Freediving the Ruins of Duluth’s Outer Harbor

Jim Richardson (aka Lake Superior Aquaman) Jul 24, 2013 4 Comments

Freediving the century-plus-old ruins of Duluth’s outer harbor. First the old breakwater wall (cribbing filled with rocks) that stretches 1000′ from the Vietnam Memorial to the red buoy. The buoy’s function is to mark this as a shipping hazard (at that distance from shore the buoy is in 30 feet of water). The destruction of the breakwater wall in a storm spurred the digging of the canal. Then the column or pillar of Uncle Harvey’s Mausoleum, essentially a bundle of timbers sheathed in concrete. Then Uncle Harvey’s itself, in 16 feet of water, also built on cribbing.

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4 Comments

davids

about 11 years ago 

Go, Aquaman, go! Good as ever!  Cold fresh water sure is kinder on wood than salt. Thanks!

davidh

about 11 years ago 

Is the underwater tunnel plugged inside the crooked building that leads to the shore or is it just plugged closer to shore and under the hotel?

It was connected to the old Barko Hydraulics building and with every strong n/east'r, the basement of the building  would fill with water.

Jim Richardson

about 11 years ago 

I am unaware of this tunnel situation.

Tony D.

about 11 years ago 

Cool! That cribbing dates back to 1869

 Jim, I'd love to have an underwater tour of Duluth history for Zenith City. We can use images of the breakwater itself as well as the docks/elevators it was designed to protect to provide context. I'm also curious if there is anything left of the old Citizens Dock, which jutted into the lake from Morse Street (street in front of Grandma's Saloon & Deli parking) from about 1870 until the early 1900s, years after it was abandoned. Email me if you are interested: tonyd [@] zenithcity.com

"The Cribs" a reminder of Duluth's original waterfront

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