Richard dropped off my luggage and we took it up to my room then drove to the Radisson where Joe Harper was waiting and the three of us boarded the school bus for the Vista Cruise Lines harbor dinner tour. Once we arrived at the boarding location, everyone had to wait until they were ready for us. We chose a table downstairs and sat together.
The Harbor Excursion business was founded in 1959 by Ted Gozanski, Hyman Kaner and Jimmy Oreck. Ted Gozanski and Hyman Kaner were both operators of Bum boats within the harbor. Jimmy Oreck owned the Flame restaurant which is now part of Bayfront Park. Mr. Oreck furnished the original dock sited at the Flame and Gozanski and Kaner supplied the nautical know-how. They began with a boat named the Streamliner with a capacity of 96 passengers. Business increased rapidly and shortly after, the Flame, a 108 passenger boat, was added. In 1961, the Streamliner was traded for the Flamingo, a 144 passenger boat. Under the leadership of Ted Gozanski and because of the interesting and exciting harbor tour, the business continued to grow. In 1968, the Duluth dock site was moved to its present location on the harbor side of the Duluth Entertainment and Convention Center.
In 1973, more expansion was necessary. The Barker's Island Superior dock was built and a new 256 passenger boat was delivered to replace the Flame. The Vista Queen was the newest, most modern sightseeing vessel on the Great Lakes. The harbor became the focal point of Duluth and Superior's growing tourist industry.
In 1978, increased demand made the replacement of the Flamingo with the Vista King necessary, giving the Twin Ports a truly royal couple to show off the harbor. In 1979, the business was purchased by Warren Silver, Erwin and Manley Goldfine. Mr. Silver grew up in Duluth and now resides in Phoenix, Arizona. Jimmy Oreck was his cousin. Manley and Erwin Goldfine are life-long Duluthians and active in tourist related businesses.
In 1981, dance cruises were added. A whole new facet was developed in 1982 with the addition of the dock at Spirit Lake landing and dinner cruises all being a part of the new itinerary. In 1988, the 91 foot, 300 passenger "Vista Star" was added to accommodate dinner and lunch cruises as well as moonlight cruises. The company also took on a new promotional name and is now recognized as the "Vista Fleet".
In 1991, Warren Silver's stock was retired, and he is no longer associated with the company. In 1993 the Vista Queen was sold to Moore's Cruise Line in Highlands, New Jersey and was renamed the Royal Teal. It was sold for the purpose of making room for a newer ship. In the spring of 2005 the new 66 foot, 110 passenger "Vista Queen" vessel joined the Vista Fleet. The Queen made her home at the Barker's Island Superior dock.
While he was Governor of Minnesota, Jesse Ventura was heard saying that Duluth was his favorite tourist destination in the state; and when in Duluth his favorite tourist activity was taking a cruise on the Vista Fleet. He was not alone. In 50 years, nearly six million passengers from all over the world have been enlightened and entertained by Vista Fleet. It continues to provide a wealth of historical facts and special insights into Lake Superior, the settling and growth of the Twin Ports, shipwrecks and the inner workings of the world’s busiest inland seaport.
In 2009 the Superior, Wisconin's Barker’s Island portion of the operation was shut down due to a decrease in boarding and activity. Later that year the Vista King was sold to a Milwaukee based excursion boat company as ZMC Hotels, Inc. prepared to sell the Vista Fleet in its entirety.
A model of an ore boat.
Joe and Richard at our table. I then went up to the top deck.
To leave, a draw bridge had to lift so we could enter the Duluth-Superior harbor.
View looking back.
We passed by the draw bridge and made our way toward the aerial lift bridge.
United States Coast Guard Cutter 404 "Sundew" built by Marine Iron and Shipbuilding Corporation in Duluth and launched in 1944 and decommissioned in 2004. It was given to the City of Duluth, its last home port, to be used as a museum ship.
A look back at that draw bridge.
A large ore freighter enters Duluth-Superior Harbor under the aerial lift bridge, which began life in 1905 as the United States' first transporter bridge. The span was converted in 1929–1930 to a vertical-lift bridge and is owned and operated by the City of Duluth. The bridge was added to the National Register of Historic Places on May 22, 1973. It spans the Duluth Ship Canal, which was put through the miles-long sand spit named Minnesota Point in 1870–1871.
Now the Aerial Lift Bridge closed.
The Aerial Lift Bridge was now back open for cars and pedestrians.
Looking back at Duluth.
The train station and Radisson Hotel.
Another grain terminal.
Looking at the Superior side.
A grain terminal.
Joe and Richard with NRHS President Greg Molloy behind, taking a picture.
Looking towards Duluth.
My table mates at dinner.
Duluth.
Another grain terminal.
Great Lakes freighter Lee A. Tregurtha has a long and distinguished history since her construction in 1942 as a World War II tanker. One of the most altered vessels on the Great Lakes, she also boasts two battle stars for World War WII service as the Chiwawa. Chiwawa served on both the Atlantic and Pacific oceans during the war and was present in Tokyo Bay during the September 2, 1945, surrender ceremony. The vessel was decommissioned on May 6, 1946 and transferred to the Maritime Commission shortly thereafter. She was renamed Lee A. Tregurtha in honor of the wife of Interlake’s vice chairman. Through the 2005 navigation season, the Lee A. Tregurtha held the distinction of being the largest steam-powered ship on the Great Lakes.
Scrap yard at the harbor.
Wind-generating turbine blades.
Looking up a channel into Wisconsin.
Tug boat base.
Arthur M. Clure Public Marine Terminal.
A fleet of tug boats.
Dock cranes.
That boat makes Duluth look rather small.
The Interstate 535 bridge.
Grain terminal.
Five miles away are the BNSF Allouez Ore Docks.
An SW9 on the dock.
The remains of the former Great Northern Railroad bridge that once crossed the bay.
Independent Locomotive Service SW9 2117, nee SOO Line 2117 built by Electro-Motive Division in 1953.
The grain terminal where the switcher is located.
The Interstate 535 bridge.
This was one of three switchers at the grain terminal.
Two more grain terminals on the Superior side of the harbor with the gray building the oldest.
A ship loading at its dock.
Great Lakes freighter M/V American Mariner, owned and operated by the American Steamship Company and built in 1980 at Bay Shipbuilding Company in Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin and includes self-unloading technology.
A large grain terminal.
A coal dock that receives Powder River Basin coal trains.
Our boat heading to the Canadian National ore docks.
Dr. Wesley Ross enjoying the cruise and taking a few pictures. I went down and fixed a plate of Prime Rib to eat after we saw the ore docks.
