Circle Trip - July 2, 2020 - Day 6

Day 6: Duluth to the Northwoods

We spent the night in Ashland, Wisconsin. The people of Michigan were fantastic - particularly the Harley dealer in Traverse City. We are sorry to leave, but we're happy to be back in Wisconsin.  We reached the farthest point of our trip, and we've started the ride home. 

It is another beautiful morning. We cannot believe the good luck we've had with the weather.

Mining

We are still in the mining area of Lake Superior and the Keweenaw peninsula. Yesterday, we were in the Copper Harbor area, and today we are heading to Minnesota. 

In 1842, the Chippewa ceded all claims to 30,000 square miles of the Upper Peninsula to the United States Government. 

The first mineral boom in the United States occurred thereafter in 1843 when people chased the copper, silver and iron of Michigan's upper peninsula. 

Michigan has produced over 14 billion pounds of copper since mining began in 1844. Silver is often extracted along with the copper, and is a huge revenue source.

When the mining rush first came to Copper Harbor, all travel was by boat as there were no roads. Copper Harbor became a bustling sea port as a result.  In the ensuing mining euphoria, boom towns sprang up everywhere around the mines -- all feeding into Copper Harbor.

The development of this part of the world did not just involve mining, as there needed to be a means of moving the minerals to the production plants, and the finished products ultimately to their markets. As a result, transportation became very developed mostly through marine shipping, and included grain and other minerals. It opened up the economy of this region including all of the UP and into Minnesota. 

For more information on mining in this region, see:

https://www.michigan.gov/documents/deq/NSFE_304650_7.pdf

http://ironoreheritage.com/history/

Great Lakes Shipping

Ore boats and freighters crossed Lake Superior and passed through the St. Mary's River Canal at Sault St. Marie. From there, they could access the other Great Lakes or the Atlantic Ocean. 

The Soo Locks were opened in 1855 resulting in increased immigration, commerce and cheaper copper shipping connections to eastern industrial markets. Railroads were soon serving the area as well. The Keweenaw peninsula, where Copper Harbor is located, became a major industrial-mining-population center. 

After leaving Ashland, we headed to the twin cities of Superior Wisconsin/Duluth Minnesota, which sit on opposite sides of the river feeding into Lake Superior. This area is a major shipping port for this region. 

We were not able to take photograph of the ships in drydock as there was no place to stop, but attached are photos of "Lakers," the Great Lakes freighters. Note that they have a strange shape.

This photograph is of the Edmund Fitzgerald, one of the largest lake freighters, and the largest ship to sink on the Great Lakes. It sank in a Lake Superior storm on November 10, 1975 with the loss of the entire crew of 29. 

Lake freighters, or "lakers," are bulk carrier vessels that sail the Great Lakes. These vessels are traditionally called boats, although classified as ships.

Since the late 19th century, lakers have carried bulk cargoes of materials such as limestone, iron ore, grain, coal, or salt from the mines and fields of the upper Great Lakes to the populous industrial areas farther east.  

Because of winter ice on the lakes, the navigation season is not usually year-round. The Soo Locks and Welland Canal close from mid-January to late March. 

Because these vessels must traverse the locks of the Great Lakes Waterway, their appearance differs from similarly sized ocean-going freighters. For instance, they are narrower and generally longer.  

Vessel speeds are not as important on the Great Lakes compared to the ocean. Ports are closer together than in ocean trade, so cargo capacity is more important than speed. Lake vessels are designed to maximize the vessel's size within the locks on the Great Lakes/St Lawrence Seaway system. For these reasons, ship designers have favored bluff bows over streamlined bows.

You cannot read about Great Lakes ore carriers without hearing Jim Croce's Gordon Lightfoot's song on the sinking of the Edmund Fitzgerald. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FuzTkGyxkYI


In Superior, Wisconsin/Duluth, Minnesota, there were huge silos and port facilities, and dock support equipment. 

In Minnesota, we drove up Hwy. 61, the scenic drive on the North Shore, and then headed to Minocqua, Wisconsin where we'll spend the night.

Hayward Wisconsin

We stopped for lunch in Hayward, Wisconsin. We ate at a place that was Buttercup's first North Woods Tavern, where he had his first bratwurst. Buttercup was careful not to put ketchup on his brat, as that would be wrong. 





















Hayward is the home of the lumberjack world championships:

As wonderful as that sounds, I think I'll pass.

North Woods Taverns

I have been extolling the virtues of North Woods Taverns. We ate at one for lunch, and another for dinner. Notice the woodwork over the bar in the dinner restaurant. 

I introduced Buttercup to some of the local beers. Historically, there were a number of small breweries in Wisconsin. Most are out of business, but there are some very good local beers remaining: New Glarus Brewing and Spotted Cow - which beer is only sold in Wisconsin, Point, Leinenkugel, etc. Buttercup had a difficult time pronouncing Leinenkugel, but he had a shandy (beer with a bit of lemonade. He had not had a shandy before), Honey Weiss and their dark beer. He may be a convert. 

Be careful if you come to the tavern in the winter, because handicapped people cannot park their snowmobile in the handicapped parking place. 

Taps:

The scenery was terrific, in particular the drive through the North Woods of Wisconsin. 

There is a good "Supper Club" (a Wisconsin tradition of a country restaurant with good food) outside of Minocqua. But they were booked. We'll see if we can rectify that in Door County tomorrow. 

We traveled 282 miles today.