The Aerial Lift Bridge That Used to Carry a Ferry Car

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The Aerial Lift Bridge that used to carry a ferry car is a Minnesota story with a documented core at Aerial Lift Bridge, Canal Park, Duluth, St. Louis County. The sources are named below.

HistoryKind of story
1Named sources
Duluth and North ShoreRegion
Nov 1Checked, 2026

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A story with a documented core.

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The Aerial Lift Bridge That Used to Carry a Ferry Car

People say the famous Duluth bridge was once not a lift bridge at all. In 1905 it was a high steel frame with a ferry car hanging underneath that carried people and wagons across the canal in just over a minute. About 200 people watched the first crossing. Later the car was replaced by a lift span, and ships still get a salute as the bridge rises.

What The Record Shows

Visit Duluth says the first crossing of the ferry car was February 23, 1905, watched by about 200 people, with city engineer Thomas McGilvray at the controls. Regular service began in March 1905, and on April 8, 1905, 32,595 people rode it in a 12-hour span. In 1929 the original ferry car system was replaced with the lift bridge. The bridge raises to 135 feet, is 138 feet tall in total, and is 390 feet wide. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1973. We did not read the horn-salute tradition on a page, so we do not claim it.

Sources: Aerial Lift Bridge (Visit Duluth, tourism office).

A Note

Not confirmed: the ship horn salute tradition, which we did not find on an official page.

Its home: Visit Duluth: Aerial Lift Bridge. Official page.

On this site: Historic Sites, Timeline, Duluth and North Shore Events.

Looked for and Not Found

The horn salute on an official page

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Frequently Asked Questions

Is the story of The Aerial Lift Bridge that used to carry a ferry car true?

Visit Duluth says the first crossing of the ferry car was February 23, 1905, watched by about 200 people, with city engineer Thomas McGilvray at the controls.

Is this a legend?

It is a story with a documented core. The facts are listed on this page with their sources.

Where do these facts come from?

From the named sources listed on this page: Aerial Lift Bridge (Visit Duluth, tourism office).

Sources

Aerial Lift Bridge (Visit Duluth, tourism office)

Read on November 1, 2026. Stories are for fun; the facts come from these sources. How we check: editorial standards; spot a mistake? tell us.

Cite this page: It's Minnesota, “The Aerial Lift Bridge That Used to Carry a Ferry Car”, itsminnesota.com/legends/duluth-aerial-lift-bridge/ (updated 2026-11-01). By the It's Minnesota editorial team. Free to quote with attribution and a link to this page; data and tables are licensed CC BY 4.0.