Wednesday, May 4, 2011

Mr. Cook, Mr. Snively and Glacial Lake Duluth.










What I really enjoy about the Lake Superior Region is it has awe inspiring history. You only need look around a bit and you start a complete story that you can research for hours. Spring makes me think of Skyline Drive above Duluth Minnesota. Hawk Ridge and the bird migration is something to do on the drive. Hundreds of birds migrate past in the early spring and again in the fall. The drive alone is simply wonderful way up above the city. The views of the lake are outstanding. The former mayor of Duluth knew this however and it was his dream and life goal to build the Skyline Parkway. Which he did over his entire life.

Samuel Frisby Snively (November 24, 1859 – November 7, 1952) was the mayor of Duluth, Minnesota from 1921–1937. His legacy as mayor will be largely remembered for the tremendous effort he put into the creation of numerous parks and boulevards throughout the city, particularly Seven Bridges Road and Skyline Parkway.

A fellow named Cook also saw the beauty of being up high and bought a piece of property up above the city. The lot had many cobbles and rocks all over it. What do you do with all of that? Build your house out of it that’s what you do! It is one of the most interesting houses on the Skyline Parkway I think.

But it doesn’t stop there, why was his lot all covered with these rocks anyway? That is a great deal of rocks? How did they all get there? Because during the time of the glacier the lake level was at the height of the Skyline Parkway. It was the shoreline and all those cobbles washed up on that ridge that is now the Parkway. That was the shoreline of what was then called Glacial Lake Duluth. Many hundreds of feet higher then today’s lake level.

All of this from a simple drive on Skyline Parkway in spring time. I need to drive up there again next weekend.


And thankfully we have these old postcards so we can see it all as it was back then.

I have the pictures in present day but I prefer the postcards.


2 comments:

Andrew Slade said...

Great post! Nice job linking all those scattered facts and pictures!

Bayfieldwis.com said...

Isn't it just good fun! Duluth has
the history that is for certain.