The Charming City of Duluth, MN and a visit with Paul Bunyan in Bemidji.

We left the town of Bayfield, WI and the Aposlte Islands and headed west, back into Minnesota. Our destination was the city of Duluth, on the western edge of Lake Superior. A city whose 19^th century history and fortunes were founded in the booming lumber, wheat, and mining industries. Duluth is really a port city; a freshwater port, but a port none-the-less. So much of the vibrancy and charm of Duluth are the result of its port city traits. Many of the recreational activities revolve around the water, and the city’s infrastructure is based on shipping and the well protected natural harbor. So let me explain what I mean by that.

One of the first trips into the city had us headed for a piece of infrastructure uniquely associated with Duluth. That would be the impressive Aerial Lift Bridge (an aerial lift bridge opens by raising the entire span, from both endpoints). The bridge spans the Duluth Shipping Canal which is a mile long channel that allows ships access to the inner harbor. Flanked on both sides of the grand bridge is Canal Park, with both a south and north channel pier and lighthouse. Both piers can be walked, and both provide stunning views of Lake Superior. It is quite impressive to be standing near the bridge, watching the roadway rise to let an enormous cargo ship pass.

Aerial Lift Bridge going up

Attached to Canal Park is the 8-mile-long Duluth Lakewalk, which is a paved trail stretching from Bayfront Park to Brighton Beach. Much of the walkway is along the Lake Superior shore, as well as an active railroad line. The entire day was spent strolling along the piers and walking over the bridge, and then hiking the Duluth Lakewalk path. How convenient it was when we stumbled upon a noted Duluth landmark, Fitger's Brewing Company building. Rising above our lakefront walk, with a tall brick smokestack emblazoned with the name Fitger’s, was the hard-to-miss building. The building was re-developed by a group of prominent Duluth businessmen in 1984 and is now a luxury lakefront hotel and shopping area. The ice cream and covered picnic table were just the respite we needed after walking along the Duluth waterfront all morning and most of the sunny afternoon. 

North Pier of Duluth Shipping Channel

Americans collect a lot of stuff, and as we travel across America we have found that many a historical society, or some such organization, eventually acquires and displays those antiques and collectibles in a museum. These collections are usually most interesting & impactful when they include the provenance which captures the ownership history of a piece all the way back to origination. Viewing these artifacts in the original surroundings can be a surreal experience. Like you’re being carried back in time and history. The better preserved an artifact, the greater the WOW factor. Glensheen Historic Estate is one such place, with amazingly preserved artifacts, inside a restored mansion. The mansion is 20,000 sq feet and the estate is situated on 12 acres of pristine Lake Superior shoreline. The house was built between 1905 to 1908, and the grounds literally remain as they were when Mr. Chester Adgate Congdon and his family lived there from 1908 until the building and grounds were given to the University of Minnesota in 1968. The original furniture brought into the house in 1908 and '09 remains in virtually the same place it has been for 110 years. Some of the wall coverings and upholstery are also original. Elisabeth Congdon (Chester Congdon's youngest daughter) was given a life estate, allowing her to occupy Glensheen until her death (well, actually her murder) in the mansion in 1977 (that’s a whole other story you can google if you want). The home cost a total of $854,000, equivalent to more than $22 million in 2017. The home is a crowning example of design and craftmanship of the Midwestern United States in the early 20th century. Touring the home and grounds was only the first part of our day.

Glensheen Historic Estate

The second part of our day required us to drive less than ¼ mile from the historic mansion to, if you can believe it, Congdon Park. Located along Tischer Creek, the park features some of the most pristine hiking trails in Duluth. It was developed in 1908 on land donated by Chester Congdon, who was then building his Glensheen estate. The creek runs through the property, and he gave Duluth the park land and paid for its development on the condition that the city would stop using the creek as an open sewer. We hiked a good couple miles of the park before returning to our vehicle and heading back to our campsite for July 4^th firework festivities.

Walking the Trails of Congdon Park

What would a stop in Duluth be without a train ride?  We enjoy a train ride, and have even been on a dinner train, and trains are a great way to see the countryside. This time our train ride was on the Lake Superior & Mississippi Railroad (LS&M) along the St. Louis River Estuary and Spirit Mountain. Boarding the train in Duluth and taking a ride 17 miles south through bogs and estuary with the track literally running over the water was amazing. The scenery was breathtaking, as we sat in the open-air railcar enjoying our 12 mile per hour ride.  A great morning excursion.

Lake Superior & Mississippi Railroad (LS&M) along the St. Louis River Estuary 

We enjoyed Duluth a great deal.  Lots to do and see.  However, we are on a mission to explore the northern Rocky Mountains and needed to continue our journey west. There were many miles to cover before arriving in our next state, North Dakota, where we would be staying in a state park campsite. Too many miles away for a day’s drive, so we made one more stop in the state of Minnesota, a small town called Bemidji, the first city on the Mississippi River after its origins in Lake Itaska. Located less than 50 miles downstream, Bemidji Lake crosses the Mississippi, meaning the Mississippi River flows both in and out of the glacially formed lake.  We spent a morning walking the park and trails around the lake, and even spotted a bald eagle in a tree.

But easily the highlight of the stop in Bemidji was finding Paul Bunyan and Babe the Big Blue Ox!  Finally, I had found the quintessential side-show attraction that I had envisioned when depicting our RV travels. Bemidji is the self-proclaimed birthplace of Paul Bunyan. You remember the legend of Paul Bunyan, don’t you?  He cleared forests with one swing of his ax. He and his trusty bovine, Babe the Blue Ox, dug the Great Lakes to quench the thirst of his fellow loggers. He created the Mississippi River by simply dragging his ax behind him. An 18-foot-tall statue of the legendary lumberjack and his beloved blue ox, Babe, have been standing near the lake and attracting kitsch loving photo takers, like me, for 85 years.  I’m so proud to finally be here!!

 

Just 8 stops into our adventure and we’re already visiting places jam packed with interesting and exciting activities, museums, and state parks.  At this rate I’m destined to pull a muscle in my jaw constantly picking my chin up. The benefit of traveling and staying in places for a week or so is the ability to get close to the community.  And I’m mildly amused at the reaction I get when I tell people we meet that we’re visiting from Massachusetts.  Like we’re a species that they were not expecting to bump into.  Predictably, my accent gives us away almost immediately. Let’s see what we find on our next stop, when we visit the state of North Dakota for the first time. Leaving Bemidji, MN and heading due west to the north central part of the state, a place called Devils Lake. We have reserved a campsite in Graham’s Island State Park. My trip research indicated that this was a special campsite and we’re really looking forward to our experience as we tell… the Rest of the Story.