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When we drove into Marquette, MI, yesterday we were confounded by this huge concrete structure plop in the middle of the downtown harbor area. Judging from the weeds growing on one side, it had obviously not been in use for some time but we had no clue as to its earlier function.
Today, we are no longer puzzled. Marquette, we’ve learned, is a “working town”, quite different from the tourist magnet of Petoskey. It developed around 1850 to service Great Lakes shipping and, especially, to facilitate transportation of iron ore. The relic we photographed above is what’s left of an iron ore dock, built about 1931. It closed in the early 70’s because it could not accommodate the new, larger cargo ships of 1000 foot length.
An iron ore dock that can do that job is now located north of the downtown area and we witnessed close at hand, the arrival and docking of one of these great ships.
In the local Maritime Museum, there is a model depicting how the Marquette downtown harbor once appeared. In particular, it shows how these iron ore docks work. The ore arrives at the dock topside on rail cars which drop their contents into holding bins beneath the tracks. When a ship is in position, the chutes can be individually lowered to release the iron ore from the holding bins.
Marquette’s industrial facade is softening as more and more recreational facilities are being created. It now has an extensive bike trail system and winter sports like cross-country skiing and snowmobiling have many advocates. It is also the home of Northern Michigan University. Close to the city lies Presque Isle Park, an impressive wooded peninsula jutting into Lake Superior. Watching the sunset from this park is one of many popular pastimes the park allows.
Tonight, we are off to the theater --- in the former Lake Superior Yacht Yard! Tell you all about the performance in this unusual theater tomorrow.