Dock Shack I

This picture gives you the idea of how the boat-loading control rooms are set up; they lean over the dock and Lake Superior to be able to see down into the holds of the boats… important, considering how quickly it loaded the boats! An uneven load could put stress on the hull of a laker, increasing the risk it will break and sink.

The wrought iron staircase for what was the Consumer’s Brewery Brew House, as indicated by very fine cast landings with the company logo. The staircase is in bad condition; someone had run a forklift or something similar into the bottom in addition to copious vandalism and water damage. Holes in the floor, like in the upper-right corner indicate where stainless steel kettles used to be before they were scrapped.

Peering out of the porthole of the light tower, I saw the shadow of the station on the lake.

Why the door had to be moved over 2 1/2 feet will remain a mystery.

Expanding foam provides some textural contrast to the wood floors, worn smooth over a century. This building dates to the 1890s and was built as the coffin plant.

A flooded assembly line.

Miners would sit in this room before going into the mine. The boards on the right indicated whether every single miner was “in” or “out”.

Dr. Muchow’s offices stand near his ‘new’ mill, but they show evidence of vandalism.

Mill Hell before the University of Minnesota began developing the area. Now many of the buildings are gone, there are new roads and even bike paths.