Duluth/North Shore

We escaped Saint Paul for a few days to do some sightseeing in Duluth and on the North Shore. It's been nearly 20 years since we spent any amount of time in that part of the world. Pat and I, along with Malwina (Melli) Milas, who Son Steve has loaned to us for a couple of weeks, made the trip.

The culmination of the trip was a visit to Silver Bay MN where we lived and owned a restaurant for about six years during the 1980's. A lot has changed in 20 years. There has always been tourism on the North Shore, but some areas (like Silver Bay) managed to avoid it for many years by being wrapped up in the mining industry to the exclusion of very much development or even interest in tourism. When Reserve Mining Company closed in 1986 the town went from almost 4000 population to about 1700. It has since rebounded to just over 2000, of which many of the newcomers are retirees who were attracted by some good property at reasonable prices in a semi-wilderness area that has no shortage of great scenery.

There was a crying need for the building of tourism infrastructure in the area. Because of depressed conditions in the business community, there were few private sector developers able to perform. Even if there had been private developers available, much of what needed to be done simply had to be done by one government agency or another. All that needed to be done was to convince all the government agencies that they needed to cooperate with each other, spend the tax dollars and build what needed to be built. It happened. Now, 20 years later, the extractive industries of mining and logging are much diminished, but the flow of tourists is greatly expanded as the facilities are now in place to handle the crowds that come, and at the same time preserve and protect the natural settings and landscapes as much as possible.

On this trip we visited the Hinckley Fire Museum, Duluth Harbor, Two Harbors Waterfront, Gooseberry Falls State Park, and Silver Bay Marina. We visited my Aunt Evie in Cloquet and my Sister Shirley and her husband, Vern, in Silver Bay.

Always more to come. Check back often - and do leave a comment. Thanks.

Dave & Pat