North Star Port

"The coming of the St. Lawrence Seaway has been of substantial advan- tage to the port of Duluth … Thus, it may be concluded that, at present, the inter- national trade position of Duluth is mate- rially improved over, say, five or 10 years ago, but the amount of trade and employ- ment to be generated by the Seaway is likely to grow somewhat slowly if past trends continue," he wrote. PROS AND CONS Big things were happening in the Port of Duluth-Superior and across the Great Lakes. The SS Edward L. Ryerson was an example of that, entering service in 1960 as one of the Great Lakes' larg- est freighters. In August 1962, she shined as bright as Duluth's baseball prospects, carrying a then-record load of iron ore from the port: 25,578 short tons. But new vessels like the Ryerson, with their size, speed and capac- ity, also contributed to the overall decline in ships and crewmembers plying the lakes. "The Ryerson's big load — and the ship's fast round trips — point to one of the things that are happening to Great Lakes seamen's jobs," wrote Garth Germond in the Duluth News Tribune. "That record cargo is two to three times as much as some ancient lakes freighters still in service can carry; multiply the Ryerson by more than 20 ships of similar capacity and speed, and it's obvious that they've replaced a great many small ships that required just about as many crewmen." To accommodate the larger ships, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers was engaged in a multi-phased $5 million harbor deepening project. Major fund- ing was approved in August 1962 that would allow creation of 28- to 32-foot main harbor channel depths and 23- to 27-foot tributary channel depths in the St. Louis River, St. Louis Bay, Howard's Pocket and the North Channel. Calculations based on the newer vessels showed that merely going from 25 feet to 27 feet in the Duluth-Superior harbor would make it possible to load 2,400 tons heavier, which further enhanced the econ- omy of each sailing. It was viewed as a major improvement for Duluth-Superior, which ranked as the nation's No. 2 port by tonnage for the period of 1951-1960. ON THE RISE Amidst the all-American tapestry of that swinging summer in Duluth, curvaceous German imports were swinging from ship to shore at the Clure Public Marine Terminal. It exemplified the Seaway's potential to invigorate Duluth- Supe- rior with new cargoes, new dollars and new culture. They came from Bremen, Germany, aboard the Norwegian freighter Bel- vera —some 202 Volkswagen Beetles, the 40-horsepower, air-cooled automobiles designed by Ferdinand Porsche — and they marked "a milestone toward greater world port status for Duluth," according to the News Tribune. Bruce Rapp's Lakehead Auto Imports eagerly took delivery. Duluth's only authorized VW dealer advertised them for $1,732, plus local freight and handling. Part of the pitch was that the Beetle, with its 182-pound aluminum-magnesium engine in the trunk, gave the rear-wheel drive vehicle improved traction in the snow and on Duluth's notorious hills. Rapp said that shipping them direct to Duluth was more convenient — and safer, too. "Cars arrive in better condition than those transported by truck from Chicago or eastern ports," he told the News Tribune. In addition to supplying local buyers, the Duluth shipment also helped fill import orders throughout Minnesota and the Dakotas. "The Volkswagen people in New York are pleased with the experience in port," said Robert T. Smith, then-director of the Duluth Seaway Port Authority. "We expect such shipments will not only con- tinue, but will grow in size." And grow they did. Beetles and other import automobiles became a more common sight throughout the com- munity in 1962, with 942 of them delivered to the Clure Terminal that year, an increase from 236 in 1961, 50 in 1960 and 16 in the Seaway's open- ing season of 1959. POSTSCRIPT Unfortunately, Duluth's American Legion baseball team fell just short of a state title in 1962, bowing to Christie-DeParcq 6-2 in the finale, but it did little to diminish enthusi- asm for Head-of-the-Lakes baseball. Art Von, a World War II paratrooper who became a driving force for youth baseball in Duluth, said the season helped put the city and state on the baseball map. The same could be said for the Seaway and the port, both of which reached a new echelon of global prominence in 1962. A then-record 280 oceangoing ships called at Duluth-Superior that season, and the ensuing four years would produce the decade's largest tonnage totals, increas- ingly higher each year. Taking up a fight in August 1962 that he would continue for years to come, U.S. Senator Hubert Humphrey urged the Agriculture Department to explore whether it, too, could make greater use of the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Seaway System. It was, as he would later call it, the gateway to America's heartland, our nation's fourth seacoast and "the pride of all America." SEASONS OF YORE The 1962 Volkswagen Beetle was advertised as being extra capable in the snow, thanks to its rear-engine design. That was a helpful selling point for Lakehead Auto Imports in Duluth. 10 | NORTH STAR PORT | SUMMER 2024

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