Strongfield

[Guest]

There is always one off loads, but for the most part back in the day American loads out of Thunder Bay would be Inland and Cliffs for ore Steinbrenner Interlake and American Steamship for grain and a little Columbia and American with inbound coal.

[Syd bc]

In 1980-81 we loaded Potash at that dock on the Algoport Also loaded potash there in 78-79 on the Algoway I remember how picky they were about the holds being clean When they dropped one of the first chutes a bunch of rust and ore came sliding down and into the hold

[Guest]

Did US Steel boats ever load at Thunder Bay? I was up there in mid-August 1976 and remember we drove down to the docks where a boat was loading, We were surprised that it was an American boat. My hazy recollection is that it was tin stacker, but am curious if that is accurate. Unfortunately I haven't been able to locate the pictures from that trip. Thanks.

[Guest]

Good day, the boats of the Hanna fleet would rarely go to Thunder Bay. Their most common Great Lakes loading ports were:
Superior, Escanaba, Duluth, Silver Bay, Taconite Harbor, occasionally Two Harbors & once in a great while Depot Harbor in Georgian Bay.
The Hanna boats also traded down the Seaway to load ore at Sept Isles & Pointe Noire. They carried coal to Hamilton and from the 1960s on a rare grain cargo down the Seaway. I envy your post card.
Regards, Mike

[E J B]

Appreciate all the information !

[Guest]

That is the old CN Ore Dock that was built in 1945. Iron ore from Steep Rock Mine, near Atikokan, Ontario was mined from Steep Rock Lake after it had been diverted. It was in operation until 1980 when due to an over supply of iron ore pellets in the Great Lakes region, and increased operating costs made the mine noncompetitive.

Inland Steel was the customer for most of the iron ore from Steep Rock mine, and ships such as Wilfred Sykes and Edward L. Ryerson were frequent visitors to the iron ore dock in Port Arthur during the 1960s and '70s. Misener Shipping's Royalton was also a frequent visitor to the dock during the Summer months as she, along with E. J. Block and Clarence B. Randall, were the only ships that could get through the bridge gap for access to the Inland Steel blast furnaces at Dickey Road in Indiana Harbour.

I believe I have a postcard (I will try to find) that shows a Hanna Mining/National Steel ship loading at the ore dock it looks like either the Ernest T. Weir or George M. Humphrey but it is to far distant in the shot to read the name. How common were these ships at Thunder Bay (Port Arthur and Fort WIlliam)?

[guest]

The old cnr high ore dock. I think it was built in 1944? Last pocket do built. The ELR used to load there. No longer in use {1980s?} The approaches were dismantled in latter years.

In addition, the slip on the north side of the dock as been filled it since the dock last operated. It was a typical gravity ore dock, loading on both sides.

[Guest]

That is the old CN Ore Dock that was built in 1945. Iron ore from Steep Rock Mine, near Atikokan, Ontario was mined from Steep Rock Lake after it had been diverted. It was in operation until 1980 when due to an over supply of iron ore pellets in the Great Lakes region, and increased operating costs made the mine noncompetitive.

Inland Steel was the customer for most of the iron ore from Steep Rock mine, and ships such as Wilfred Sykes and Edward L. Ryerson were frequent visitors to the iron ore dock in Port Arthur during the 1960s and '70s. Misener Shipping's Royalton was also a frequent visitor to the dock during the Summer months as she, along with E. J. Block and Clarence B. Randall, were the only ships that could get through the bridge gap for access to the Inland Steel blast furnaces at Dickey Road in Indiana Harbour.

[guest]

The old cnr high ore dock. I think it was built in 1944? Last pocket do built. The ELR used to load there. No longer in use {1980s?} The approaches were dismantled in latter years.

[E J B]

What is that facility that the Strongfield is layed up at in Thunder Bay ??