The Duluth Portfolio

Written by:  Craig and Nadine Blacklock

Published by:  Pfeifer-Hamilton

Copyright:  © 1995

Duluth Minnesota, situated on the northwestern edge of Lake Superior, was the largest port in the United States, by tonnage, in the early part of the 20th century due to the shipment of iron ore from the iron mines west of the lake through the city port to the smelting plants in Illinois and Ohio.  The city boomed during the first half of century not only because of iron but also the shipment of grain coming in from Midwest’s breadbasket and the build-up of steel related industries in Duluth.  The city’s population and industry peaked in the 1950s when the availability of high grade ore from the Iron Range declined and overseas competition crippled US steel production. In an attempt to combat the downward economic spiral the city focused on tourism to sustain its economy by emphasizing the natural beauty at the edge of Lake Superior.

Duluth sits on the rugged and steep hills of the ancient Duluth Complex which are blanketed with thick forests, crossed with a confusing array of brooks and streams, and accentuated with outcrops of timeless Pre-Cambrian igneous rocks. Nadine and Craig Blacklock have captured this natural beauty in a series of stunning color close-ups to never-ending panoramas of wood, water, and rock. The woodlands, the streams and of coarse, Lake Superior are showcased through the changing seasons of light and color.  The stunning autumn beauty of the Bardon Peak Park forest on an overcast day to the virgin delight of the snow capped evergreens, casting shadows at the Lester River on a cloudless winter’s day exhibit the beauty that is Duluth.