Darren Taylor/SooToday
A Gift of History: A woman in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, has donated to the Canadian War Museum nearly 500 letters sent during World War II from her late father-in-law to his future wife. Carl Mann, a Sault resident who passed away in 2015 at age 94, left his collection of wartime letters for Johanne Messier-Mann to preserve, according to a story by Darren Taylor in SooToday. Carl had written to his wartime sweetheart and future wife, Jean Jewitt, a total of 492 letters from 1942 to 1946. Jean, who passed away in 2004 at age 80, had kept the letters.
“The letters were love letters,” says Johanne Messier-Mann, “and he was always concerned about his family being okay and asked about the weather at home.”
High-flying Economic Impact: The words “high flying” can apply to both the Duluth-Superior aviation industry and to its economic impact on the region, according to a Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development study released this week. During the past decade, aviation-related enterprises infused $646,500 million into the economy and 3,451 direct jobs created, reported Business North. At a press conference releasing the study, representatives from APEX, the Northern Aero Alliance, Cirrus, AAR, Lake Superior College and the Duluth International Airport spoke as well as Duluth Mayor Emily Larson.
In a special 2015 State of the Lake report, Lake Superior Magazine examined the impact of aviation around the Big Lake.
Travel Marquette Michigan
Harleys on Parade: The International Bridge between Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, and Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, will close to regular traffic for half an hour, 9-9:30 a.m. Saturday (Aug. 19) to allow space for a bridge crossing that is part of the Great Lakes HOG Rally that’s been taking place on the Michigan side. It’s a great time to see the riders crossing through downtown, the city reports. (Click here to see a YouTube video by Travel Marquette Michigan.)
Nick Stenstrup, courtesy Duluth Seaway Port Authority
More Ore: The port of Duluth-Superior contributed greatly to a healthy increase in iron ore shipments through the St. Lawrence Seaway this year. Iron ore shipments topped 3.7 million metric tons so far this year, up nearly 68.5 percent from last year. “The jump in iron ore shipments is fueled primarily by a surge in exports going from Minnesota to Japan and China,” says Bruce Burrows, president of the Chamber of Marine Commerce. Both shipments through the Seaway and just on the Great Lakes have increased. Adele Yorde of the Duluth Seaway Port Authority adds that with all six mines operating on Minnesota’s Iron Range:
“Year-to-date tonnage for pellets was running a full 16 percent ahead of last year (at the end of June) and outpacing the five-year average by the same spread. Not only are domestic deliveries up on the Lower Lakes, overseas shipments have risen exponentially as well. More than 35 percent of the pellets moved through our port through June have been loaded onto Canadian carriers and shipped via the Seaway to Quebec for transshipment overseas.”
More details were featured in a Duluth News Tribune story by Brooks Johnson.
Wisconsin DNR
Fish Finders: Exceptional lake trout fishing among the Apostle Islands already bagged the annual quota set by the Wisconsin DNR, causing the department to end the trout fishing season in the W-2 region of Lake Superior for recreational and charter anglers. Trout harvested in July alone equaled the harvest of the seven months prior, said Terry Margenau of the DNR.
Lakehead University
In other trout news, Lakehead University released results of an 11-year study that shows lake trout are adjusting behaviors based on water temperature alterations caused by climate change. “These findings are important for understanding how lake trout and other temperature-sensitive fish will respond to climate change,” said Matthew Guzzo, lead author of the study and a doctoral candidate at the University of Manitoba. Warming trends could result in slower-growing trout in poorer condition due, in part, to reduced feeding along the shorelines in spring.
Eclipsing the News: Can't close without a few mentions of Monday's greatly anticipated solar event. There are viewing parties scheduled around the Lake neighborhood. WDIO reports on one at the University of Minnesota Duluth and Lake Superior State University in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, also has announced plans. Michigan DOT, meanwhile, warns motorists not to be tempted to pull over and watch on the spur of the moment. “This truly is a once-in-a-lifetime event and many Michiganders will make their way south to the best viewing locations,” said State Transportation Director Kirk T. Steudle. “Allow yourself extra time to reach your destination and make sure you have a safe viewing spot.”
Photos & graphics: Darren Taylor/SooToday; Travel Marquette Michigan; Nick Stenstrup, courtesy Duluth Seaway Port Authority; Wisconsin DNR; Lakehead University.