More than century ago there was a saw mill built over Radio Tower Bay in the St. Louis River. Long gone, it's left a dreadful legacy of rotting wood and pilings that have contributed to the death of the most significant fish nurseries in the estuary, the largest of the Great Lakes.
The old railroad trestle. Photos courtesy of Minnesota Land Trust
Pulling out the pilings.
But now work has begun to remove the vestiges of that old sawmill, and bring back the 40-acre bay to what it once was. The state, federal government and conservation groups are starting with removing the massive pilings that once supported a railroad trestle that crossed the bay.The railroad was used for only five years -- the logs that held it have lasted for many more.
That first phase will cost about $800,000, and is largely funded by the federal government through the Great Lakes Initiative. The next phase, removing old slab wood that is four to eight feet thick on the bottom of the bay, will cost two to three million dollars, according to the Minnesota Land Trust. Some of that is expected to come through the state's Legacy funding, plus future funding from the Great Lakes Initiative.
If all that comes together in the next five or ten years, then the pilings will be used for a board walk and fishing pier.
