82-599: The Granite City Crossing is a bridge that carries Minnesota State Highway 23 across the Mississippi River in the city of St. Cloud, Minnesota , United States. It was built to replace the DeSoto Bridge in the same location. Construction began in the fall of 2008, after the demolition of the DeSoto Bridge was completed. The bridge opened to traffic on October 29, 2009. This article about
164-574: A bus crash occurred on MN 23 near Cottonwood when a school bus carrying 28 students from Lakeview Public Schools was struck by a driver who ran through a stop sign which caused the bus to fall onto a pickup killing four students and injuring 17 others. The DeSoto Bridge across the Mississippi River in St. Cloud was closed on March 20, 2008, after bent gusset plates were found in an inspection; similar to gusset plates that caused
246-444: A blow to the city's economy whose effects included the closure of the cement company, which had depended on the steel plant for raw materials (slag). More closures followed in other industries, including shipbuilding and heavy machinery . By decade's end, unemployment rates hit 15 percent. The economic downturn was particularly hard on Duluth's West Side, where ethnic Eastern and Southern European workers had lived for decades. During
328-599: A bridge in Minnesota is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Minnesota State Highway 23 Minnesota State Highway 23 ( MN 23 ) is a state highway that stretches from southwestern to northeastern Minnesota . At 343.723 miles (553.169 km) in length, it is the second longest state route in Minnesota, after MN 1 . This route, signed east–west, runs roughly diagonally across Minnesota from southwest to northeast. It indirectly connects Duluth to Sioux Falls, South Dakota , and passes through
410-546: A city. By 1857, copper resources were scarce and the area's economic focus shifted to timber harvesting. A nationwide financial crisis, the Panic of 1857 , caused most of the city's early pioneers to leave. A history of Duluth written in 1910 relates, "Of the handful remaining in 1859 four men were unemployed and one of those was a brewer. Capital idea; build a brewery. The absence of malt and hops and barley did not at all embarrass those stout-hearted settlers." The water for brewing
492-600: A four-lane expressway include approximately nine miles (14 km) in the Marshall area in addition to longer stretches between Willmar and New London, and between Richmond and Waite Park (St. Cloud). For a majority of the Willmar area, MN 23 runs concurrently with U.S. Highway 71 (US 71), which includes a freeway bypass of the city. MN 23 crosses the Minnesota River at Granite Falls , and
574-611: A hub for cargo shipping. The population was 86,697 at the 2020 census , making it Minnesota's fifth-largest city . Duluth forms a metropolitan area with neighboring Superior, Wisconsin , called the Twin Ports . It is south of the Iron Range and the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness . It is named after Daniel Greysolon, Sieur du Lhut , the area's first known European explorer. Duluth
656-457: A network of streetcars and an inclined railroad , the 7th Avenue West Incline Railway , that, like San Francisco's cable cars, climbed a steep hill. The change in elevation is illustrated by Duluth's two airports. The weather station at the lakeside Sky Harbor Airport on Minnesota Point has an elevation of 607 feet (185 m), while Duluth International Airport, atop the hill, is 820 feet (250 m) higher at 1,427 feet (435 m). Even as
738-635: A shed of 60 feet (18 m), a large warehouse, and a canoe yard. Over time, Indian peoples and European Americans settled nearby, and a town gradually developed. In 1808, German-born John Jacob Astor organized the American Fur Company . The company began trading at the Head of the Lakes in 1809. In 1817, it erected a new headquarters at present-day Fond du Lac on the St. Louis River. There, portages connected Lake Superior with Lake Vermilion to
820-456: Is expected to complete in November 2023. The 7-mile (11 km) South Gap is planned to begin in 2023 and be completed in 2024. Duluth, Minnesota Duluth ( / d ə ˈ l uː θ / də- LOOTH ) is a port city in the U.S. state of Minnesota and the county seat of St. Louis County . Located on Lake Superior in Minnesota's Arrowhead Region , the city is
902-738: Is land and 8.510 square miles (22.04 km ) is water. It is Minnesota's second-largest city by land area, surpassed only by Hibbing . Duluth's canal connects Lake Superior to the Duluth–Superior harbor and the Saint Louis River . It is spanned by the Aerial Lift Bridge, which connects Canal Park with Minnesota Point (or "Park Point"). Minnesota Point is about 7 miles (11 km) long, and when included with adjacent Wisconsin Point , which extends 3 miles (4.8 km) from
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#1732794283943984-506: Is no signage, however, along the highway that indicates the brief route across state lines. Nearby is the junction between MN 23 and MN 210 and Jay Cooke State Park . Intercity bus service along the MN 23 corridor is provided along the southwestern portion of the highway between Willmar and Pipestone by Jefferson Lines . MN 23 was authorized November 2, 1920, from Paynesville to Mission Creek , south of Hinckley . By 1933,
1066-404: Is now Piedmont Heights, and, of course, a widespread area of Northeastern Minnesota." In the fire's aftermath, tens of thousands of people were left injured or homeless; many of the refugees fled into the city for aid and shelter. For the first half of the 20th century, Duluth was an industrial port boom town dominated by its several grain elevators , a cement plant, a nail mill, wire mills, and
1148-608: Is on the north shore of Lake Superior at the westernmost point of the Great Lakes . It is the largest metropolitan area, the second-largest city, and the largest U.S. city on the lake. Duluth is accessible to the Atlantic Ocean, 2,300 miles (3,700 km) away, via the Great Lakes Waterway and St. Lawrence Seaway . The Port of Duluth is the world's farthest inland port accessible to oceangoing ships and
1230-449: Is regarded as a classic. The nearby city of Proctor, Minnesota , is named for Knott. Duluth's unofficial sister city, Duluth, Georgia , got its name in 1871, shortly after Knott's speech gained national attention. Prominent Georgia newspaperman and politician Evan P. Howell was called upon to make remarks at the dedication of a new railroad line into Howell's Crossing, a village named for his grandfather. Howell humorously suggested that
1312-552: Is the largest and busiest port on the Great Lakes. It is also among the top 20 U.S. ports by tonnage. Common items shipped from Duluth include coal, iron ore, grain, limestone, cement, salt, wood pulp, steel coil, and wind turbine parts. Duluth is a popular Midwest tourist destination. The city is home to the Great Lakes Aquarium , a freshwater aquarium. The Aerial Lift Bridge , next to Canal Park , crosses
1394-527: The Duluth Ship Canal into the Duluth–Superior harbor. Minnesota Point , known locally as Park Point, is the world's longest freshwater baymouth bar , stretching 6 miles (10 km). The city is also the starting point for road trips along the North Shore of Lake Superior to Thunder Bay , Ontario . The Ojibwe occupied a historic settlement at Onigamiinsing ("at the little portage"),
1476-710: The Duluth Works plant. Handling and export of iron ore, brought in from the Mesabi Range, was integral to the city's economy, as well as to the steel industry in the Midwest, including in manufacturing cities in Ohio. The Aerial Lift Bridge (earlier known as the "Aerial Bridge" or "Aerial Ferry Bridge") was built in 1905 and at that time was known as the United States' first transporter bridge —only one other
1558-543: The Duluth Works steel plant, US Steel developed Morgan Park , as a company town for steel workers. It is now a city neighborhood within Duluth. The Diamond Calk Horseshoe Company was founded in 1908 and later became a major manufacturer and exporter of wrenches and automotive tools. Duluth's huge wholesale Marshall Wells Hardware Company expanded in 1901 by opening branches in Portland, Oregon , and Winnipeg , Manitoba ;
1640-588: The Earth's crust thinned, magma rose toward the surface. These intrusions formed a 16 km (9.9 mi)-thick sill , primarily of gabbro , which is known as the Duluth Complex . The creation of the Lake Superior basin reflects the erosive power of continental glaciers that advanced and retreated over Minnesota several times in the past 2 million years. The mile-thick ice sheets easily eroded
1722-560: The Finnish Socialist Federation and then the IWW operated Work People's College , an educational institution that taught classes from a working-class, socialist perspective. Immigrants from Sweden , Norway , Denmark , Germany , Austria , Czechoslovakia , Ireland , England , Italy , Poland , Hungary , Bulgaria , Croatia , Serbia , Ukraine , Romania , and Russia also settled in Duluth. At one time, Duluth
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#17327942839431804-537: The Fourth of July , 3,500 people were present to celebrate. In the first Duluth Minnesotian printed on August 24, 1869, the editor placed the following notice on the editorial page: Newcomers should comprehend that Duluth is at present a small place, and hotel and boarding room accommodation is extremely limited. However, lumber is cheap and shanties can be built. Everyone should bring blankets and come prepared to rough it at first. In 1873, Cooke's empire crumbled and
1886-827: The I-35W Bridge in Minneapolis to collapse on August 1, 2007. The DeSoto Bridge was demolished in October 2008, and a new replacement bridge, the Granite City Crossing , was completed on October 29, 2009. The Paynesville Bypass project began on April 26, 2010. The project consists of constructing a four-lane bypass around Paynesville, running from County Road 6 (CR 6) in Kandiyohi County to CR 123 in Stearns County. The project
1968-537: The Interstate Highway System , and a MN 23 expressway from Willmar (which is the largest municipality in southwest Minnesota) to St. Cloud would greatly alleviate both these issues. The "Gaps" project is a multi-stage project to widen MN 23 to four lanes in the two remaining two-lane sections between Willmar and St. Cloud. The nine-mile (14 km) North Gap started expansion in May 2022, and
2050-479: The Iron Range north of Duluth; ore shipments from the Duluth harbor had been critical to the city's economy. Low-grade ore ( taconite ) shipments continued, boosted by new taconite pellet technology, but ore shipments were lower overall. In the 1970s the United States experienced a steel crisis , a recession in the global steel market, and like many American cities Duluth entered a period of industrial restructuring. In 1981, US Steel closed its Duluth Works plant,
2132-556: The Mississippi River in St. Cloud , over the Granite City Crossing bridge. Running over surface streets in certain towns, MN 23 is also known as: The highway serves: About 50 miles (80 km) of MN 23 that travels through Pine , Carlton , and Saint Louis counties is officially designated the Veterans Evergreen Memorial Scenic Drive. This portion is between I-35 near Askov and
2214-593: The North West Company established several posts on Minnesota rivers and lakes, and in areas to the west and northwest, for trading with the Ojibwe, the Dakota , and other native tribes. The first post was where Superior, Wisconsin , later developed. Known as Fort St. Louis, the post became the headquarters for North West's new Fond du Lac Department. It had stockade walls, two houses of 40 feet (12 m) each,
2296-527: The Second World War , as Duluth's large harbor and the area's vast natural resources were put to work for the war effort. Tankers and submarine chasers (usually called "sub-chasers") were built at the Riverside shipyard. The population of Duluth continued to grow in the postwar decade and a half, peaking at 107,884 in 1960. Economic decline began in the 1950s, when high-grade iron ore ran out on
2378-571: The U.S. Highway 53 corridor from Trinity Road to Maple Grove Road. The highway project reconstructed connector roads, intersections, and adjacent roadways. A new international airport terminal was completed in 2013 as part of the federal government's Stimulus Reconstruction Program. The geology of Duluth demonstrates the Midcontinent Rift , formed as the North American continent began to split apart about 1.1 billion years ago. As
2460-543: The portage across Minnesota Point between Lake Superior and western St. Louis Bay, which forms Duluth's harbor. For both the Ojibwe and the Dakota, interaction with Europeans during the contact period revolved around the fur trade and related activities. According to Ojibwe oral history , Spirit Island, near the Spirit Valley neighborhood, was the "Sixth Stopping Place", where the northern and southern branches of
2542-506: The sandstone that filled the axis of the rift valley but encountered more resistance from the igneous rocks forming the flanks of the rift, now the margins of the lake basin. As the last glacier retreated, meltwaters filled the lake to as high as 500 feet (150 m) above the current level; the Skyline Parkway roughly follows one of the highest levels of the ancient Lake Superior, Glacial Lake Duluth . The sandstone that buried
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2624-473: The stock market crashed , and Duluth almost disappeared from the map. But by the late 1870s, with the continued boom in lumber and mining and with the railroads completed, Duluth bloomed again. By the turn of the century, it had almost 100,000 inhabitants, and was again a thriving community with small-business loans, commerce and trade flowing through the city. Mining continued in the Mesabi Range and iron
2706-541: The 1980s, plans were underway to extend Interstate 35 through Duluth and up the North Shore , bringing new access to the city. The original plan called for the interstate to run along the shore on an elevated concrete structure, blocking the city's access to Lake Superior. Kent Worley, a local landscape architect, wrote an impassioned letter to then mayor Ben Boo asking that the route be reconsidered. The Minnesota Department of Transportation agreed to take another look, with Worley consulting. The new plan called for parts of
2788-676: The American government. As part of the Treaty of Washington (1854) with the Lake Superior Band of Chippewa , the United States set aside the Fond du Lac Indian Reservation upstream from Duluth near Cloquet, Minnesota . As European Americans continued to settle and encroach on Ojibwe lands, the U.S. government made a series of treaties, executed between 1837 and 1889, that expropriated vast areas of tribal lands for their use and relegated
2870-552: The Atlantic and Pacific oceans. Soon the lumber industry, railroads and mining were all growing so quickly that the influx of workers could hardly keep up with demand, and storefronts popped up almost overnight. By 1868, business in Duluth was booming. In a Fourth of July speech Dr. Thomas Preston Foster, the founder of Duluth's first newspaper, coined the expression "The Zenith City of the Unsalted Seas". In 1869–70, Duluth
2952-599: The Duluth Waterfront Collective. One notable example includes the Highway 61 Revisited concept, which seeks to reimagine the I-35 corridor as it runs through the city's downtown. The group's efforts have been met with interest, with the city council voting to explore options for the corridor in 2021. While the acreage of land utilizing the waterway for port-related purposes has shifted in recent years,
3034-452: The Duluth area, Fond du Lac (Bottom of the Lake) in 1654 and again in 1660. The French soon established fur posts near Duluth and in the far north where Grand Portage became a major trading center. The French explorer Daniel Greysolon, Sieur du Lhut , whose name is sometimes anglicized as "DuLuth", explored the St. Louis River in 1679. After 1792 and the independence of the United States,
3116-407: The Duluth area. The fire was the worst natural disaster in Minnesota history in terms of the number of lives lost in a single day. Many people died on the rural roads surrounding the Duluth area, and historical accounts tell of victims dying while trying to outrun the fire. The News Tribune reported, "It is estimated that 100 families were rendered homeless by Saturday's fire in the territory known as
3198-714: The Gary-New Duluth neighborhood of Duluth , near MN 39 . The scenic roadway offers views of Banning State Park, the Saint Louis River valley, and nearby Jay Cooke State Park . The 2005 Minnesota Legislature officially designated the MN ;23 Bridge over the Saint Louis River at Duluth ( Fond du Lac neighborhood) as the Biauswah Bridge. On June 28, 2008, this bridge was dedicated as such in honor of American Indian veterans. MN 23 has
3280-599: The Great Lakes to processing plants in Illinois and Ohio. Ten newspapers, six banks and an 11-story skyscraper, the Torrey Building, were founded and built. As of 1905, Duluth was said to be home to the most millionaires per capita in the United States. In 1907, U.S. Steel announced that it would build a $ 5 million plant in the area. Although steel production did not begin until 1915, predictions held that Duluth's population would rise to 200,000–300,000. Along with
3362-464: The Native American peoples to a number of small reservations. Interest in the area was piqued in the 1850s by rumors of copper mining . A government land survey in 1852, followed by a treaty with local tribes in 1854, secured wilderness for gold-seeking explorers, sparked a land rush , and led to the development of iron ore mining in the area. The 1854 Ojibwe Land Cession Treaty would force
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3444-534: The Ojibwe Indians there. Henry Wadsworth Longfellow based the Song of Hiawatha , his epic poem relating the fictional adventures of an Ojibwe warrior named Hiawatha and the tragedy of his love for Minnehaha, a Dakota woman, on Schoolcraft's writings. Natives signed two Treaties of Fond du Lac with the United States in the present neighborhood of Fond du Lac in 1826 and 1847, in which the Ojibwe ceded land to
3526-691: The Ojibwe Nation came together and proceeded to their "Seventh Stopping Place", near the present city of La Pointe, Wisconsin . The "Stopping Places" were the places the Native Americans occupied during their westward migration as the Europeans overran their territory. Several factors brought fur traders to the Great Lakes in the early 17th century. The fashion for beaver hats in Europe generated demand for pelts. French trade for beaver in
3608-603: The Ojibwe onto what are now known as the Fond du Lac and Grand Portage Reservations, though some land rights such as hunting and fishing were retained. Around the same time, newly constructed channels and locks in the East permitted large ships to access the area. A road connecting Duluth to the Twin Cities was also constructed. Eleven small towns on both sides of the St. Louis River were formed, establishing Duluth's roots as
3690-468: The Woodland District... In most cases, families which lost their homes also lost most or all of their furniture and personal belongings, the limited time and transportation facilities affording little opportunity for saving anything but human life." The National Guard unit based in Duluth was mobilized in a heroic effort to battle the fire and assist victims, but the troops were overwhelmed by
3772-412: The beginning of the 21st century, Duluth has become a regional center for banking, retail shopping, and medical care for northern Minnesota, northern Wisconsin, and northwestern Michigan. It is estimated that more than 8,000 jobs in Duluth are directly related to its two hospitals. Arts and entertainment offerings, as well as year-round recreation and the natural environment, have contributed to expansion of
3854-642: The cities of St. Cloud , Willmar , and Marshall . MN 23 runs north from its interchange with Interstate 90 (I-90), 1.05 miles (1.69 km) east of the South Dakota line and 13 miles (21 km) east of Sioux Falls and then continues north and east across Minnesota to its terminus at its interchange with I-35 in Duluth. MN 23 directly serves Pipestone , Marshall , Granite Falls , Willmar , Paynesville , Cold Spring , St. Cloud , Foley , Milaca , Mora , Hinckley , Sandstone , and Duluth . Portions of MN 23 that have been upgraded to
3936-490: The city has grown, its populace has tended to hug Lake Superior's shoreline, so Duluth is primarily a southwest–northeast city. The considerable development on the hill has given Duluth many steep streets. Some neighborhoods, such as Piedmont Heights and Bayview Heights , are atop the hill with scenic views of the city. Skyline Parkway is a scenic roadway that extends from Becks Road above the Gary – New Duluth neighborhood near
4018-500: The city of Superior , Wisconsin , is the largest freshwater baymouth bar in the world at a total of 10 miles (16 km). Duluth's topography is dominated by a steep hillside that climbs from Lake Superior to high inland elevations. Duluth has been called "the San Francisco of the Midwest," alluding to San Francisco 's similar water-to-hilltop topography. This similarity was most evident before World War II, when Duluth had
4100-540: The community be called "Duluth" instead, and townspeople agreed. Proctor Knott is sometimes credited with characterizing Duluth as the "zenith city of the unsalted seas," but the honor for that coinage belongs to journalist Thomas Preston Foster, speaking at a Fourth of July picnic in 1868. During the 20th century, the Port of Duluth was, for a time, the busiest port in the United States, surpassing even New York City in gross tonnage. Lake freighters carried iron ore through
4182-591: The company catalog totaled 2,390 pages by 1913. The Duluth Showcase Company, which later became the Duluth Refrigerator Company and then the Coolerator Company, was established in 1908. The Universal Atlas Cement Company, which made cement from the slag byproduct of the steel plant, began operations in 1917. Because of its numerous jobs in mining and industry, the city was a destination for large waves of immigrants from Europe during
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#17327942839434264-486: The contiguous US behind International Falls ), falling to or below 0 °F (−18 °C) on 38 nights and bringing consistent snow cover from late November to early April. Winter storms that pass south or east of Duluth can often set up easterly or northeasterly flow, which leads to occasional upslope lake-effect snow events that bring 1 foot (30 cm) or more of snow to the city while areas 50 miles (80 km) inland receive considerably less. The average annual snowfall
4346-499: The early 20th century. It became the center of one of the largest Finnish communities in the world outside Finland. For decades, a Finnish-language daily newspaper, Päivälehti, was published in the city, named after the former Grand Duchy of Finland 's pro-independence liberal paper . The Finnish community of Industrial Workers of the World (IWW) members published a widely read labor newspaper Industrialisti . From 1907 to 1941,
4428-451: The edge of the city's western neighborhoods. Many of these sites, filled with legacy pollutants due to previous industrial use, have been or are in the process of being restored by the EPA, with several developments, such as Pier B Resort and Hotel, demonstrating the revitalization opportunity of these former industrial spaces. Other efforts to reclaim waterfront space in Duluth have been led by
4510-407: The enormity of the fire. Retired Duluth News Tribune columnist and journalist Jim Heffernan writes that his mother "recalled an overnight vigil watching out the window of their small home on lower Piedmont Avenue with her father, her younger sisters having gone to sleep, ready to be evacuated to the waterfront should the need arise. The fire never made it that far down the hill, but devastated what
4592-558: The event with a memorial. The Clayton Jackson McGhie Memorial, which includes a corner wall and plaza, was dedicated in 2003. It includes three 7-foot (2.1 m)-tall bronze statues of the three men. The CJMM Committee continues to work for racial justice through educational outreach, community forums, and scholarships for youth. In 1918, the Cloquet Fire (named for the nearby city of Cloquet ) burned across Carlton and southern St. Louis counties, destroying dozens of communities in
4674-405: The event. Community members from many different groups began to come together for reflection and education. The men's unmarked graves were located and in 1991, gravestones were erected with funding from a local church. Vigils were held at the intersection where the men were lynched. In 2000, a grassroots committee was formed, and began to offer speakers to groups and schools. It decided to commemorate
4756-583: The goods being shipped through the Duluth-Superior port have shifted to reflect a changing economy. In recent decades, declines in the shipment of coal and iron ore have been met by increases in the shipment of wind turbine components and multimodal shipping containers. According to the United States Census Bureau , the city has a total area of 80.168 square miles (207.63 km ), of which 71.658 square miles (185.59 km )
4838-416: The highway to run through tunnels, which allowed preservation of Fitger's Brewery, Sir Ben's Tavern, Leif Erikson Park, and Duluth's Rose Garden. Rock used from the interstate project was used to create an extensive new beach along Lake Superior, along which the city's Lakewalk was built. With the decline of the city's industrial core, the local economic focus gradually shifted to tourism . The downtown area
4920-436: The highway was paved between Roscoe and Cold Spring and from St. Cloud to Mission Creek. It was extended west to Benson and east to Duluth in 1934. Various sections of the highway were paved from the 1930s through the 1950s; the entire length was paved by 1961. The section of present-day MN 23 from its southern terminus to Marshall was originally designated MN 39 until 1940. The section between Marshall and Willmar
5002-431: The highway. While this section is technically part of the St. Cloud-to-I-35 portion of the corridor (and thus has less overall priority), the increase in traffic along this particular stretch led to a decision to expand the highway, as there have been major safety and mobility issues the last couple decades due to growth in the St. Cloud area. MnDOT has designated MN 23 as a medium-priority Interregional Corridor along
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#17327942839435084-662: The igneous rocks of the rift is exposed near Fond du Lac . At one time a large number of quarries produced the stone, sold as Fond du Lac or Lake Superior brownstone . It was widely used in Duluth buildings and also shipped to Minneapolis, Chicago, and Milwaukee, where it was also used extensively. The weathered sandstone forms the sandy lake bottom and shores of Park Point. Duluth has a humid continental climate ( Köppen Dfb ), slightly moderated by its proximity to Lake Superior. Winters are long, snowy, and very cold, normally seeing maximum temperatures remaining at or below 32 °F (0 °C) on 100 days (the second-most of any city in
5166-423: The intersection of US 61 (now MN 61) and 60th Avenue East in Duluth. In 1997, the official northern terminus changed to its junction with I-35 at Grand Avenue in Duluth. After completion of the I-35 freeway, the state maintained MN 23 through Hinckley and Sandstone; now MN 23 runs concurrently with I-35 from Hinckley to Sandstone. The four-lane US 71 / MN 23 bypass of Willmar
5248-410: The lower St. Lawrence River led to the depletion of the animals in the region by the late 1630s, so the French searched farther west for new resources and new routes, making alliances with the Native Americans along the way to trap and deliver their furs. Étienne Brûlé is credited with the European discovery of Lake Superior before 1620. Pierre-Esprit Radisson and Médard des Groseilliers explored
5330-504: The majority of its length. As such, there are long-range plans to expand significant portions of the highway from two to four lanes. This resulted in the creation of the Highway 23 Coalition, and its ultimate vision for MN 23 is a four-lane expressway running from its interchange with I-90 in the southwest corner of Minnesota northeastward to its interchange with I-35 near Hinckley , although severe funding shortages are currently limiting expansion to certain segments. Currently,
5412-412: The neighborhood's revitalization, many developers are also investing in housing projects in anticipation of further growth. Duluth's prominence as a port city gave it an economic advantage in its early years, but as various industries began to wane, new efforts to reclaim areas of the waterfront for public use emerged. Notable among them is the reclamation of the St. Louis River corridor, which runs along
5494-434: The north and with the Mississippi River to the south. After creating a powerful monopoly , Astor got out of the business about 1830, as the trade was declining. But active trade carried on until the failure of the fur trade in the 1840s. European fashions changed, and many American areas were getting over-trapped, with game declining. In 1832, Henry Schoolcraft visited the Fond du Lac area and wrote of his experiences with
5576-405: The northern terminus for MN 23 was its junction with old US 61 and US 2 in West Duluth . From 1963 to 1997, MN 23 continued farther into Duluth proper as a business route using several local arteries including Michigan Street, West 1st Street, East 2nd Street, East 3rd Street, and East Superior Street. The former northern terminus for MN 23 during this time period was at
5658-433: The rare distinction of being a state highway that passes through another state. At 133rd Avenue West, along the southern edge of Duluth , MN 23 crosses the Saint Louis River into Douglas County, Wisconsin , in the Town of Superior , for one-half mile (800 m) before re-entering Minnesota. On some maps, this section is designated "WISC-23", despite there being another Highway 23 in southern Wisconsin. There
5740-434: The section of highway that has the highest overall priority for expansion is the corridor between Willmar and St. Cloud. This is due in part to the corridor carrying a heavy volume of traffic (higher than what a standard two-lane highway is designed to safely carry), plus a subsequently higher-than-average accident rate. In addition, southwest Minnesota lacks four-lane access to both the Twin Cities ( Minneapolis–Saint Paul ) and
5822-546: The tourist industry. Some 3.5 million visitors each year contribute more than $ 400 million to the local economy. More recently a collection of like-minded businesses in Lincoln Park , an old rundown blue-collar neighborhood with high unemployment and poverty rates, was cultivated by a group of entrepreneurs who have begun rebuilding and revitalizing the area. Since 2014, at least 25 commercial real estate transactions have occurred and 17 businesses have opened, including restaurants, breweries, coffee shops and artist studios. Due to
5904-716: The western end of the city to the Lester Park neighborhood on the east side. It crosses nearly Duluth's entire length and affords views of Lake Superior, the Aerial Lift Bridge, Canal Park, and the many industries that inhabit the largest inland port. A developing part of the city is the Miller Hill Mall area and the adjacent big-box retailer shopping strips "over the hill" along the Miller Trunk Highway corridor. The 2009–10 road reconstruction project in Duluth's Miller Hill area improved movement through
5986-504: Was completed in July 2012. The length of the new bypass is 7.7 miles (12.4 km). The project includes grading, construction of eight bridges, surfacing and lighting, and it cost $ 32.2 million (equivalent to $ 45.3 million in 2023 ). Another project expanded MN 23 to four lanes from St. Cloud eastward to Foley , which began July 1, 2011, and finished sometime in late 2012. This project expanded an eight-mile (13 km) segment of
6068-578: Was ever constructed in the country. In 1929–30, the span was converted to a vertical-lift bridge (also rather uncommon). The bridge was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1973. In 1916, after Europe had entered the Great War (World War I), a shipyard was constructed on the St. Louis River. A new workers neighborhood, today known as Riverside, developed around the large operation. Similar industrial expansions took place during
6150-505: Was found two weeks later hanging in a tree in Duluth's Lester Park. Another lynching in Duluth occurred on June 15, 1920, when three innocent black male circus workers: Elias Clayton, Elmer Jackson, and Isaac McGhie, were attacked by a white mob and hanged after purportedly raping a teenage white girl. The Duluth lynchings took place on First Street and Second Avenue East. In the late 20th century, journalist Michael Fedo wrote The Lynchings in Duluth (1970), which began to raise awareness of
6232-641: Was home to several historic immigrant neighborhoods, including Little Italy. Today, people of Scandinavian descent constitute a strong plurality of Duluth's population, accounting for more than one third of the residents identifying European ancestry. In September 1918, a group calling itself the Knights of Liberty dragged Finnish immigrant Olli Kinkkonen from his boarding house, tarred and feathered him, and lynched him. Kinkkonen did not want to fight in World War I and had planned to return to Finland. His body
6314-479: Was obtained from a stream that emptied into Lake Superior that came to be called Brewery Creek, as it is still known today. While the brewery "was not a pecuniary success", a few decades later it became the Fitger Brewing Company . The opening of the canal at Sault Ste. Marie in 1855 and the contemporaneous announcement of the railroads' approach had made Duluth the only port with access to both
6396-400: Was originally designated MN 17 until 1940. The MN 23 designation originally extended west from New London to Benson along the modern MN 9 ; which was also MN 17 from around 1940 to the 1960s. MN 23 originally ran through Sandstone proper to just west of Askov along the route that later became MN 123 ; this was redesignated c. 1946. From 1934 to 1963,
6478-457: Was proposed in the 1960s. However a financial crisis in the early 1980s led to the northbound lanes being unpaved, and the bypass had been scaled down to a two-lane facility by the time it opened in 1985. Construction in 2001 completed the bypass to its original four-lane design. The MN 23 expressway from Spicer to New London , and the expressway from Richmond to Waite Park ( St. Cloud ), were both completed by 2005. In February 2008,
6560-510: Was renovated to emphasize its pedestrian character: streets were paved with red brick and skywalks and retail shops were added. The city and developers worked with the area's unique architectural character, converting old warehouses along the waterfront into cafés, shops, restaurants, and hotels. Combined with the new rock beach and Lakewalk, these changes developed the new Canal Park as a tourism-oriented district. Duluth's population, which had declined since 1960, stabilized at around 85,000. At
6642-531: Was shipped east to mills in Ohio, a trade continuing into the 20th century. Early doubts about the Duluth area's potential were voiced in "The Untold Delights of Duluth," a speech U.S. Representative J. Proctor Knott of Kentucky gave in the U.S. House of Representatives on January 27, 1871. His speech opposing the St. Croix and Superior Land Grant lampooned Western boosterism , portraying Duluth as an Eden in fantastically florid terms. The speech has been reprinted in collections of folklore and humorous speeches and
6724-485: Was the fastest-growing city in the country and was expected to surpass Chicago in only a few years. When Jay Cooke , a wealthy Philadelphia land speculator, convinced the Lake Superior and Mississippi Railroad to create an extension from St. Paul to Duluth, the railroad opened areas due north and west of Lake Superior to iron ore mining. Duluth's population on New Year's Day of 1869 consisted of 14 families; by
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