Seventy years ago today — Oct. 4, 1952 — Gen. Dwight David Eisenhower campaigned at the Duluth Civic Center. He won the election a month later, becoming the 34th President of the United States.

President Eisenhower would go on to play a significant role in the history of Duluth. In 1954 he signed the Wiley-Dander Seaway Act, which led to the development of a 114-mile navigation channel in the St. Lawrence River, allowing large vessels to sail from the Atlantic Ocean to Duluth. The St. Lawrence Seaway opened in 1959. Eisenhower spoke at ceremonies in Montreal, along with Queen Elizabeth.