Coast Guard station in Grand Marais to close

The U.S. Coast Guard has announced that this will be the last season the North Superior station will be open. This is the third time the Coast Guard has closed the facility in the Grand Marais Harbor, but this time it looks like it will close for good. Staff photo Brian Larsen

Following years of fewer and fewer calls for assistance, the U.S. Coast Guard has elected to close the Coast Guard station in Grand Marais.

This closure follows the Coast Guards’ consolidation of what they term “redundant” Coast Guard stations.

The facility is currently staffed from Memorial Day to Labor Day.

Called the North Superior Station, the area covered stretches from Taconite Harbor to the Canadian border, including Isle Royale.

Crews from the Duluth station staff the Grand Marais facility, rotating about once a week with no more than four members working at any one time.

Built in 1928 and opened the following year, the Coast Guard was responsible for saving hundreds of lives through the years. But as boats and navigation equipment, training, and gear improved, the Coast Guard crews have been called on less and less. So much so that over the last decade, the average is one call per year. Still, the core role of the Coast Guard is to protect the public, the environment, and the U.S. economic and security interest in any maritime region in areas that need help, including international waters so some areas are receiving more help while other stations like the one in Grand Marais are being closed.

When the station in Grand Marais closes, the Duluth station will pick up the coverage. Currently, Duluth takes care of an area from Two Harbors to Port Wing, Wisconsin.

Once closed, the grounds and facility will be placed in a caretaker status, and there will be an environmental assessment of the Grand Marais station. When completed, the Coast Guard will determine what to do with the land and building. In recent years there have been discussions with the Cook County Historical Society about acquiring the facility, but nothing is set in stone.

Some history

In March of 1919, the North Shore Fisherman’s Association petitioned the government to install a life-saving station in Grand Maris after losing “about 15 men, just by having them caught in storms and swept out to sea.”

Duluth Congressman William Leighton Carss introduced a bill for $54,175 on September 11, 1919, with the funds going towards building a station, with an additional $17,215 allocated for the crew, rations, and upkeep. President Woodrow Wilson signed the bill into law in May 1920, but it would take eight years for the work to start.

The first CWO was (Chief Warrant Officer) Daniel Magnusson, who came in January 1929. Thirteen crew members arrived in April of that year, and crews worked long hours rotating watch over the harbor and Lake Superior.

Base pay was $60 per month, with $30 assigned for rations.

In March 1973, the station was closed. The name was changed to North Superior Auxiliary Station and was staffed by Coast Guard Auxiliary volunteers during the boating season.

The station was opened in 1977 as North Superior Station and closed in 1988, only to reopen a few months later from May through October.

In February 2020, The U.S. Coast Guard announced it was considering consolidating several redundant Coast Guard boat stations, and they asked for the public to help in their decision making.

After going through public comments, the Coast Guard decided to consolidate four Coast Guard boat stations to increase staffing and capacity levels at nearby boat stations that are better equipped to respond to calls for rescue.

The Coast guard station will be placed in caretaker status, and an environmental assessment will be held. Once those are complete, the coast guard will decide what the best use of the property is for the local government or other government agencies.

Into the 1960s, the Coast Guard Station would have families live on-site, and the kids would attend the local public school. However, over the years, as there were fewer and fewer commercial fishermen, as boats became safer and rescue boats became faster, the need for rescues decreased. Over the last ten years, the average is one rescue per year.