9/27/2013
Ashland Wisconsin
Ashland Wisconsin is a great little city on the shore of Lake Superior. In the late 1800s Ashland developed into an important shipping port for iron ore from the mines of the Gogebic Range in northern Wisconsin and Michigan's U.P. Ashland was also home to several saw mills and a hub for local commerce. Today Ashland is a sleepy but still vital small city. Ashland has a well preserved turn of the century commercial district and a variety of historic homes. It's has several nice cafes and restaurants and a number of decent cheap motels.
Soo Line iron ore dock in Ashland WI.
Above is the abandoned Soo Line ore dock. This massive structure was built 1916-25 and has not been used since 1965. Trains carrying iron ore rode up on top of the dock and dumped their cargo through trap doors into waiting ships below. These ore docks were central features of the port cities ringing Lake Superior and Northern Lake Michigan. In 1916 Ashland was home to three ore docks. This is the last that remains in Ashland and one of the few of this kind that survive anywhere. In spite of it's historic importance, this dock is slated for demolition. These photos were taken during separate visits in 2007 and 2010.
The website of Ashland Preservation.
These wooden pilings are a remnant of an earlier ore dock
These wooden pilings are a remnant of an earlier ore dock
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