Minnesota Point

Last updated
Minnesota Point / Park Point from the Duluth, Minnesota hillside looking south toward Wisconsin Duluth-Minnesota-Superior.jpg
Minnesota Point / Park Point from the Duluth, Minnesota hillside looking south toward Wisconsin
Old Lighthouse, Minnesota Point ~ date unknown 091996p 150px.jpg
Old Lighthouse, Minnesota Point ~ date unknown

Minnesota Point, also known as the Park Point neighborhood of Duluth, Minnesota, United States; [1] [2] is a long, narrow sand spit [3] that extends out from the Canal Park tourist recreation-oriented district of the city of Duluth. The Point separates Lake Superior from Superior Bay and the Duluth Harbor Basin. [4]

Contents

South Lake Avenue / Minnesota Avenue serves as a main route in the community.

Near the end of Minnesota Point is a small airport, Sky Harbor Airport. [3] Beyond the airport, approximately 3/4 mile, is an old growth red and white pine forest. Within the forest is a Minnesota Department of Natural Resources designated area, the Minnesota Point Pine Forest Scientific and Natural Area, which encompasses 18 acres. [5]

Minnesota Point is about 7 miles long, and when included with adjacent Wisconsin Point, which extends 3 miles out from the city of Superior, Wisconsin, totals 10 miles.

History

Stereoscopic view card of St. Louis Avenue, Minnesota Point ~ date unknown St. Louis Avenue, Duluth, by Childs, B. F..png
Stereoscopic view card of St. Louis Avenue, Minnesota Point ~ date unknown

Due to the short and easy portage across Minnesota Point, the Ojibwe name for the city of Duluth is Onigamiinsing ("at the little portage").

In the 1850s, the Saint Louis River was established as the border between neighboring states Minnesota and Wisconsin and the two ports, Duluth (Minnesota) and Superior (Wisconsin), became fierce economic competitors for shipping traffic off of Lake Superior. As commercial traffic on the lake increased with the completion of the Sault Ste Marie canal connecting Lake Superior to Lake Michigan, Congress appropriated the funds to build a lighthouse on the narrow opening in Minnesota Point, known as Superior Entry. The Minnesota Point Light, built between 1855 and 1858, was the first to use RH Barret's Fifth Order Fresnel lamp [6] and Barret became the station's first lighthouse keeper, succeeded in 1861 by Samuel Stewart Palmer. Affectionately known as "The Old Standby", this lighthouse is now an abandoned ruin listed on the National Register of Historic Places. [7]

Since the digging of the Duluth Ship Canal in 1870–1871, Minnesota Point is technically an island, connected to the rest of Duluth since 1905 by the Aerial Lift Bridge.

Beginning in 2023, North Shore LS LLC (managed by Kathy Cargill, member of the Cargill family) began purchasing and renovating properties located on Minnesota Point, [8] owning twenty properties by March 2024. [9] Cargill, in an interview with the Wall Street Journal stated that her intentions were to beautify and modernize the neighborhood, [10] including building amenities such as a coffee shop and a complex for pickleball, basketball and street hockey.

Adjacent neighborhoods

See also

Notes

  1. U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Minnesota Point
  2. "City of Duluth - Parks". Duluthmn.gov. Archived from the original on 2013-08-09. Retrieved 2013-08-18.
  3. 1 2 "Minnesota Point Natural Resources Education" (PDF). Retrieved 2013-08-18.
  4. http://wikimapia.org/#lat=46.7386842&lon=-92.0417404&z=12&l=0&m=b Satellite View of Minnesota Point/Wisconsin Point
  5. "MNDNR Minnesota Point Pine Forest SNA". Dnr.state.mn.us. Retrieved 2013-08-18.
  6. "Fifth Order Fresnel". Terrypepper.com. Retrieved 2013-08-18.
  7. "Minnesota Point Lighthouse". Minnesota National Register Properties Database. Minnesota Historical Society. 2009. Retrieved 2018-12-01.
  8. "As Cargill family member's company buys up Duluth's Park Point homes, will locals get priced out?". startribune.com. Retrieved 2024-03-24.
  9. "Cargill speaks up on Park Point purchases". 2024-03-24. Retrieved 2024-03-24.
  10. "Why did a billionaire snap up homes on a sandbar in Duluth?". wsj.com. 2024-03-23.

46°44′29″N92°03′41″W / 46.74139°N 92.06139°W / 46.74139; -92.06139

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Duluth, Minnesota</span> City in Minnesota, USA

Duluth 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 a hub for cargo shipping. Commodities shipped from the Port of Duluth include coal, iron ore, grain, limestone, cement, salt, wood pulp, steel coil, and wind turbine components. Duluth is south of the Iron Range and the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St. Croix River (Wisconsin–Minnesota)</span> River in Wisconsin and Minnesota, United States

The St. Croix River is a tributary of the Mississippi River, approximately 169 miles (272 km) long, in the U.S. states of Wisconsin and Minnesota. The lower 125 miles (201 km) of the river form the border between Wisconsin and Minnesota. The river is a National Scenic Riverway under the protection of the National Park Service. A hydroelectric plant at the Saint Croix Falls Dam supplies power to the Minneapolis–St. Paul metropolitan area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Saint Louis River (Lake Superior tributary)</span> River in Minnesota and Wisconsin

The Saint Louis River is a river in the U.S. states of Minnesota and Wisconsin that flows into Lake Superior. The largest U.S. river to flow into the lake, it is 192 miles (309 km) in length and starts 13 miles (21 km) east of Hoyt Lakes, Minnesota. The river's watershed covers 3,634 square miles (9,410 km2). Near the Twin Ports of Duluth, Minnesota and Superior, Wisconsin, the river becomes a freshwater estuary.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Duluth MN–WI Metropolitan Area</span> Metropolitan Statistical Area in the United States

The Duluth MN–WI Metropolitan Area, commonly called the Twin Ports, is a small metropolitan area centered around the cities of Duluth, Minnesota and Superior, Wisconsin. The Twin Ports are located at the western part of Lake Superior and together are considered one of the larger cargo ports in the United States. The Twin Ports are close to many natural attractions such as the North Shore, the Apostle Islands, and the Superior National Forest.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Superior Hiking Trail</span> Trail in Minnesota

The Superior Hiking Trail, also known as the SHT, is a 310-mile (500 km) long hiking trail in northeastern Minnesota that follows the rocky ridges overlooking Lake Superior for most of its length. The trail travels through forests of birch, aspen, pine, fir, and cedar. Hikers enjoy views of boreal forests, the Sawtooth Mountains, babbling brooks, rushing waterfalls, and abundant wildlife. The lowest point in the path is 602 ft (183 m) above sea level and the highest point is 1,829 ft (557 m) above sea level. The footpath is intended for hiking only. Motorized vehicles, mountain bikes, and horses are not allowed on the trail. Many people use the trail for long-distance hiking, and facilitating this purpose are 94 backcountry, fee-free campsites.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Minnesota State Highway 61</span> Highway in Minnesota

Minnesota State Highway 61 is a 150.321-mile-long (241.918 km) highway in northeast Minnesota, which runs from a junction with Interstate 35 (I-35) in Duluth at 26th Avenue East, and continues northeast to its northern terminus at the Canadian border near Grand Portage, connecting to Ontario Highway 61 at the Pigeon River Bridge. The route is a scenic highway, following the North Shore of Lake Superior, and is part of the Lake Superior Circle Tour designation that runs through Minnesota, Ontario, Michigan, and Wisconsin.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">North Shore (Lake Superior)</span> Geographic region in the United States and Canada

The North Shore of Lake Superior runs from Duluth, Minnesota, United States, at the western end of the lake, to Thunder Bay and Nipigon, Ontario, Canada, in the north, to Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario in the east. The shore is characterized by alternating rocky cliffs and cobblestone beaches, with forested hills and ridges through which scenic rivers and waterfalls descend as they flow to Lake Superior.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Interstate Park</span> United States historic place

Interstate Park comprises two adjacent state parks on the Minnesota–Wisconsin border, both named Interstate State Park. They straddle the Dalles of the St. Croix River, a deep basalt gorge with glacial potholes and other rock formations. The Wisconsin park is 1,330 acres (538 ha) and the Minnesota park is 298 acres (121 ha). The towns of Taylors Falls, Minnesota and St. Croix Falls, Wisconsin are adjacent to the park. Interstate Park is within the Saint Croix National Scenic Riverway and the Ice Age National Scientific Reserve. The western terminus of the Ice Age National Scenic Trail is on the Wisconsin side. On the Minnesota side, two areas contain National Park Service rustic style buildings and structures that are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Canal Park, Duluth, Minnesota</span>

Canal Park is a tourist and recreation-oriented district of Duluth, Minnesota, United States. Situated across the Interstate 35 freeway from Downtown Duluth, it is connected by the Aerial Lift Bridge across the Duluth Ship Canal to the Park Point sandbar and neighborhood. Canal Park Drive and Lake Avenue South serve as the main routes in Canal Park.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jay Cooke State Park</span> State park of Minnesota, United States

Jay Cooke State Park is a state park of Minnesota, United States, protecting the lower reaches of the Saint Louis River. The park is located about 10 miles (16 km) southwest of Duluth and is one of the ten most visited state parks in Minnesota. The western half of the park contains part of a rocky, 13-mile (21 km) gorge. This was a major barrier to Native Americans and early Europeans traveling by canoe, which they bypassed with the challenging Grand Portage of the St. Louis River. The river was a vital link connecting the Mississippi waterways to the west with the Great Lakes to the east.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wisconsin Point Light</span> Lighthouse

The Wisconsin Point Light is a lighthouse located in Superior, on Wisconsin Point, in Douglas County, Wisconsin, United States.

The Willard Munger State Trail is a system of recreational trails between Hinckley, Minnesota and Duluth, Minnesota. There are three segments to the trail, Hinckley to Duluth Segment, Alex Laveau Memorial Trail, and Matthew Lourey State Trail.

Superior Bay is a narrow inlet of Lake Superior along the border of Minnesota and Wisconsin. It is seven miles (11 km) long and 0.5 miles (0.8 km) wide. A small strait connects it to the Saint Louis Bay to the west, into which the Saint Louis River empties. Superior Bay is located between the city of Superior and the Park Point neighborhood of Duluth. The Duluth Harbor Basin is nearby.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Interstate 35 in Minnesota</span> Section of Interstate Highway in Minnesota, United States

Interstate 35 (I-35) is a north–south Interstate Highway that stretches from Laredo, Texas, to Duluth, Minnesota. In the US state of Minnesota, I-35 enters from Iowa and heads north toward the twin cities of Minneapolis and Saint Paul. South of the metropolitan area, I-35 splits into two branches; I-35E runs through Saint Paul and I-35W through Minneapolis. These two branches rejoin north of the Twin Cities, and the highway continues north to Duluth, where it terminates at State Highway 61 (MN 61). The highway was authorized in 1956 and the first segment opened in 1958. It reached Duluth in 1971, and the final segment to east Duluth opened in 1992.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wisconsin Point</span>

Wisconsin Point is a peninsula off the shore of Superior in Douglas County, Wisconsin, United States. 3 miles (4.8 km) in length, it is in the Lake Superior National Estuarine Research Reserve. The point is the world's largest freshwater bay mouth sand bar. The Wisconsin Point Lighthouse, built in 1913, is situated on the end of the peninsula. Wisconsin Point is owned and maintained by the city of Superior. Other features of Wisconsin Point include a Native American burial ground, extensive beaches and vistas of the city of Duluth, Minnesota, and a diverse forest and lagoon ecosystem. It is a well-known spot for birding during spring and fall migrations and ducks, shorebirds, gulls, hawks, and songbirds, such as warblers, finches, and sparrows, can be seen.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rock of Ages Light</span> Lighthouse in Michigan, United States

The Rock of Ages Light is a U.S. Coast Guard lighthouse on a small rock outcropping approximately 2.25 miles (3.62 km) west of Washington Island and 3.5 miles (5.6 km) west of Isle Royale, in Eagle Harbor Township, Keweenaw County, Michigan. It is an active aid to navigation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Minnesota Point Light</span> Historic lighthouse ruin in Minnesota, United States

The Minnesota Point Light was a historic lighthouse on Minnesota Point in Duluth, Minnesota, United States, on the shores of Lake Superior. Built in 1858, it was the first lighthouse in the state, but is now a truncated ruined tower. The ruin was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1974 for its state-level significance in the theme of transportation. It was nominated for being the first high-powered lighthouse on Lake Superior, and the zero-point for all original surveys of the lake.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Duluth South Breakwater Inner Light</span> Lighthouse

The Duluth South Breakwater Inner Light is a lighthouse on the south breakwater of the Duluth Ship Canal in Duluth, Minnesota, United States. It forms a range with the Duluth South Breakwater Outer Light to guide ships into the canal from Lake Superior. The current structure was built from 1900 to 1901.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lake Superior National Estuarine Research Reserve</span> Research reserve

The Lake Superior National Estuarine Research Reserve includes land and water areas along the St. Louis River and Lake Superior in Douglas County, in the northwest corner of Wisconsin, United States. It is one of 29 National Estuarine Research Reserves. The Reserve is operated as a program of the Natural Resources Institute of the University of Wisconsin-Madison Division of Extension. It has an area of 16,697 acres (6,757 ha), and was designated in 2010.

Minnesota Scenic Byways are a system of roads in the U.S. state of Minnesota which pass through areas of scenic, cultural, or recreational significance. There are currently 22 scenic byways in the system with a total length of 2,948 miles (4,744 km). Eight of these byways are also designated as National Scenic Byways, and the North Shore Scenic Drive is further designated as an All-American Road.