Hard to believe we’re half way through January already. The archive photos continue to show us the varying degrees of winter through-out the years. Today we start with a shot taken by Bill Haller (or Mrs. Bill) in 2005. This is the scene outside the Haller’s Bete Grise window, looking somewhat otherworldly.

Then in 2008, Rod Burdick was on the shores of Marquette Harbor when the Kaye E. Barker was actually backed up in the Harbor, along with two other freighters, waiting their turn at the ore dock. Rod said then, that they were hauling taconite and because of the cold temperatures, it has to be loaded directly from the ore cars, rather than the bins on the ore dock, due to taconite having the tendency to freeze when left in the bins. It’s a much slower process, thus the back-up of boats waiting. I wonder if the taconite freezes in the cargo holds?

The Gateway to the Keweenaw was featured back in 2016, photographed by Chris Wood Anderson. When the Portage Lift Bridge operates smoothly, we take it for granted, but when it’s not operating smoothly, we realize the importance of this span that is the only way on and of the island we call the Keweenaw Peninsula. A big shout-out to the folks that keep it operating smoothly so we can go about our business coming and going without giving it a thought.

Since today is the scheduled closing day for the Soo Locks, meaning that shipping comes to a standstill until March, we have a video from January, 2014, of the 1000 foot Edgar B. Spear, busting through the frozen Rock Cut on the St. Mary’s River. This area is down river from Sault Ste. Marie and the locks and illustrates quite well, why the locks close and the boats go into layup from January to March.

" As great Freighter's go, she was bigger than most"

GL

Gargantuan! So that's what 3 football fields look like as they float by.

Notice how there is almost no engine exhaust.

When the bridge fails open, the rest of the world is stranded.