Duluth (duh-LOOTH), city (1990 pop. 85,493), St. Louis co., NE Minn., on St. Louis Bay, at W end of L. Superior, 140 mi/225 km NNE of Minneapolis, opposite Superior, Wis.; 46°46'N 92°07'W. Westernmost port in Great Lakes–St. Lawrence Seaway Navigation system. A commercial, industrial, and cultural center of N Minn., as well as a major port on the Great Lakes, convention center, and the gateway to resort region to N. Large amounts of grain, iron ore (especially taconite), oil, and bulk cargo are shipped on lake freighters and ocean vessels. Fish processing, grain elevator services, specialty fabricating; steel, concrete, piping, chemical lime, paper, hand tools, consumer goods. Tourism is important, and the military air-defense installation at Duluth International Airport is valuable to the economy. Native Americans were found here in the 1670s by the early explorers and fur traders, and included the Sieur Duluth (for whom the city was named). Permanent settlement began c.1852. Built largely on rocky bluffs overlooking the lake, the city was at first a trade and shipping center for timber. Discovery of iron (1865) in the Mesabi range made it the chief shipping point for ore for the nation’s steel mills. With the opening of the St. Lawrence Seaway (1959), it became one of the leading ports on the Great Lakes for the export of grain. It is the seat of the Col. of St. Scholastica, the Duluth Institute of Technology, and a branch of the Univ. of Minnesota. It has a symphony orchestra, a community theater, various museums, including L. Superior Maritime Mus., and the St. Louis County Heritage and Arts Center. Wade Municipal Stadium in SW. Of interest are the large Aerial Lift Bridge, which dominates skyline (crosses harbor entrance), linking the city to 7 mi/11.3 km of sand beach on Park Point (Minnesota Ave.); the Skyline Parkway, winding along escarpment above the city for 15 mi/24 km; Scenic State Highway 61 follows lakeshore NE to Thunder Bay, Ontario, also called the North Shore drive; and Leif Erikson Park on lake shore. Jay Cooke State Park to SW; Cloquet Valley State Forest to N; Spirit Mt. Ski Area to SW; Fond du Lac Indian Reservation to W. Inc. 1870.
Capital city or county seat is shown by the symbol
St. Louis co., NE Minn., on St. Louis Bay, at W end of L. Superior, 140 mi/225 km NNE of Minneapolis, opposite Superior, Wis.; 46°46'N 92°07'W. Westernmost port in Great Lakes–St. Lawrence Seaway Navigation system. A commercial, industrial, and cultural center of N Minn., as well as a major port on the Great Lakes, convention center, and the gateway to resort region to N. Large amounts of grain, iron ore (especially taconite), oil, and bulk cargo are shipped on lake freighters and ocean vessels. Fish processing, grain elevator services, specialty fabricating; steel, concrete, piping, chemical lime, paper, hand tools, consumer goods. Tourism is important, and the military air-defense installation at Duluth International Airport is valuable to the economy. Native Americans were found here in the 1670s by the early explorers and fur traders, and included the Sieur Duluth (for whom the city was named). Permanent settlement began c.1852. Built largely on rocky bluffs overlooking the lake, the city was at first a trade and shipping center for timber. Discovery of iron (1865) in the Mesabi range made it the chief shipping point for ore for the nation’s steel mills. With the opening of the St. Lawrence Seaway (1959), it became one of the leading ports on the Great Lakes for the export of grain. It is the seat of the Col. of St. Scholastica, the Duluth Institute of Technology, and a branch of the Univ. of Minnesota. It has a symphony orchestra, a community theater, various museums, including L. Superior Maritime Mus., and the St. Louis County Heritage and Arts Center. Wade Municipal Stadium in SW. Of interest are the large Aerial Lift Bridge, which dominates skyline (crosses harbor entrance), linking the city to 7 mi/11.3 km of sand beach on Park Point (Minnesota Ave.); the Skyline Parkway, winding along escarpment above the city for 15 mi/24 km; Scenic State Highway 61 follows lakeshore NE to Thunder Bay, Ontario, also called the North Shore drive; and Leif Erikson Park on lake shore. Jay Cooke State Park to SW; Cloquet Valley State Forest to N; Spirit Mt. Ski Area to SW; Fond du Lac Indian Reservation to W. Inc. 1870.
