Riverside

By Brady Slater bslater@duluthnews.com

The last morning in July started in the Riverside neighborhood of Duluth with a full marina and glassy water on the St. Louis River.

Tucked off Grand Avenue, Riverside is a small neighborhood with its yards and homes impeccably groomed. What was once a hospital is now a charming-looking assisted living facility. The community garden is lush with greens and the most dilapidated building is its biggest — the former business offices to the shipyard that dominated the neighborhood through the first half of the last century. Then, the residences housed the boilermakers, ironworkers and welders used in shipbuilding, specializing in military-grade fuel tankers.

“They employed a lot of people over here back in the day,” marina worker Eric Rice said. “They built like an average of 11 ships a month here — then one month made 43 ships when they were really in the push during World War II.”

Rice enjoyed coffee outside Spirit Lake Marina along with Ron Nelson and Kate Lincoln. The marina occupies the space which once belonged to the shipyard. The trio spoke admiringly of the marina and its owner Charlie Studuhar.

“He’s an activist,” Lincoln said. “He likes getting West Duluth cleaned up.”

“He’s a good guy,” Nelson said. “He strives to make things better.”

The owner sends his crew to trim weeds from public areas in the neighborhood the city workers don’t reach.

Even though it borders the water, the marina, with its seasonal boats and campers, is the center of town — what with its hidden gem of a gift shop and constant, if mellow, activity.

The slips are filled with sailboats and pleasure crafts mostly. Fishing boats are generally kept closer to the lake and not so far west into the river estuary, Rice said. Seasonal campers, a lot of them retired folks, can rent land lots from May to October. wo me n’ s he alTh se rV ic es:

Recently, the workers built a small beach at the marina to launch the kayaks and canoes for rent.

Some of the largest boats remain perched on land — passion projects in progress, Lincoln said, that find their owners coming down when they can to tinker and renovate.

“Trying to get ready for next year,” Lincoln said, a morning breeze picking up.

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