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The Edna G tugboat was commissioned by the Duluth and Iron Range Railroad for the Two Harbors port in 1896. Its last tow was in December of 1980. Friends of the Edna G was formed to preserve and restore the historic tugboat and educate the community on its importance. Photo by Abigail Blonigen
VOLUNTEERS KEEP THE EDNA G AFLOAT
T
By Abigail Blonigen
o be honest, the water is a terrible place to keep a boat,” said Tom Koehler with a chuckle. Koehler is a member of the Friends of the Edna G, a nonprofit organization dedicated to preserving the history and prolonging the life of the retired Two Harbors tugboat. The Friends formed in March 2018, concerned about the deteriorating state of the historic tug. The Edna G was commissioned by the Duluth and Iron Range Railroad for the Two Harbors port in 1896. At the time it was built, it was the most powerful tugboat on the Great Lakes. The Edna G serviced the Two Harbors port for over 80 years, aside from a brief stint on the East Coast hauling coal barges during World War I. Its last tow was in December 1980 and it is now on the National Register of Historic Places. “In the days when tugboats were needed to get the ore boats in and out of the harbors, tugboats were a necessary thing in order for that iron to get turned into steel to build the country or fight in wars or make automobiles and washing machines,” Koehler said. Koehler, a retired Navy veteran who also volunteers with the upkeep of the Two Harbors lighthouse, has been working with the Edna G for about 10 years. It was a letter to the editor of Koehler’s that inspired a group of volunteers to form to continue the boat’s routine upkeep and maintenance. “She just needs to be taken care of better than she has been in the past,” said Kathy Glenn, another founding member of the group.
Kathy Glenn leads a Friends of the Edna G meeting at Lakeview Park in Two Harbors during a mid-July thunderstorm. The group works to preserve the tug and is making plans for its 125th anniversary next year. Photo by Abigail Blonigen
The Friends has a board of seven community members, and about a dozen regular volunteers total. The city of Two Harbors has an Edna G Commision, which is also all volunteer. “Each of us does different things based upon what our interests and abilities are,” said Koeher, citing Glenn’s organizational skills and his own “hands on, nuts and bolts” approach. The group has given several talks on the history of the Edna G, and did guided tours last summer. They table at events, participate in parades, and decorate the boat for Christmas. Some of their goals going forward are to get the tug’s whistle working again and to have a 125th birthday celebration for the boat next year. “This will probably be the first time her birthday has been celebrated,” said Glenn, noting the renewed sense of the tug’s importance in the community. To support the Friends of the Edna G or learn more about volunteering, visit friendsofednag. org or find them on Facebook. “There’s a need for more volunteers now than there ever has been,” said Koehler. “The people who have a tendency to volunteer pretty much already are, but we need more, everywhere.”
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Abigail Blonigen is a Duluth freelance writer and photographer.
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