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Demolition of Ashland ore dock resumes
I walked under the length of the concrete portion of this structure several years ago. As you walk you look up to the bracing that holds the deck. It reminded me of a cathedral having a series of sloping arches extending up from the side column supports. Now I am glad I went ad saw it!
As a retired professional transportation planner, and a hobbiest “transportaion/geographic economist”, I hate to see this thing go…but it points out the impermanence of all things permanent! The classic movements of iron ore from the Upper Great Lakes, and limestone from Michigan to Lake Erie docks in Ohio and Pennslvania to steelmills of Pittsburgh are now giving way to new patterns…where all that sort of “dirty” stuff is done in China…while we move containers of “made in Asia” plastic duckies across the continent on "Z trains"for sale in Big Box stores individually supplied by trucks…or sold over the internet and delivered by FedEx.
What will change next…where are the personal helicopters of 1950’s “Popular Science” magazine prediction?
As a retired professional transportation planner, and a hobbiest “transportaion/geographic economist”, I hate to see this thing go…but it points out the impermanence of all things permanent! The classic movements of iron ore from the Upper Great Lakes, and limestone from Michigan to Lake Erie docks in Ohio and Pennslvania to steelmills of Pittsburgh are now giving way to new patterns…where all that sort of “dirty” stuff is done in China…while we move containers of “made in Asia” plastic duckies across the continent on "Z trains"for sale in Big Box stores individually supplied by trucks…or sold over the internet and delivered by FedEx.
What will change next…where are the personal helicopters of 1950’s “Popular Science” magazine prediction?
Might as well tear it down , due to the de-industrialazation that has been going of for the last 65 years , In this post industrial age We don’t need this or the Hewlets or the railroads any more, So let;s all just jump in the car and use some of the soon to be $5.00 a gallon fuel buy all of our needs at the nearest china mart. Why? because We don’t make it here anymore 
A shame! A truly awesome structure. Don’t suppose I’ll ever stop in Ashland again, except at the DQ. What’s going on south of town at the new pellet (?) plant/mines?
No, the dirty stuff isn’t all done in China. The dirty stuff is just cleaner. Steel recycling technologies have improved to the extent that electric furnace melting of scrap, with a seasoning of direct reduced iron, gives you a steel of sufficiently high quality to make furniture frames or refrigerator casings, right here in the USA. There’s less need to haul ore out of the Gogebic Range any more.
Remember the Urban Renewal movement in the 60s and 70s… when so many of America’s blighted downtowns were “cleaned up”? Today, those buildings that escaped the wrecking ball are often considered to be important members of downtown revitalization. Perhaps someday industrially-important structures will receive just as much good will from an adoring public.
I’ve been there many times, very sad to see it go.
I read Mr. Karlson’s comment, but, is that why this facility was closed 47 years ago? And, assuming that ore is still shipped from someplace in that area, where might that be and how does the tonnage compare to the Ashland ore dock?