Duluth preservationists raising money for historical markers along Incline Railway path

DULUTH — One point of entry to Duluth's railway history is an easy-to-miss sidewalk tucked into a residential area of West Skyline Boulevard. Local preservationists are close to securing enough donations for signage to mark spots along the sometimes tricky route.

The Historic Incline Steps once ran alongside the Incline Railway that for decades bisected part of the city's hillside around the turn of the century. The steam-powered line, which opened in 1891 and ran along Seventh Avenue W., was a service for those who wanted to go up or down, a route the streetcars couldn't make. It was capable of carrying people and horses.

It became more than transportation — it was an attraction with a restaurant at the top.

"So many people have wanted this for so long," said Doug Stevens, a history aficionado who is behind the efforts to recognize the route. "I thought the money would roll in."

The path that ran alongside the railway starts above Skyline Parkway where there are indicators of the once grand pavilion built by architect Oliver G. Traphagen. It continues to Duluth Bethel off Mesabi Avenue, where there is an original staircase and railing.

Stevens wants to make this hike more fluid. He envisions at least four signs along the path with information about the Incline Railway's history and wayfinder markers.

A fire wiped out the pavilion and engine room 10 years into its run and it reopened with a more modern design that relied on electricity. Service ended altogether in 1939 — with buses filling commuter needs.

There isn't much of the railway's past that remains, though there is a downtown bowling alley that adopted the name Incline Station. And the concrete pylons are here and there along the way.

"It has beautiful views and a nice hiking trail," said Bob Berg, of the Duluth Preservation Alliance. "It makes me wish a little that the Incline was still there and how great the pavilion must have been and how that would have been a great place at the turn of the century."

The route was designated as a recreational hiking trail earlier this year. Once Stevens got that designation from the city's Parks & Recreation Department, he started raising money with the Duluth Preservation Alliance serving as fiscal agent. Earlier this week, Stevens said he had just about $400 to go in his quest to raise $4,000 in private donations. The relatively small amount wasn't worth trying to get a grant, he said.

His fundraising efforts included pairing with Bent Paddle Brewing Co. He and the preservation alliance have kept interest alive by hosting regular group tours down the path. The last one, held in May, drew 36 hikers. His Facebook group, Friends of the Incline Steps, boasts a couple of hundred followers.

Much of the Incline's history can be found at the Lake Superior Railroad Museum, where there is old video footage of the Incline in action — including a rider's-eye-view — in addition to the story of its lifespan in downtown Duluth.

Ken Buehler, the museum's director, noted that the hillside incline wasn't the only one in the city. There was another on the west side of town.

"Think if we had kept the funiculars," he said. "What a tourist attraction that would be today."