1949 Ship at Duluth-Superior Port Coal Docks MN Postcard

This 1949 linen lithograph postcard captures the Port of Duluth-Superior during its mid-century peak as a Great Lakes shipping center. The image shows the bow of a freighter positioned in a narrow loading slip, framed by tall metal coal-loading towers that extend into the water and long black piles of coal on either side.

By 1949, Duluth-Superior ranked second only to New York in annual shipping tonnage, handling more than 45 million tons of cargo each season. The scene reflects both the scale and energy of a port that powered the Midwest’s industry and commerce.

On the verso is a cancelled “Superior WISC AUG 10 1949” 1-cent U.S. postage stamp depicting George Washington. The stamp belongs to the 1938 Presidential Series, often called the “Prexies”