This undated postcard, published by Northern Minnesota Novelties of Crosslake, Minn., offers a nice pre-freeway aerial view of Downtown Duluth on it’s upper image and a shot of the Aerial Lift Bridge and shipping canal on the lower side.

The photos are credited to Basgen Photography. The Minnesota Historical Society’s Directory of Photographers lists Jean Basgen as an “industrial and maritime photographer” working in Downtown Duluth circa the 1950s.

The caption on the back of the card reads:

Duluth, Minnesota
Duluth skyline and famed aerial lift bridge, the entrance to the Duluth-Superior Harbor, westerly terminus of the St. Lawrence Seaway and Mid-Western Gate to world commerce.