Canal Bridge
In 1900 the city’s prosperity called for more harbor improvements. The Duluth harbor entry was widened to 300 feet and concrete piers replaced wooded dockworks. The piers extended 1,700 feet into the lake. The entry way was convenient for the boats and ships coming and leaving Duluth, but was anything but that for the residents of Park Point who had to depend on ferryboat service until 1905.
Construction of a tunnel underneath the channel was considered, but the city of Duluth approved the building of a “French patented, suspended, car-transfer bridge.” A sheet steel car-ferry was suspended on wheels that moved across the span.
The Bridge:
Construction: 730 tons of concrete for anchoring the bridge frame
Height: 136 feet
Ferry capacity: 125,000 pounds
Ferry Height 13 feet above the water
Speed: 4 miles/hr
1907- Head of the Lakes becomes the Leading Port of the US! The city took pride as the 1907 shipping season drew to a close when it was revealed that the Twin Ports had exceeded New York City in gross tonnage handled.
