Two Harbors owes its very existence to the Duluth and Iron Range Railroad (D&IR), established in 1883 to transport iron ore from the Vermilion Range for shipping to steel mills via the the [sic] Great Lakes. The railroad chose Agate Bay, renamed Two Harbors in 1888, for a terminus because it was relatively close to the mines, but more importantly, because the clay bottom bay, rare along the rocky Lake Superior shores, made construction easier.
Besides over 8,000,000 tons of iron ore annually, the D&IR was transporting freight and passengers by 1907, necessitating the construction of a depot. The railroad established its headquarters and corporate offices in the 110' x 44', two-story, brick building. When merged with the Duluth, Missabe and Northern Railway in 1937, the railroad became known as the Duluth, Missabe and Iron Range Railway and continued to serve local passenger and freight needs until 1960.
In 1961, the railroad allowed Lake County Historical Society to establish a museum in the depot. This was appropriate since Thomas Owens, Superintendent of the Duluth and Iron Range Railroad, was responsible for establishing the Historical Society in 1925. Ownership of the building was transferred to the Society in 1980.
National Register of Historic Places
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