Railroad Shops in Two Harbors

Several buildings were constructed on 30 acres of lakefront property in Two Harbors in the 1920s to serve the Duluth, Messabe and Iron Range Railroad. A machine shop and 50-stall roundhouse operated 24-hours a day to maintain the fleet of railroad cars and locomotives that brought iron ore and timber from points inland to be shipped east on the Great Lakes.

Other buildings in the complex included an office building, boiler shop, car shop, boiler house, storehouse, foundry, and engine room. Out of the 30 buildings that made up the complex, only eight were still standing in 2014. Although the buildings were damaged, many preservationists believed that the remaining buildings could—and should—be saved. Of course they weren’t saved; they were razed to make way for… well, nothing.