The Lake Goes Topsy-Turvy, Too: "Astro" Bob King, a Duluth photographer, astro blogger and talented astronomy author with several books to his name, captured a photo of how a temperature inversion on the Big Lake can flip the landscape in the air. It's the same phenomenon that occasionally let's you see freighters upside down on the horizon. Or they might look like ghost ships! As Bob explains in a Wednesday post: "Yesterday evening we saw a wonderful superior mirage over Lake Superior created by a temperature inversion — when cold air (over the Lake) gets trapped under a layer of warm air. Light from the distant trees was bent by the cold air on its way to our eyes to create an image of those same trees floating upside-down in the air." Astro Bob was actually out to photograph the Super Moon (bottom pastel pic), and he did a good job on that image, too. We're going to assume that "party of boaters," as Bob calls them, are all from the same family, not needing to social distance, and enjoying time outdoors. It's a topsy-turvy world.
Guided by the Light: Lighthouses have always represented a beacon of hope in stormy times and Split Rock Lighthouse will serve that function again tonight when the Fresnel lens is lit to offer a beacon of solidarity during the current Covid-19 pandemic. You can see the light on during a live-stream feed on the Split Rock Lighthouse Facebook page from 8-11 p.m. (CT) today. “This is a way of saying to all Minnesotans, and to all people worldwide, that together we will weather this storm,” said Kent Whitworth, director and CEO of the Minnesota Historical Society, which operates the historic site. Just enjoy the light from your computer, though – the lighthouse site remains closed. The beacon of the 1910 lighthouse is only lit a few times each year, such as Nov. 10 to commemorate the sinking of the Edmund Fitzgerald.
Oh Deer: It's a little scary to watch, but Karen Ramsdale captured photos and video of deer swimming and then mounting onto the thin ice in the middle of the Kaministiqua River in Thunder Bay this week. One falls back through, but made it up again. Eventually the trio wisely chose to swim back to the river bank. "No deer were harmed in the making of this video (unless they have ice scratches)," Karen promises. "Please do not attempt this if you are human." … To that thought, SooToday posted a press release from the Sault Ste. Marie Detachment of the Ontario Provincial Police reminding people about the dangers of ice now. The notice was prompted after officers got a recent call about an ATV that went through the ice. The operator made it safely to shore (like the deer), but as the release notes: "Remember, ice becomes unstable at this time of year as unforeseen hazards such as flowing currents underneath which may be weakening the ice. In these instances, the thickness of the ice would not be a good indicator of safety as the ice could collapse at any time." It won't be too long, of course, until the only ice is in our beverage glasses.
The Season's Saltie: The first saltie to travel through the St. Lawrence Seaway arrived in the Twin Ports this week. Federal Churchill, a 656-foot, ice-class bulk carrier owned by Montréal-based Fednav, passed under the Duluth Aerial Lift Bridge at 7:55 p.m. Wednesday (seen in this photo by Blake Hewitt). The ship traveled the Seaway's 2,342 miles from the Atlantic Ocean to Riverland Ag, owned by Minnesota-based Ceres Global Ag Corp., an agricultural grain storage and supply business. There the tug North Carolina (seen belwo with the ship in a photo by Scott Bjorklund) nudged it into place and it loaded with 23,000 short tons of durum wheat bound for Italy. Federal Churchill sails under the flag of the Marshall Islands and is captained by Arnab Roy of India. The ship was built in 2016 by Oshima Shipbuilding in Japan. The usual First Ship Ceremony organized by the Duluth Seaway Port Authority did not take place this year. “Since the arrival of the first First Ship after the Seaway’s opening in 1959, generations of people in the Twin Ports have gathered to celebrate the first saltie sailing in, a true sign of spring and also of the prosperity these great ships help deliver to our region,” Deb DeLuca, executive director of the Duluth Seaway Port Authority, said in a release before the arrival. “This year, under the cloud of COVID-19, we can’t gather together in our usual ways, but we can still celebrate a sign of brighter days to come, and a cargo from our region that will help bring sustenance and hope to the people of Italy.” The Duluth Harborcam posted a great video of the ship's arrival, along with the chitchat between the bridge, the boat and tugs.
Federal Churchill's arrival not only triggers the official start of the Duluth-Superior port's international traffic, it also means Visit Duluth could announce a winner from among the 2,500 entries to its annual First Ship Contest. Shana Whiting of Prescott, Wis., made the closest guess to when the ship would pass beneath the bridge, choosing 8:05:34 p.m. April 8, a mere 10 minutes off from the official time. Shana wins a Duluth getaway complete with a night stay at South Pier Inn, gift cards to JJ Astor Restaurant, Art in the Alley clothing boutique, Lake Superior Art Glass, a one-year subscription to Lake Superior Magazine and passes to various city attractions. The runner-up slot was a tie this year for the first time, with Kari Benesh of Chippewa Falls, Wis., and Peggy Miller of Dubuque, Iowa, both guessing April 8 at 8:08:08 p.m. They will both receive a prize package containing gift cards to The Boat Club Restaurant, Art in the Alley clothing boutique, a one-year subscription to Lake Superior Magazine and attraction passes.
Putting on the Blues: The city of Duluth acknowledged the much-appreciated, critical jobs of healthcare providers and other essential workers by turning the lights on the Duluth Aerial Lift Bridge and Enger Tower to blue for Thursday evening (seen in Chris Lee's photos here). The city joined in the national #LightItBlue event on landmarks, bridges and buildings to say thank you. The event was started in the United Kingdom. Tonight the bridge and tower will be back to the purple lighting intended to spread joy as a Minnesota power color, the city notes.
Expect More of the Same: That’s the word from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers this week regarding Great Lakes high water levels and, as a result, continued erosion impacts on the shorelines. “During the spring, water levels on the Great Lakes are usually in a period of seasonal rise due to increased rainfall and runoff,” the Corps stated in a release Tuesday. “Water levels are expected to rise toward their seasonal peaks over the coming months and will continue to be near or above record high water levels. Significant erosion continues in many locations, as water levels remain extremely high. Strong storm systems and resulting large waves have led to substantial erosion along much of the Great Lakes coastline. … The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers urges those impacted by the high water levels in 2019 to prepare for similar or higher levels in 2020. The most recent six-month forecast of Great Lakes water levels still forecasts that water levels could peak very near last year’s record levels.” John Allis, chief of the Great Lakes Hydraulics and Hydrology Office, Detroit District, said in the release, “After a generally drier month of February, March brought a return to wetter conditions experienced across the Great Lakes basin. During this period of seasonal rise for the Great Lakes, near or above record high water levels will continue to cause impacts along the shoreline.”
Lake Superior was not among the Great Lakes cited for setting new monthly mean high water level records for March. Lakes Huron, Michigan and Erie, along with the St. Clair within the Great Lakes waterway, did set records. Lake Superior’s water level did rise for the month, which is usual for March. According to the International Lake Superior Board of Control, the Lake rose 0.8 inches (about 2 cm.) during March, while on average, its water level declines 0.4 in.(about 1 cm.). The Lake is just 0.8 inches below its record high level for the beginning of April set in 1986, the board’s release added. That puts Lake Superior’s water level currently 14 inches above its average (1918-2019) and 1.6 inches above this time last year.
Lakes Michigan-Huron, meanwhile, are 37 inches above their average level for this time of year, which is 4 inches above the previous beginning-of-April record high set in 1986. The two lakes, measured as one by the Corps, are 16 inches above this time last year. This image of Lake Superior, by the by, is from Roxanne Distad Photography.
Water & Air: Responding to concerns voiced about using millions of gallons of water daily for a planned Nemadji Trail Energy Center in Superior, Dairyland Power Cooperative and Minnesota Power are suggesting an air-cooled system for the energy generating plant instead, reports Danielle Kaeding for Wisconsin Public Radio. The $700 million natural gas-fired electric plant along the Nemadji River was slated to use about 3 million gallons of water daily for cooling. The Public Safety Commission of Wisconsin, which approved the initial plan, has a webpage detailing the facility. Commercial operation of the plant would begin in 2024 under current plans.
Biography of a City: Author/publisher Tony Dierckins expected to be doing a lot of face-to-face book signings when his newest work, Duluth: An Urban Biography, is released next week. Face-to-face is out, of course, but books are still welcome. Thus on Wednesday, the book's publisher, Minnesota Historical Society Press, plans a virtual book launch. We asked Tony a few Qs, and he sent back a few As about his new book. The relatively slender volume – about 180 pages for a city celebrating a 150th anniversary this year – is a condensed history. It's the first of a series of "urban biographies" planned by the MHSP, with volumes on Minneapolis, St. Paul and Rochester soon to follow. To join Tony live for the virtual launch, log on here at 7 p.m. April 15. You can also order the $18.95 softcover book direct from Tony's Zenith City website.
Are you from Duluth originally? If not, how'd you get here and what kept you here?
I am a native of St. Paul’s East Side. I first moved to Duluth in 1984 to attend UMD, but it wasn’t until I bought a house in the late 1990s that I truly felt like a Duluthian. Once you really get to know this town, you can’t help falling in love with it. And, hey, Lake Superior – need I say more?
You've done many different books on Duluth history with various perspectives. How is this one different (is this like the cliff notes of Duluth history)?
My previous Duluth books have primarily been deep dives into narrow topics – the Aerial Bridge, beer brewing, the parks etc. – while this book attempts to cover the city's entire history (as I like to say, from the precarmbrian creation of Lake Superior’s bed 2.6 billion years ago to the 2019 mayoral election) as briefly as possible. So for many readers, it will serve as an “expanded primer" on the Zenith City’s fascinating past.
In re-reviewing history that you have no doubt touched in your research before, did you come to any new insights about the city?
This book provided an opportunity for me to dig deeper into more recent history, 1950s to today. I learned how very difficult it is to write about recent history of the place where you live, particularly deciding which issues are the most important to address. But that research also reaffirmed what a resilient community this is, always getting back up after it has been struck a blow.
Photo & graphic credits: Bob King; Karen Ramsdale; Blake Hewitt/Visit Duluth; Scott Bjorklund; City of Duluth; Roxanne Distad; Minnesota Historical Society Press