Thursday, April 30, 2026

Superior, WI: 1911-29 Ore Dock

(Satellite, according to the topo map below, it ran North from here.)

Eric Lee posted six images with the comment:
Some history on the mostly forgotten Minn., St. Paul & Ste. Marie Railway (the Soo Line) Ore Dock in Superior 
Soo Line Railroad built a single iron ore dock in West Superior (now called 'North End') facing north off Grassy Point. This was the largest ore dock ever built in Superior, and the shortest lived. It served the Cuyuna Range, and grew proportionally to the ranges mining developments. First constructed in 1910-11 entirely of timber, it extended 1800 ft. from just south of the Northern Pacific Grassy Point line into St. Louis Bay. It had 100 pockets. On May 27th, 1911, approximately 8pm, the first of the ore was loaded aboard the steamer Alva, which would then carry its relatively small 3500-ton load to the Rogers Brown Ore Company furnaces at Buffalo, NY. In 1911-12, a 600 ft. extension was added and another 600 ft. during 1912-13, bringing it to a length of 3000 ft. In October of 1914, a boxcar body was placed for a lunchroom shelter. In 1915, a 67x190 ft. fire dock was completed approximately 275 ft west of the main dock, half of which was built over water. Also in this year, the boxcar body lunchroom burned and was soon replaced. During 1916, a 24x24 ft. frame ore dock office building was built, complete with block foundation and indoor plumbing. During 1916-17, a final 612 ft. dock extension added another 402 pockets and an ultimate length of 3612 ft., extending all the way to the U.S. Harbor Line, making it the single largest dock in the world. It had been equipped electrically from the beginning allowing for 24 hour operation, reportedly drawing visitors from all around to see the work being done. 1920 saw the second box-car shelter burn to the ground and a permanent 12x32 ft. structure built, this being eventually moved to the 21st Street Yard at the completion of the ore dock operation. The dock's ore yards were located between South Superior and 28th Street, west of the Great Northern tracks. As early as 1925, engineering department inspections predicted increasing maintenance problems and expenditures with heavy use of the dock, with visual indicators such as sinking and shifting occurring in the approach and original dock section. Along with maintenance, other factors such as comparatively slower load times than Northern Pacific's dock and the need to enlarge the underpass at Rossburg for larger locomotive power led to the docks last commercial use by boat and rail in 1928. After the Northern Pacific-Soo Line Cuyuana Range merger of June 1929, all Soo ore traffic would be diverted to the NP's dock at Allouez Bay, and Addison-Miller Company was contracted to dismantle and salvage the usable materials from the dock. By August of 1930, approximately 400 ft. of the dock had been dismantled. The rest burned violently, probably caused by one of the torches used for cutting drift pins. For approximately 14 hours, the fire raged to the sight of about 10,000 spectators, becoming Superior's most spectacular fire. In an attempt to divert the flames from further damage, a 250 lb. charge of dynamite was placed and ignited, causing windows to break in both Superior and neighboring Duluth. But this accomplished little, and the fire continued to burn the remainder of the structure. Losses of 14 million ft. of salvageable lumber valued at $420,000 and a stiff beam derrick among other equipment was lost. No lives were lost. Today, the remains of the Soo ore dock may be seen (especially when water levels are down) at the base of the Bong Bridge in Superior.
Kent Rengo: Lakehead Constructors in Superior overlooks the former dock location.
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1954/55 West Duluth Quad @ 24,000

Farber, MO: Museum/GM&O Depot

(Satellite)

Street View, Sep 2024

Farber Missouri 1874 Chicago & Alton Depot posted
Farber Missouri 1874 Chicago & Alton RR Depot
For anyone interested, we are having an open house at the Farber Missouri 1874 Chicago & Alton RR Depot April 19, 2026. Hoping to fix it up & open it as a museum.

Wednesday, April 29, 2026

Kindron, OH: Lehman's Gas and Hardware Store

(Satellite)

Street View, Jun 2019

In the store, they have an older gas pump.
Justin Barhorst, Jun 2024

RP Ettore, Apr 2021

That tractor is worthy of a couple of photos.
Amber Anspach, May 2020

The building itself is notable. Since this store is in Amish country, do they sell that line-shaft equipment for their factories? If so, I'd like to tour the factories.
Andrew Fisher, Oct 2025

Note the miniature water pumps near the top of this photo. My wife's grandmother had one mounted next to her kitchen sink. Or are these models? I think her kitchen pump was bigger than these.
Scott Tschetter, Nov 2025

I assume these sewing machines are models.
Sarah Monheim, Jul 2022

I wonder if there were so many wrenches back then because socket sets had yet to be developed.
Melody Reed posted

I like the juxtaposition of plastic pipe and hand water pumps for wells. The water pump in the lower-left corner is the type that would be mounted by the kitchen sink.
Ed Young, May 2025

Does someone make custom kitchen appliances that look old? 
 Lloyd S (Lloyd S/LSchicago), Aug 2025

This display is to the right of the above display.
Mark E Bass, Sep 2024

I've never before seen a wringer washing machine that is this old. It looks like the agitator is driven from the top instead. I wonder if it was hand cranked.
Bill Rocklin, Oct 2025

It looks like they may sell wooden tubs. The stuff hanging on the racks at the right are christmas cookies. The things on the high selves in the background are hand-cranked meat grinders. I sremember turning one to help make hash.
Michelle Anderegg, Apr 2026

I didn't know they made attachments for wringer washers. The butter churn is driven by the agitator shaft. I don't know what attachment is driven by the wringer shaft. Also, there is an older wringer in the upper-left corner.
TYE “TYE317” EDWARDS, Oct 2023

This store is in Amish country, so you can buy butter churns.
Mark E Bass, Sep 2024

A hand-cranked phone and a Remington typewriter. When I needed a photo of a typewriter a few years ago, I had a hard time finding one to take the photo.
Melody Reed, Sep 2025

A telephone booth.
Lisa Burton, Oct 2025

The store has many wood carvings. Linda's video gives us a tour of some of them.
Facebook Reel
"The store is a quarter mile long." "Part of the structure is an 1849 hand-hewn barn."

Linda opens the door on the phone booth so that we can see a pay phone.
Same Reel

Marlborough, CT: Old Mobil Gas Station and Horizontal Coke Machines

(Satellite)

I forgot that Mobil had a Flying Horse logo.

Street View, Oct 2024

James Carlson posted
86 East Hampton Rd., Marlboro, Ct.

Clem Brown commented on James' post
Great place to photograph your car..
[The Route 66 on the sign was a state route, not THE Route 66.]

Dean Murphy, Aug 2024

The farm has more than just an old gas station.
Street View, Apr 2023

Photo, Oct 2025

And more than one old barn.
DJH3 Media, Oct 2021

They have at least a couple of John Deere tractors.
Street View, Oct 2024

Tuesday, April 28, 2026

Dunlap, IL: Lost/Rock Island Depot

(Satellite)

Nearby is the Wheels of Time Museum.

This town lost the railroad as well as the depot, but the grain elevator has grown considerably.
Andy Zukowski posted
Railroad Depot & Grain Elevator with Rock Island Box Car,  C1912 in Dunlap Illinois

1939 Aerial Photo from ILHAP

1937/49 Dunlap Quad @ 62,500

The elevator is large considering it has no rail service. The pin was the depots location. The Rock Island right of way is now a trail north and south of town.
Satellite

Guthrie, IL: Lost/IC Depot and Wood Grain Elevator

Depot: (Satellite, based on Tom's photo and the aerial photo below.)
Elevator: (Satellite)
 
Street View, Jun 2018

Tom Dueringer posted three images with the comment: "After years of searching we finally found a picture of the Guthrie, Illinois train 🚂 depot that existed from 1882 - 1932… on the Illinois Central Railroad 🛤️ line… enjoy ☺️ the pictures…"
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Without Tom's photo, I would have guessed the depot was the rectangle between the tracks and the road. But Tom's photo shows it is the little rectangle that is west of the tracks.
1940 Aerial Photo via ILHAP

Monday, April 27, 2026