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The rocky shoreline at Taconite Harbor, Minnesota, once served as a vital shipping point for the state’s iron mining industry. Built in the early 1950s by the Erie Mining Company, the harbor was designed to handle massive shipments of processed taconite pellets from the Mesabi Iron Range, transported by a private 74-mile rail line to the Lake Superior coast. The harbor’s docks, loading equipment, and nearby company housing formed a self-contained industrial community that thrived for decades. The surrounding area was developed during a period of postwar expansion when Minnesota’s natural resources fueled North American manufacturing. Taconite Harbor operated until the early 2000s, when global shifts in steel production led to its closure. What remains today—crumbling concrete piers, rusted transmission towers, and wind-swept rock formations—speaks to both the resilience of the landscape and the region’s deep connection to the rise and fall of heavy industry along the North Shore.

Taconite Harbor Shoreline, North Shore of Lake Superior

The rocky shoreline at Taconite Harbor, Minnesota, once served as a vital shipping point for the state’s iron mining industry….

Clouds, Duluth, Lake Superior, Minnesota, North Shore, Rocks, Shoreline, Shroeder, Taconite Harbor
A 1906 manhole cover from the former Port Arthur Public Utilities Commission, now part of Thunder Bay’s unified public works system. Before amalgamating with Fort William in 1970, Port Arthur operated its own water, sewer, and electrical services, reflecting the industrial ambitions of this Lake Superior port. Cast in iron more than a century ago, the cover remains a tangible remnant of early municipal engineering in northwestern Ontario.

1906 Port Arthur Utilities Cover, Thunder Bay

A 1906 manhole cover from the former Port Arthur Public Utilities Commission, now part of Thunder Bay’s unified public works…

Canada, Manhole, Manhole Lid, Port Arthur, Thunder Bay
This steel swing bridge in Thunder Bay, Ontario, carries the Canadian Pacific Railway line across the Kaministiquia River near the city’s grain terminals. Built in the early 20th century, the structure allowed both rail and maritime traffic to pass through the busy industrial waterfront—pivoting open for ships bound to and from Lake Superior. The bridge remains an important relic of Thunder Bay’s era as one of Canada’s foremost grain-shipping hubs, linking prairie rail lines to Great Lakes freighters and global export routes.

Canadian Pacific Swing Bridge, Thunder Bay

This steel swing bridge in Thunder Bay, Ontario, carries the Canadian Pacific Railway line across the Kaministiquia River near the…

Canada, Canadian Pacific, Thunder Bay, Train Bridge
Grain Elevator in Thunder Bay, Canada.

Thunder Bay Grain Elevators in 2017

Grain Elevator in Thunder Bay, Canada.

Abandoned Grain Elevator, Canada, CN, Concrete Elevator, Elevator, Freight Train, Freight Trains, Grain Elevator, Grass, Industrial, Industry, Milling, Ontario, Thunder Bay, Train
Grain Elevator in Thunder Bay, Canada.

Abandoned Thunder Bay Grain Elevator

Grain Elevator in Thunder Bay, Canada.

Abandoned, Abandoned Grain Elevator, Canada, Concrete Elevator, Grain Elevator, Ontario, Silos, Thunder Bay
The rusting conveyor systems and storage bins of the former Great West Lumber Sawmill stand as remnants of Thunder Bay’s once-thriving forest industry. Established near the Lake Superior waterfront in the early 20th century, the mill was part of a vast network that processed and shipped lumber across North America. Its maze of steel ducts and conveyors once carried sawdust, chips, and milled timber, feeding the region’s economic boom. Today, the overgrown machinery reflects a post-industrial landscape—silent evidence of a city that helped fuel Canada’s forestry trade for generations.

Conveyor Systems at the Former Great West Lumber Sawmill, Thunde

The rusting conveyor systems and storage bins of the former Great West Lumber Sawmill stand as remnants of Thunder Bay’s…

Abandoned, Great West Lumber, Sawmill, Thunder Bay
The remains of the Saskatchewan Pool B complex in Thunder Bay, Ontario, stand as a testament to the city’s industrial and maritime heritage. Once part of one of the largest grain handling networks on the Great Lakes, these structures were built in the early 20th century to serve the growing wheat trade flowing from the Canadian Prairies to Atlantic markets. Operations here slowed by the 1980s as newer, more efficient elevators replaced them. Today, the site lies silent along the waterfront, its silos and offices weathered by decades of Lake Superior winds.

Abandoned Buildings at Saskatchewan Pool B, Thunder Bay

The remains of the Saskatchewan Pool B complex in Thunder Bay, Ontario, stand as a testament to the city’s industrial…

Abandoned, Canada, Grain Elevator, Saskatchewan Pool B, Thunder Bay
Overgrown foliage surrounds the rusting stairway of the former Saskatchewan Pool B grain elevator in Thunder Bay, Ontario. Built in 1928 as part of the cooperative grain-handling network operated by the Saskatchewan Wheat Pool, the facility once stored and shipped millions of bushels of prairie wheat through the Lake Superior port. After decades of service under the Canadian Wheat Board era, the elevator was decommissioned and left to decay, its concrete silos and steel infrastructure now reclaimed by vegetation and time along the industrial waterfront.

Saskatchewan Pool B Elevator Ruins — Thunder Bay

Overgrown foliage surrounds the rusting stairway of the former Saskatchewan Pool B grain elevator in Thunder Bay, Ontario. Built in…

Abandoned, Canada, Grain Elevator, Saskatchewan Pool B, Thunder Bay
A rusted steel door and staircase, now surrounded by dense summer growth, mark one of the remaining entrances to the Saskatchewan Pool B grain elevator in Thunder Bay, Ontario. Completed in 1928, this concrete complex was once among the largest cooperative elevators on the Lakehead, operated by the Saskatchewan Wheat Pool to handle prairie grain for export through the Great Lakes. After the decline of Canada’s centralized grain trade, the elevator was shuttered and abandoned, leaving its reinforced concrete and steel framework to slowly merge with the encroaching forest.

Overgrown Doorway — Saskatchewan Pool B Elevator, Thunder Bay

A rusted steel door and staircase, now surrounded by dense summer growth, mark one of the remaining entrances to the…

Abandoned, Canada, Grain Elevator, Saskatchewan Pool B, Thunder Bay
Evening settles over the North Shore as the moon rises above Lake Superior, seen from Silver Creek Township, Minnesota. The calm waters reflect the fading light of dusk along a rugged basalt shoreline shaped by ancient lava flows nearly a billion years old. This stretch of coast, north of Two Harbors, remains one of the most geologically significant and least developed sections of Minnesota’s Superior shoreline—where forests of spruce and pine meet one of the world’s largest freshwater lakes under an endless sky.

Moonrise over Lake Superior, Silver Creek Township

Evening settles over the North Shore as the moon rises above Lake Superior, seen from Silver Creek Township, Minnesota. The…

Duluth, Lake Superior, Minnesota, Moon, North Shore, Silver Creek Township, Sunset
The Theodore Hamm's Brewing Company was an American brewing company established in 1865 in St. Paul, Minnesota. Becoming the 5th "largest brewery" in the United States, Hamm's expanded with additional breweries that were acquired in other cities, including San Francisco, Los Angeles, Houston, and Baltimore.

Hamm’s Brewery Power Plant in St Paul Minnesota

The Theodore Hamm's Brewing Company was an American brewing company established in 1865 in St. Paul, Minnesota. Becoming the 5th…

Abandoned, Hamms Brewery, Power Plant, Saint Paul
Marathon City Wastewater Treatment Plant

Marathon City Wastewater Treatment Plant at night

Marathon City Wastewater Treatment Plant

Marathon City, Treatment Plant, Wastewater, Wastewater Treatment Plant
Spiral parking garage in downtown Minneapolis. These type of parking garages are so photogenic.

Spiral Parking garage

Spiral parking garage in downtown Minneapolis. These type of parking garages are so photogenic.

Downtown Minneapolis, Minneapolis, Parking Garage
Seven Steakhouse in Downtown Minneapolis in June 2017. The restaurant closed for good in winter 2022.

Seven Steakhouse Sushi & Rooftop in Downtown Minneapolis

Seven Steakhouse in Downtown Minneapolis in June 2017. The restaurant closed for good in winter 2022.

Bar, Downtown Minneapolis, Hennepin Ave, Mayo Clinic, Minneapolis, N 7th St, Restaurant, Seven Steakhouse Sushi, Target Center
Edition Apartments and US Bank Stadium in Downtown East Minneapolis.

Edition Apartments, Downtown East

Edition Apartments and US Bank Stadium in Downtown East Minneapolis.

Downtown Minneapolis, Edition Apartments, Minneapolis, Minneapolis-Cityscape, Stadium, US Bank Stadium
CS36B off of Highway 240 near the Saddle Pass Trailhead. The trail is a short hike up the Badlands Wall giving views of the White River Valley.

Badlands National Park

CS36B off of Highway 240 near the Saddle Pass Trailhead. The trail is a short hike up the Badlands Wall…

Badlands, Badlands National Park, National Park, South Dakota
Sunset at the Buffalo Gap National Grasslands.

Sheep Mountain Road Sunflowers

Sunflowers found near the Sheep Mountain Overlook trailhead. Sheep mountain has long been one of our favorite spots near the…

Buffalo Gap, National Grassland, South Dakota, Sunset
A beautiful rainbow at the Buffalo Gap National Grasslands. We camped here and woke up to this during the sunrise.

Rainbow Sunrise in the Buffalo Gap

A beautiful rainbow at the Buffalo Gap National Grasslands. We camped here and woke up to this during the sunrise.

Badlands, Badlands National Park, Buffalo Gap, National Park, Natonal Grassland, Park, Rainbow, South Dakota, Sunrise
Along Highway 87 in the central Black Hills National Forest, this view captures the rugged landscape typical of the region’s granite highlands. Massive weathered outcrops rise sharply from the forest floor, remnants of the ancient Harney Peak granite formation that underlies much of this terrain. Scattered ponderosa pines cling to crevices in the rock, while fallen trunks and new saplings trace the slow recovery of the forest from past fires. The setting lies near the scenic Needles Highway corridor—an area known for its narrow tunnels, steep grades, and ever-changing mountain light that defines the wilderness character of western South Dakota.

Spectacular Badlands Sunrise

Sunrise over our tent at the Buffalo Gap National Grasslands. This Bureau of Land Management spot is one of our…

Custer, Custer State Park, South Dakota, State Park
A long-forgotten mine entrance lies hidden in the forested slopes near the old gold mining town of Lead, South Dakota. The timber-framed portal, now partially collapsed and overtaken by vegetation, dates back to the late 19th or early 20th century—part of the Black Hills’ extensive network of small exploratory mines that sprang up after the 1876 gold rush. Streams like this one often run through or near these adits, carrying trace minerals that once drew prospectors to the region. Though many of these shafts were short-lived, they remain scattered reminders of South Dakota’s mining heritage and the rugged ambition that once fueled settlement in the Black Hills.

Abandoned Mine Entrance in the Black Hills

A long-forgotten mine entrance lies hidden in the forested slopes near the old gold mining town of Lead, South Dakota….

Abandoned, Black Hills, Mine, South Dakota
These towering concrete presidential busts sit hidden in the woods near Lead, South Dakota—remnants of a once-ambitious roadside attraction called Presidents Park. Conceived by Texas artist David Adickes and opened in 2003, the park showcased forty-three sculptures, each roughly 20 feet tall, depicting every U.S. president from Washington through George W. Bush. The attraction struggled to draw visitors and closed by 2010, leaving the massive heads stranded in the forest. Over time, nature reclaimed the site, with fallen branches, moss, and pine needles collecting around the statues. Today, the figures stand as haunting relics of early-2000s Americana tourism and the impermanence of grand civic art in private hands.

Forgotten Presidents in the Black Hills Forest

These towering concrete presidential busts sit hidden in the woods near Lead, South Dakota—remnants of a once-ambitious roadside attraction called…

Abandoned, Park, President's Park, Presidents, South Dakota, Statue
Gold Run Park in Lead, South Dakota.

Gold Run Park in Lead, South Dakota

Gold Run Park in Lead, South Dakota.

Gold Run Park, Lead, South Dakota
Sunset at the Buffalo Gap National Grasslands.

Sunset at the Buffalo Gap National Grasslands

Sunset at the Buffalo Gap National Grasslands.

Buffalo Gap, National Grassland, South Dakota, Sunset
Bighorn Sheep at Buffalo Gap National Grassland in South Dakota.

Bighorn Sheep at the Buffalo Gap National Grassland

Bighorn Sheep at Buffalo Gap National Grassland in South Dakota.

Bighorn Sheep, Buffalo Gap, National Grassland, South Dakota
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