Archive Dive: Why Duluth Dug its Canal

Duluth’s is of course renown for the aerial bridge over its ship canal, but have you ever wondered why the city dug the canal in the first place? Find out in this week’s Archive Dive, here. The story itself comes from our book Duluth’s Aerial Bridge (and the Canal It Crosses), which you can preview or purchase here.

Detail of a photograph of the Duluth Ship Canal, Duluth, Minnesota, by W.H. Jackson, 1899. The concrete piers were constructed between 1896 and 1902; note that while the light poles are in place, their diffusion globed have yet to be installed. (Image: Library of Congress)