History Archives - Page 2 of 4 - Cascade Vacation Rentals

2 10, 2020

Northern Lights Cottage
Northern Lights Cottage

Northern Lights Cottage

Martha Finley2021-02-19T22:25:48+00:00Grand Marais, History|

Curtis and Adair Erickson and the Northern Lights Cottage Newlyweds Curtis and Adair Erickson moved to Grand Marais late in 1937 to begin their new life together. Curtis’ job was placing, managing, and maintaining slot machines, known as “amusement machines”, in any gas station, bar, restaurant, resort, and even car dealerships who were willing to share in gambling profits by having machines located within their establishments. The Ericksons set down roots in Grand Marais and built a cabin we now know as Northern Lights Cottage. The Early Years When the couple first moved to town they rented a small cabin located [...]

1 05, 2020

Organized Crime
Organized Crime

Organized Crime

Martha Finley2021-09-03T16:56:42+00:00History|

Organized Crime on the North Shore The North Shore of Lake Superior and areas up the Gunflint Trail served as a “secret hideaway” for many notorious Chicago-area gangsters of the 1920s and 30s. The area was also home to one of the most prolific bank robbers in US history. Being so far north, far away from major cities, and with Lake Superior in its backyard, the North Shore was the perfect place for making moonshine, running illegal liquor, and just a great place in general for someone to hide out, when needed. Al Capone and the Lutsen Resort Fish House [...]

3 01, 2020

SS William A Irvin
SS William A Irvin

SS William A Irvin

Martha Finley2021-02-25T18:28:35+00:00Activities & Attractions, Duluth, History, Spooky Places on the North Shore|

The SS William A Irvin is a freighter that was named after William A Irving The Vice President of U.S. Steel. She was a flagship of the company fleet from her launch in the depths of the depression in 1938 until 1975 and then was a general workhorse of the fleet until her retirement in 1978. The SS William A. Irvin is a well-maintained example of a classic laker, and a prime example of a straight decker, as she has no self-unloading system. History She was launched 21 November 1937 at the yards of the American Ship Building Company in Lorain, Ohio. [...]

2 01, 2020

Glensheen Mansion
Glensheen Mansion

Glensheen Mansion

Martha Finley2021-10-19T16:35:52+00:00Activities & Attractions, Duluth, History|

Glensheen Mansion sits on 22 acres of beautiful land in Duluth right on Lake Superior. This mansion has 39 rooms, and is an incredible 27,000 square feet. It sounds like this might be describing a luxury Lake Superior resort, but it's actually a single-family home. By far, the Glensheen Mansion is the most widely recognized home on Lake Superior's North Shore. History of the Glensheen Mansion Chester Congdon spared no expense when constructing his family's home and landscaping beginning in 1905. Renowned architect Clarence H. Johnson and landscape architect Charles W. Leavitt took Chester Congdon's ideas and turned them into [...]

1 01, 2020

Whispering Giants Statue
Whispering Giants Statue

Whispering Giants Statue

Martha Finley2021-08-10T17:12:18+00:00Activities & Attractions, History, Two Harbors/Castle Danger|

Peter Wolf Toth is a well-known American Sculptor known in Minnesota for his impressive statue built in Two Harbors. He built and erected the Whispering Giants Statue in 1977. But Peter was drawn back to it when he heard it needed repair. Spending weeks camped out next to the statue, Peter was unpaid and basically unnoticed. He was determined to give the previous inhabitants back what he had once been so proud of. The statue is part of a larger collection known as The Trail of Whispering Giants. The 71 statues that make up the collection are cataloged by the [...]

1 01, 2020

Rocky Taconite
Rocky Taconite

Rocky Taconite

Martha Finley2021-08-10T17:03:12+00:00Activities & Attractions, Beaver Bay/Silver Bay/Finland, History|

Rocky Taconite is a unique monument that welcomes people to Silver Bay. It’s one of those fun, quirky monuments that makes you want to pull over on the side of the road and snap a photo in front of it. One that you see and won’t soon forget. Rocky is made up of a black spherical head and body (resembling taconite pellets). And he holds a pick which is believed to have come from old Sweden. The Swedish pick represents the many Scandinavians who settled in the area. Built in 1956, Silver Bay was a planned housing community that was [...]

1 01, 2020

Aerial Lift Bridge
Aerial Lift Bridge

Aerial Lift Bridge

Martha Finley2021-08-10T16:59:10+00:00Activities & Attractions, Duluth, History|

Duluth became the proud home to the United States’ first transporter bridge when construction on the Aerial Bridge was completed in 1905. It was later converted from a ferry bridge to the Aerial Lift Bridge in 1929. The bridge spans the Duluth Ship Canal which leads iron ore ships into the Twin Ports from Lake Superior. It also connects the areas known today as Canal Park and Park Point. Why Was it Built?: A Little Bit of History Park Point, also known as Minnesota Point, is a neighborhood of Duluth that is separated from the city by the Duluth Ship [...]

1 01, 2020

Hovland Dock
Hovland Dock

Hovland Dock

Martha Finley2021-02-25T21:44:27+00:00Activities & Attractions, History, Hovland/Grand Portage|

Located on Chicago Bay in the ghost-town of Hovland, MN (19 miles northeast of Grand Marais), is the last remaining vintage commercial dock on Lake Superior. The concrete dock dates back to the early 1900’s when Hovland was a thriving economic hub in the area. Its primary use was a loading and unloading site for passenger and cargo ships traveling between Duluth and Canada. Today the dock stretches out about a hundred feet into the deep water, with a couple sections disconnected and submerged into Lake Superior. An old bell that was rung in years past to signal the arrival of a [...]

1 01, 2020

Edna G Tugboat
Edna G Tugboat

Edna G Tugboat

Martha Finley2021-08-09T19:59:02+00:00Activities & Attractions, History, Two Harbors/Castle Danger|

Built-in 1896, the Edna G Tugboat was the last steam-powered tugboat that operated on the Great Lakes. It sits at 110 feet long, with a 23-foot beam, and has a 1000 horsepower engine. The engine generates a bollard pull of a whopping 30 tons (bollard pull is the nautical equivalent of horsepower)! During its operation, the engine would use roughly 25 tons of coal per week, or 5 tons per day. That equates to about 12 shovels full of coal that had to be manually shoveled into the boiler every 10 minutes! Edna G was built by the Cleveland Shipbuilding [...]

1 01, 2020

Duluth and Iron Range Depot
Duluth and Iron Range Depot

Duluth and Iron Range Depot

Martha Finley2021-09-09T18:22:00+00:00Activities & Attractions, History, Two Harbors/Castle Danger|

The Duluth and Iron Range Depot is a two-story brick building that has been standing in Two Harbors since 1907. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places it was the headquarters and corporate office for the Duluth and Iron Range Railroad. The Minnesota Iron Company developed the Duluth and Iron Range Railroad in 1883. They laid out the town of Two Harbors in 1885 and built depots to conducts its business. When the railroad line to Duluth was complete, it served as a transfer point for passengers, lumber, and mining supplies. It played a major role in both passenger [...]