Duluth Aerial Ferry Bridge (1905)

Thomas F. McGilvray, 1905 (Books, Technology)

The northern city of Duluth Minnesota is famous for its Lift Bridge connecting the Canal Park area with the long sandy beach of Minnesota Point. However, the current bridge was not the first. The original structure was a more exotic Ferry Bridge. There are only a few examples left in the world. I found these images in a digitised book from that time.

The canal is 300 feet wide and the span cleared 135 feet underneath.

Here is a closeup of the gondola which could apparently operate in a 60mph cross-wind with ice and snow! It could carry up to 800 passengers, plus vehicles!

Not shown are the large spools of steel cable used to pull the gondola back and forth. Apparently there were two redundant electric motors with separate sources of power. And if both of those failed there was some sort of hand-crank!

Here are two more recent photos I took of the bridge and canal outlet…