Photo: ThiloG, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
Iron ore built Marquette, and the docks in the Lower Harbor are where the ore met the lake. Wooden docks went up here starting in the 1850s, carrying ore from the mines around Negaunee and Ishpeming down to waiting ships.
The dock still standing today was built of concrete and steel in the early 1930s. Rail cars ran out along the top and dropped ore into pockets. Chutes then lowered the ore into the holds of freighters tied up alongside.
Last shipments
The dock loaded its final vessel in 1971. By then shipping had shifted to the dock at Presque Isle in the Upper Harbor, which handles taconite pellets from the Tilden Mine.
The tracks that once led to the Lower Harbor dock were later removed, and the old rail grade became part of the city’s bike path network.
What comes next
For years the dock has been a backdrop for concerts, fireworks and the farmers market crowd at Mattson Lower Harbor Park. It has also raised questions about upkeep and safety. Ideas for reuse have come up again and again, from lights to walkways to restaurants.
It is privately owned, so any change depends on the owner and the city. For now it remains the most photographed structure on the waterfront.
