U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Vessel Yard
Encyclopedia
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Vessel Yard in the U.S.
city of Duluth
was constructed between Lake Superior
and Duluth's harbor, midway between Duluth and Superior, Wisconsin
.
, ships carrying grain, lumber, coal, and iron ore could carry the natural resources of the Midwest
to East Coast
ports. By the late 19th century the United States Army Corps of Engineers
was tasked to create a bustling harbor at the western end of Lake Superior. For several years they created breakwaters, dredged channels, and built docks to accommodate ever-larger cargo-hauling ships. By the turn of the century, the Vermilion
and Mesabi Iron Range
s were producing nearly 8 million long ton
s (8,100,000 Mg) of ore per year. The Corps was busy—between 1897 and 1902 they dredged 22 million cubic yards (17,000,000 cubic metres) out of the Duluth and Superior harbors, creating a 360 acres (1.5 km²) harbor with 17 miles (27 km) of ship channels. By 1906, the quantity of material shipped through the harbors was dominated only that of New York
and Philadelphia.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
city of Duluth
Duluth, Minnesota
Duluth is a port city in the U.S. state of Minnesota and is the county seat of Saint Louis County. The fourth largest city in Minnesota, Duluth had a total population of 86,265 in the 2010 census. Duluth is also the second largest city that is located on Lake Superior after Thunder Bay, Ontario,...
was constructed between Lake Superior
Lake Superior
Lake Superior is the largest of the five traditionally-demarcated Great Lakes of North America. It is bounded to the north by the Canadian province of Ontario and the U.S. state of Minnesota, and to the south by the U.S. states of Wisconsin and Michigan. It is the largest freshwater lake in the...
and Duluth's harbor, midway between Duluth and Superior, Wisconsin
Superior, Wisconsin
Superior is a city in and the county seat of Douglas County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 26,960 at the 2010 census. Located at the junction of U.S. Highways 2 and 53, it is north of and adjacent to both the Village of Superior and the Town of Superior.Superior is at the western...
.
History
After the construction of the St. Mary's Falls Ship Canal was completed at Sault Ste. MarieSault Ste. Marie, Michigan
Sault Ste. Marie is a city in and the county seat of Chippewa County in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is in the north-eastern end of Michigan's Upper Peninsula, on the Canadian border, separated from its twin city of Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, by the St. Marys River...
, ships carrying grain, lumber, coal, and iron ore could carry the natural resources of the Midwest
Midwestern United States
The Midwestern United States is one of the four U.S. geographic regions defined by the United States Census Bureau, providing an official definition of the American Midwest....
to East Coast
East Coast of the United States
The East Coast of the United States, also known as the Eastern Seaboard, refers to the easternmost coastal states in the United States, which touch the Atlantic Ocean and stretch up to Canada. The term includes the U.S...
ports. By the late 19th century the United States Army Corps of Engineers
United States Army Corps of Engineers
The United States Army Corps of Engineers is a federal agency and a major Army command made up of some 38,000 civilian and military personnel, making it the world's largest public engineering, design and construction management agency...
was tasked to create a bustling harbor at the western end of Lake Superior. For several years they created breakwaters, dredged channels, and built docks to accommodate ever-larger cargo-hauling ships. By the turn of the century, the Vermilion
Vermilion Range (Minnesota)
The Vermilion Range exists between Tower and Ely, Minnesota, and contains significant deposits of iron ore. The Vermilion, along with the Mesabi and Cuyuna Ranges, constitute the Iron Ranges of northern Minnesota which were deposited in the Animikie Group...
and Mesabi Iron Range
Mesabi Range
The Mesabi Iron Range is a vast deposit of iron ore and the largest of four major iron ranges in the region collectively known as the Iron Range of Minnesota. Discovered in 1866, it is the chief deposit of iron ore in the United States. The deposit is located in northeast Minnesota, largely in...
s were producing nearly 8 million long ton
Long ton
Long ton is the name for the unit called the "ton" in the avoirdupois or Imperial system of measurements, as used in the United Kingdom and several other Commonwealth countries. It has been mostly replaced by the tonne, and in the United States by the short ton...
s (8,100,000 Mg) of ore per year. The Corps was busy—between 1897 and 1902 they dredged 22 million cubic yards (17,000,000 cubic metres) out of the Duluth and Superior harbors, creating a 360 acres (1.5 km²) harbor with 17 miles (27 km) of ship channels. By 1906, the quantity of material shipped through the harbors was dominated only that of New York
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
and Philadelphia.