Soo line ore dock wisconsin central railroad ore dock sah. A historical marker noting this is located at maslowski beach on u. Ore cars were sized to line up for ore pockets, which are always spaced 12 feet apart. Northland college was founded as north wisconsin academy by the congregational church in 1892. Dock 3, the alltimber, was phased out of service in 1958 and dismantled in 1965, while dock 4, the shortest dock, was probably shipping coala bad idea. The ore was bought to ashland from the mines by rail and it was here that the ore was transferred to the great lakes ore boats. Chapple ave main street ellie ave us 2 west marine club us 2 east chapple ave. The city of ashland is closing its office to the public on thursday, march 19, 2020 until further notice. Smelt fishing report ashland county wisconsin tourism. Whitepages provides the top free people search and tenant screening tool online with contact information for over 250 million people including cell phone numbers and complete background check data compiled from public records, white pages and other directories in all 50 states. Carlo kumpula has written the definitive book on the historic, oneclass, high school.
History of northern wisconsin ashland county, 1881 pages 6670. Spinster books is trying to carry books in a range of prices so that everyone can find something great to read. It was in operation until the mid 1960s loading iron ore onto lake freighters. Ore dock located on the bay of chequamegon bay in ashland wisconsin. State and local history archives recollection wisconsin. Soo line ashland ore dock posted august 14, 2016, by russ sooironrange at yahoo dot com the dock pictured is the exnorthern pacific dock in superior, wi. Ashland is the historic mural capital of wisconsin and boasts more than a dozen murals depicting historical subjects such as lumberjacks, railroad history, storefronts and the former massive ore dock. The ore docks have significant part in two harbors history books. Ashland ore dock less beaten paths of america travel blog.
Birdseye view map of ashland, wisconsin, drawn by c. Visit our great lake destinations fun options and discovery. Historic downtown ashland is characterized by the turnofthecentury brownstone buildings, unique shops, and distinct architectural styles. The ferry route becomes a highway for cars to drive across the bay in the winter. It was the first on lake superior and the largest in the world at the time. Historical magazines and a dvd of the history of the ore docks are viewable at the ahsm located at 509 main st w in ashland. Im actually sad about the demolition of this ore dock. A multimilliondollar cleanup of ashland s harbor has started. These docks, the largest in the world, consist of three structures of concrete and steel. An ore dock is a large structure used for loading ore onto ships, which then carry the ore to. This was the website for the ashland historical society museum for a number of years, starting in 2004 when the museum was still located at 509 west main street in ashland, wi. This is the ore dock in ashland, wi being torn down. The harbor of ashland was dominated by the massive wisconsin central railway later soo line ore dock, built in 1916 to load iron ore mined in the area into freighters bound for ports in the rust belt. For teachers buildings of the united states book series uva press architecture books.
The concrete structure of the ore dock in ashland glows as the sun sets across lake superiors chequamegon bay. Ashland newspaper stories in ashland county, wisconsin. Soo line ore dock wisconsin central railroad ore dock. The ore dock has been an ashland wisconsin icon since its construction in 1916. Mar, 2020 today, the ashland historical society museum collects and preserves items directly connected with the history of ashland, wis. The demand for iron ore grew, faster dispatch of vessels was necessary, and larger rail cars and the number of more powerful locomotives for transporting the ore from mines to the docks increased with improved technology. It has a fine harbor, large enough to float the heaviest fleets. There are a few exceptions where the price is a bit higher, but there are also a few exceptions where the new books are also priced at more than 45% off. The book across the bay ski race is held every year in february. From the soo line ore dock to northland college to the beautiful lake superior, there is plenty of information on anything a visitor or longtime resident might want to know.
Questions or comments, please call the parks and recreation office at 7156827059 or message on the city of ashland s facebook. Jan 15, 20 a last ditch effort to save a portion of one of the largest ore docks in the world has lots of hope but not much money. The wisconsin central railway later soo line ore dock in ashland, wisconsin 1,800 ft 550. Ore dock of the milwaukee, lake shore and western railway. The lake shore line took a leadership role in developing the ashland port.
The 2,000 long, 66 wide base of the ashland oredock is envisioned to be the shining jewel of the citys recreational areas along the. A multimilliondollar cleanup of ashland s harbor has started to remove toxic sediments from the shore of lake. City salvages history from what was once worlds largest ore dock. A train of railroad cars filled with ore was pulled on to the top of the dock and dumped its cargo into the 300 storage pockets underneath the rails. A book by tom stanley of the history of pulp hoisting operations in ashland, wisconsin. Fleet admiral william leahy was raised in ashland and graduated from ashland high school in 1892. Follow the action and hear from friends, experts and fellow fans. At one time, there were five such docks in ashland. Shear perfection is a full service hair studio for women and men and children of all ages. The harbor of ashland was dominated by the massive wisconsin central railway later soo line ore dock, built in 1916 to load iron ore mined in the area into freighters bound for industrial ports in the midwest, such as ashtabula, ohio, where steel was produced. The top portion of the mural is a to scale painting of the ore dock itself, including every properly numbered ore chute. The ashland ore dock take two 100 year ore dock anniversary celebration this ashland wi ore dock located on the bay of chequamegon the ashland ore dock ashland wisconsin rppc ore docks under construction 19457988. Also driving by the lake nice shots of the catholic church, chequamegon hotel and the band shell.
The dock, however, is slowly disappearing as work crews remove the structure, seen here from the bell tower of ashland s city hall. Known as the historic mural capital of wisconsin, ashland s pride in its rich history is evident in its 20 vibrant murals highlighting a particular aspect of the citys colorful past, depicting subjects ranging from the citys lumberjacks and military veterans to its railroads, storefronts and former massive ore dock. Enjoy lunch downtown and then take in a selfguided mural tour. The ashland marina is located at the foot of ellis avenue north on lake superiors chequamegon bay. The lower section includes 21 postcards telling the history of the varied uses of the structure over the years. Search the wisconsin historical societys vast family history collections, which are among the top five for genealogy research in the u. Ashland is the seat of ashland county and the commercial hub of the region. The ashland historical society museums digital collection is a sampling of photographic collections depicting historic buildings in ashland, wisconsin and the chequamegon bay ore docks. The oredock was used by the soo line railroad to transport upper michigan iron ore to the ships waiting in ashland s harbor. Where can find ashland county birth, marriage, divorce and death records. Until the mid1960s, iron ore mined in the upper peninsula of michigan was shipped from this dock. Ashland historical society museum collections hosted by the. The great northern iron ore docks were the largest iron ore docks in the world. Thomas edwards returned home monday from waupaca, where he attended the state convention of good.
Ashland ore dock photograph wisconsin historical society. When built in 1916, ashland s 1,800 foot oredock was the largest concrete dock in the world. Ive been in ashland many times and the dock was always an amazing sight to see. Great northern railway ore docks of lake superior photo archive douglass d addison sr on. Photographs and books documenting the history of the consolidated water power and paper company, later consolidated papers, inc. Ore docks are mentioned in popular culture, at least one high school athletic team, the ashland, wisconsin oredockers takes their name from them, and they have been mentioned in song. Lake superior is known for its fresh water and the ashland marina reflects this clean tradition. Local history is preserved at the northern wisconsin. About our newspapers explore our physical and digital collections of newspapers, which is the second largest collection of newspapers in the u. Sep 23, 2012 the ore dock in ashland was once one of the largest in the world and a defining manmade landmark in the city. The city of ashland wisconsin is closing all city beaches, docks and piers now through may 5 th. Ore dock of the milwaukee, lake shore, and western railroad, with a pile of logs in the foreground and docked ships in the background. Ashland, wi salvages history from what was once worlds largest ore dock.
Ashland is a city in ashland and bayfield counties in the u. Great northern railway ore docks of lake superior photo. At loons foot landing in superiors allouez neighborhood, near the mouth of the nemadji river in the allouez bay channel, stands the remains of the northern pacific ore dock built from 1912. Ashlands ore docks were designed to transfer bulk cargo from rail cars to large ships, which. Time running out for historic ashland ore dock wisconsin. Looking for a link, a location, a place to eat or stay on lake superior. Local history is preserved at the northern wisconsin historical center. Built of concrete and steel, it was constructed by the minneapolis, st paul and sault st marie railroad the soo line in 1915. These developments caused the old wooden duluth, south shore and atlantic railway ore dock built in 1898 to become obsolete. Northern wisconsin academy, which is now northland college, opened in ashland harbor in 1892.
Project to rid polluted sediments begins in historic harbor. Wisconsin historical society citation wisconsin historical society, creator, title, image id. Travel itineraries ashland county wisconsin tourism. The ore dock in ashland was once one of the largest in the world and a defining manmade landmark in the city. Compiled by ed monroe, ashland historical society museum board member and former ashland mayor. Our 121 slip marina includes washrooms with showers, fuel and pumpout, water, electricity, the marina office and ship store, and a dock attendant. Today, the ashland historical society museum collects and preserves items directly connected with the history of ashland, wis. Soo line ore dock, ashland, wi history under ground. Early history of ashland wisconsin historical society.
The former wisconsin central soo line ore dock was the iconic feature of ashland in regards to its representation of the economic impact on one of the citys founding industries, its visual impact to the cityscape, and its geographic impact to the communitys waterfront. For ashland, the 1916vintage soo line ore dock is part of its identity. White coffee cup with image of the ashland, wisconsin oredock mural. Manufacturing industry and labor recollection wisconsin. Now railfans and history buffs can see how these ore docks were constructed and operated through the historic photographs and illustrations in this book. Dan prothero dropped a 100pound circular saw on his foot and lacerated it so badly that his toes had to be amputated.
Aug 02, 2015 this is the ore dock in ashland, wi being torn down. Northern pacific ore dock in allouez perfect duluth day. Sah archipedia tells the story of the united states through its buildings. Ive been in ashland many times and the dock was always an amazing sight to. The longest dock is 2244 feet long, 80 feet high, and contains 374 individual pockets which can hold 100,000 long tons of ore, or 7 average trains of 205 cars each. Ore docks are mentioned in popular culture, at least one high school athletic team, the ashland, wisconsin oredockers takes their name. The high school sports teams are called ore dockers and generations have made their livelihood at the 1800footlong, sevenstoryhigh structure. The content below is from the sites archived pages. Oct 31, 2010 me and savannah walked down to the base of the ashland oredock october 30, 2010. This is the old iron ore dock at ashland, wisconsin. Although many of the victorian antiques look like they came from the original hotel, those were burned, except for the lobby clock, which sits in the ashland museum. Former wastewater treatment plant and historic soo line ore dock target areas introduction reiss coal dock target area clarkson dock target area plan history and progress this update to the ashland waterfront plan traces its history back to a planning process initiated by the city in 1993.
While my family did not work on the ashland dock, they did work on all the superior docks, and my grandpa was also a gantry crane operator. The city of ashland was officially incorporated in 1887. Ashland harbors muchused ore dock was scheduled for demolition in 2009 over the protests of community members who wanted to save the historic structure. History and photography of ashland s last ore dock. The last of what were once many such docks, the concrete structure is 80 feet 24 m high and 75 feet 23 m wide and in 1925 the. To build the current hotel, wood salvaged from the nearby ore docks was used. All material on the ore dock was removed, down to the concrete base. The vast majority of our new books are priced at 45% off the publishers price.
Ashland white pages phone books in wisconsin wi whitepages. Shear perfection offers the absolute finest haircuts and color services in ashland. It was built at the west end of 112 mile long breakwater, in the middle of the harbor, at ashland, wi to guide ships into this once important iron ore shipping center. The village stretches along the shore for two miles. Ashland county, wisconsin genealogy trails history group. Staff will be available by phone, email, and website during normal business hours. While not one of the apostle islands lighthouses, the ashland breakwater light is located in nearby chequamegon bay. Dominating the lake front of the wisconsin city of ashland is the old ore dock. Known as the historic mural capital of wisconsin, ashlands pride in its rich history is evident in its 20 vibrant murals highlighting a particular aspect of the citys colorful past, depicting subjects ranging from the citys lumberjacks and military veterans to its railroads, storefronts and former massive ore dock. Ashland is situated on a plateau, about thirty feet above the level of the lake, on the south shore of the chequamegon bay. Wish i had taken more photos of it the last time i was up there because i heard it was recently demolished, which is kind of a shame but understandable. A pictorial tour of historic 2nd street, now main street, in ashland, wi showing historic photographs and more recent pictures on a dvd. This mural depicts the ashland ore dock, which was built in 1916. Former gnbn allouez ore docks built by the great northern railroad, these ore docks were modified to load taconite pellets later in their service lives and were the main boat loading facilities for.
In july, liftoff aerials sent the pdd drone up to have a birdseye view of the old concreteandsteel structure. Oredock saloon ashland, wisconsin restaurant facebook. There will be no smelting at ashland city public beaches, docks or piers now through may 5 th. From the soo line ore dock to northland college to the beautiful lake superior, there is plenty of information on anything a. Two ore docks, one in duluth, mn and one in two harbors, mn, are still in service and operated by canadian national railway.
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