Minnesota Lighthouses - Duluth Inner South Breakwater

The Inner South Breakwater Light in Duluth.
8/23/2021 dwm photo

Duluth and Superior were business rivals but with the only natural entry into the harbor in Wisconsin it put Duluth at a disadvantage.

According to the Lighthouse Friends account, by 1870 Minnesota officials had a railroad connecting Duluth to St. Paul.  Local businessmen intended to open a canal in the sandbar so ships could have direct access to the Minnesota port.

A legal battle between the states ensued, but the end result were two entrances into the Twin Ports which became an actual thing when the two cities finally agreed to work together in 1896.

An early lighthouse was placed on the Duluth canal in 1873. The present inner light (pictured above) was built in 1901 designed to serve as a rear range light with the outer light at the end of the breakwater.

A look at the South Inner Breakwater Light (R)
and Outer Light (L) as the Aerial Bridge road
deck lifts for a boat to pass. 8/23/21 (dwm)

 Four years later, the Duluth Aerial bridge was built to transport people from Duluth across the canal to the sandbar and in the process made the 70-foot tall tower seem small.

 One keeper supervised all three breakwater lights while living in the original 1873 lighthouse.  Today the harbormasters ride the control room in the aerial bridge while monitoring the automated lights.

 For the visitors wandering around the harbor the inner light is almost invisible as it blends into the big bridge when see from the end of the breakwaters while the smaller lights stick out like candles on a cake.

The 70-foot tall Inner light seems short standing next to the towering bridge.
8/23/2021 david mossner photo