The Alder near Duluth, photo by Dave Schauer
Signs of Spring: Icebreaking are sure signs of spring around Lake Superior and the U.S. Coast Guard cutter Alder has its work cut out for it in Duluth and Thunder Bay. This week, the Alder did some work on Tuesday and Wednesday in Duluth. According to the Chronicle-Journal, the cutter will head to Thunder Bay next week, breaking up the ice in anticipation of the March 25 opening of the Soo Locks. Photographer Dave Schauer posted a video of the ice-breaking around Duluth and Superior this week. ""Capistrano has its swallows, the Twin Ports has the Alder," Dave appropriately notes.
The Burgers are Back ... Soon: Our other signs of spring, of course, are the seasonal openings of our favorite burger joints. Gordy's Hi-Hat in Cloquet, Minnesota, promises to make spring happen March 19 (that's Gordy on the right). In Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, the two burger joints that compete for most favored are also gearing up. West Pier Drive-in is hiring staff and hinting at a March 16 opener. Clyde's Drive-in is also hiring and hopes to open by the end of March.
Holding Their Own: Minnesota's moose seem to be holding their own for now with the 2020 moose count by the Minnesota DNR showing a ninth year of stable numbers, according to a report by Dan Kraker of MPR News. The count indicated about 3,150 moose, considered statistically unchanged from the estimates of 4,180 moose in 2019, or 3,030 in 2018. That doesn't mean the moose are recovering, however. The peak numbers for moose in 2006 were 8,840. The DNR's moose page details the survey findings and moose management plans. "For the ninth year in a row," the page notes, "Minnesota's moose population of 2,400-4,320 animals remains stable. The stability itself is good news but it does not serve as evidence for either a turnaround or a continued decline in the population of Minnesota's most iconic northwoods animal."
Roger That: Roger LeLievre, publisher of Know Your Ships, did an interview with DRE Designs - Great Lakes Marine Products about how he started his iconic slender volume of all the Great Lakes commercial vessels. It's a grand little 10-minute conversation and gets you in the mood to see those freighters. We sell the guide in our Lake Superior Gift Shop, too. Drop by when they sail in later this spring.
UPpity Women: UP Supply Co. in Marquette posted a wonderful story for International Women's Day (March 8) featuring nine Upper Peninsula womenwe all should know, from long ago to more recent history. The women were involved in a wide range of activities from politics, early space testing, sports and philanthropy to the Ojibwe woman, Bamewawagezhikaquay or Jane Johnston Schoolcraft, from Sault Ste. Marie, who was one of the earliest Native literary writers. Also featured are Betty Emery of Manistique in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League (remember "A League of Their Own") and the two Houghton women shown here. Nancy Harkness Love, on left, who earned her aviation degree at 16, was a test pilot and air racer before becoming a pilot and commander in World War II. Mary Chase Perry Stratton founded Pewabic Pottery, nationally known for its iridescent glazes that can be seen in libraries, churches, and schools, among other public institutions and is still in business today.
Banking on It: Bell Bank will move into Duluth's Temple Opera Block building on Superior Street. The Fargo-based bank signed an agreement to lease thespace with Duluth
builder/developer Titanium Partners and anticipates opening full-service bank later this year, according to the announcement this week. Originally built in 1889, the opera house burned down just five years later, and the Freemasons (who gave the building its name) moved to a different temple location. The Temple Opera building also once housed public reading rooms, which eventually became Duluth’s public library. For many years, the building was topped by a distinctive Moorish dome (as seen in this historic photo), but the tower and the top three floors were removed in 1942. Today, the three-story building still retains its unique architectural features, with carved red sandstone and brownstone from the Amnicon River Quarries. In 2017, the building was listed among Duluth's 10 most endangered historic structures by the Duluth Preservation Alliance, as reported by Fox21. Titanium Partners purchased the building in April 2019.
Welcoming The Fisherman's Daughter: The beloved fish market and food service, Dockside in Grand Marais has new management again. The market blossomed under founders and commercial fishing family Harley and Shele Toftey and as they headed toward retirement, North House Folk School purchased the business. The school then partnered with Morey's Seafood Market, a Minnesota-based company, but that partnership ended last year. Good news came from WTIP this week that two local families will operate the fish market, working with the onsite commercial fishing operation, North Superior Fisheries. Abby Tofte and Sam Hedstrom, owners of The Big Lake, and Kate and Jeremy Keeble, owners of Hungry Hippie Hostel and Hungry Hippie Tacos will keep the business afloat. Rhonda Silence of WTIP talked to the new partners of the Dockside, which will be renamed The Fisherman's Daughter at Dockside Fish Market. The food line up with echo Harley and Shele's fare when they owned the business.
Center Closed for Now: The latest victim of the Coronavirus will be visitation this weekend to the Lake Superior Maritime Visitor Center by the Aerial Lift Bridge in Duluth. As of 3 p.m. today, the center is closed to visitors until further notice, though the staff will continue their regular hours.