Company of Minneapolis, designed the Ferry Bridge with Suspended Car Transfer in February 1901, meeting federal specifications. Bids were opened March 25, 1901, but only one was received. The Duluth Canal Bridge Company was awarded the contract but abandoned the work. In February, 1904, the Modern Steel Structural Company of Waukesha, Wisconsin was issued a contract. Work began July 20, 1904.
Contributing Institution:
University of Minnesota Duluth, Kathryn A. Martin Library, Northeast Minnesota Historical Collections
The caption of this post card says Clear span, 400 feet; clear height, 136 feet; total height above water, 186 feet. This view shows the waterfront when it was warehouses and wharves, docks, railroad freight sheds and slips. This view is probably from Skyline boulevard which, at this time, would have been called Rogers' Boulevard. William Rogers was the first parks department commissioner. In December 1959 the Duluth City Council and Mayor E. Clifford Bork changed the name of Rogers parkway and Skyline Boulevard to Skyline Parkway.
Contributing Institution:
University of Minnesota Duluth, Kathryn A. Martin Library, Northeast Minnesota Historical Collections
A Bryant elementary third grade classroom of boys and girls with their teacher. The children are seated at their desks, the unidentified woman teacher is standing at the rear of the room. Blinds are drawn, but sunlight is peeking in below the one near the teacher. The classroom is full of interesting items, but the drawing of the Aerial Bridge on the large blackboard is delightful. The day's schedule is on the back corner blackboard. Drawing is a twenty-minute slot after lunch and before geography. Jane, Rose, Edith, Grace and Irene are named Busy Workers and have stars by their names on the blackboard.
Contributing Institution:
University of Minnesota Duluth, Kathryn A. Martin Library, Northeast Minnesota Historical Collections