Split Rock Lighthouse State Park near Two Harbors in Lake County, Minnesota — The American Midwest (Upper Plains)
Little Two Harbors
Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, June 24, 2024
1. Little Two Harbors Marker
In the early 1900s, a fishing village formed in the cove of Little Two Harbors, southwest of the lighthouse. More than a dozen men lived there, in log and tar paper shacks.
The island you see is Ellingson Island. The next point south is Corundum Point. North Shore Abrasives Company began excavations there in 1903. They gave up, though, when they discovered that instead of corundum a mineral used on grinding wheels and sandpaper they were digging feldspar.
Erected by Minnesota Historical Society.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Industry & Commerce • Settlements & Settlers. A significant historical year for this entry is 1903.
Location. 47° 11.995′ N, 91° 22.026′ W. Marker is near Two Harbors, Minnesota, in Lake County. It is in Split Rock Lighthouse State Park. It can be reached from Split Rock Lighthouse Road half a mile south of North Shore Scenic Drive (Voyageur Highway) (State Highway 61). The marker overlooks Little Two Harbors from the south side of the lighthouse. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 3713 Split Rock Lighthouse Road, Two Harbors MN 55616,
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Regionally, this marker is in Minnesota’s Arrowhead Region, in the Iron Range, and in the North Shore. It is also in the American Midwest, on the Great Lakes, and in the Corn Belt. Globally, it is in North America, in the Great North Woods, on Lake Superiors North Shore, in the Western Hemisphere, in the Western World, and in the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the Viceroyalty of New France, Ruperts Land, the territory of the Mississippian Culture, and the Northwest Territory.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Gold Rock Point (within shouting distance of this marker); Lighthouse (within shouting distance of this marker); Fog Signal (within shouting distance of this marker); Oil House (within shouting distance of this marker); Home Away From Home (within shouting distance of this marker); Storage Barn (within shouting distance of this marker); Steam Engine Hoist (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); a different marker also named The Gales of November (about 300 feet
Minnesota Historical Society Collections
2. Marker detail: Two Little Harbors, ca. 1910
Other markers no longer nearby. Steam Hoist Engine (was about 300 feet away but has been replaced with another marker now near it); The Gales of November (was about 300 feet away but has been replaced with another marker now near it).
Also see . . . The Two Harbors Roots of 3M Corporation (By Hugh E. Bishop).
Excerpt: 3M, also known as Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company, began its life in Two Harbors, Minnesota. Things seemed bright in June 1902, when Two Harbors attorney John Dwan drew up articles of incorporation. The new companys goal was to mine and process a mineral called corundum. Corundum was in demand as the premier abrasive for grinding wheels, sandpaper and other items to polish, shape, sharpen and decorate items produced by Americas increasingly industrialized economy. This new source of corundum was greeted jubilantly; the only other North American source was in Ontario. The material (corundum) is there and its worth has been proven. The market is adequate for all that can be produced, a local newspaper enthused when 3M made its first one-ton shipment the winter of 1903-04. That(Submitted on August 20, 2024, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)would be its only shipment of the mineral. The problem one that surfaced after the company had incurred a large start-up debt was that the corundum was not there on Lake Superiors Minnesota north shore. What was there was anorthosite [feldspar], useless as an abrasive. So within a couple of years of its founding, 3M had tons of mineral for sale, no customers and was all but bankrupt...Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, June 24, 20243. Little Two Harbors MarkerLooking south along the Lake Superior coastline from the Split Rock Lighthouse. Ellingson Island and Little Two Harbors is in the right background.
Credits. This page was last revised on April 4, 2025. It was originally submitted on August 20, 2024, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. This page has been viewed 468 times since then and 92 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on August 20, 2024, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.
