Nostalgia & History > sometimes you find a surprise ...

... and here was one of mine: While heading back east after a very long road trip that went from western NY to the Pacific NW I was on the 'northern' route back and came across this sign. At that time I hadn't really spent much time on RR history so this was not a spot I was looking for. Not sure what happened to that sign but there was a bonus stopping to get the picture ... and that was pic 2.

Carlton, MN July 6, 1967

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Love that last shot!  Thanks for sharing.

Kent in CArmel Valley

Sweet ore train!!

Two great surprises.
Bob

About 10 miles west of Duluth, right along the highway.  Don't know why they picked such an isolated point to actually start construction - 10 miles west of, and 481 feet above, Lake Superior, the only place a freight/passenger connection could be made to the rest of the then known world.

J. Cooke State Park is a couple miles east.  Cooke was a big time financier of the era.  Basically he financed the Civil War for the North for President Lincoln, then financed the first northern transcontinental railroad, the Northern Pacific.  There is still a J. Cooke Memorial Presbyterian Church in Carlton, MN.

AFAIK the sign is still standing (but needs repainting).

I'll probably be up there again within the next 5-6 weeks, and will try to remember to watch for it.

Also interesting that they started construction in northern Minnesota in February.  February! - when the ground was probably frozen several feet deep!

-LD



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 01/14/20 15:21 by LarryDoyle.

A historical location and three "F"s leading a train... Can't be that Vince!

James Nelson
Thornton, CO
www.flickr.com/mojaveflyer

The GN train is at State Line Tower where the GN's line to the Iron Range and west to Grand Forks crossed the NP line from Duluth to St. Paul.  Nice photo!

Gordon

gbmott Wrote:
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> The GN train is at State Line Tower where the GN's
> line to the Iron Range and west to Grand Forks
> crossed the NP line from Duluth to St. Paul.
>  Nice photo!
>
> Gordon

Thanks for info!