We spent the day relaxing in Duluth which is an interesting little town. Apparently it was considered one of the wealthiest towns back in the 30’s due to the iron ore mining in the area that was loaded directly onto the ships in the local port on the lake and shipped out to all the corners of the world. When the mines were no longer feasible the towns’ economy stuttered and never really recovered however there is something of an upturn that has taken place as the mines are producing again due to increased commodity prices and this upturn is reflecting itself in the redevelopment of the waterfront and old port area which is bustling with new restaurants and hotels which are packed full of tourists on the weekends.
A walk around the town however shows the darker and less affluent parts that are still prevalent the further away one gets from the redeveloped waterfront that is filled with tourists!
The summer months of Duluth are apparently deceiving because although it was hot this weekend, this is apparently one of the coldest places in north America during the winter rivalling even the temperatures in northern Alaska…according to local residents!!
Needless to say, for all that this town may or may not be, we had a wonderful and relaxing weekend in a beautiful place.
