• Sunday-What'sUP January 16 - 04:23 pm

The last Portage Lake Swing Bridge served the Keweenaw Peninsula from 1895 to 1958. We've never seen it quite this detailed, and our thanks to the U.P. Digitization center for digging it up. Since its arrival in 1958 the current Lift Bridge has carried traffic, with one-third of that time being during the age of the Internet. Pasty Central unveiled one of the first high-resolution cams on the www back in the 90's with the view from the Hancock side. Now the time has come to upgrade.

Thanks to all who have emailed about the current Bridge, stuck in manual mode since before the holidays, and sorry we've not answered every inquiry. Hopefully this week you will once again see a bright, colorful view of the bridge, updated consistently from sunrise to sunset. Thanks for your patience.

And a special thanks to Daryl and Bill Laitila, who provide housing and power for the Bridge Cam, and to Jonathan Hopper who has designed several iterations of the hardware over the past decade +.

Have a good week :o)

That sure is a smokey tug boat.

I enjoy these Sunday history lessons!

Which side of the canal are we looking at? I think it is Hancock. I love these old pictures.

Thanks so much for working on getting us a new BridgeCam! I enjoy the almost live pictures so much and have really missed them. Thanks to all who make it possible!

Thanks 4 sharing this piece of history.

Thanks for the good news about the Bridge Cam. As soon as I go on line, the bridge comes up first. Just a little touch of home,but one that many of US YOOPERS look forward to...

Love the pictures of the old bridge. It'll be ncie to have the new camera.

Who pays for the camera, does it come out of your own pocket as if so i would donate money to it.

We drove over a part of the old bridge last summer. It is being used for a bridge over a river a little bit south of Duluth.

OK, dating myself here. I was 5 years old when we moved to the Hancock/Houghton area in early 1958 (I think!). I do remember the swing bridge along side the new lift bridge being built. It seems to me that the swing bridge was on the east side of the new bridge. But it was a long time ago and I was very young so I'm not going to swear to it.

sometimesyooper (Nancyd):
"It seems to me that the swing bridge was on the east side of the new bridge."

It sure was!
One clear clue: Bridge Street in Houghton yoosta line up directly with the old swing bridge!

Check my Guest Photo Gallery here, I have some pics from 58 & 59 with both bridges!

I have never seen the old bridge. Both my parents used to travel across it all the time. Kind of brings them closer to me. Thanks.

i've always enjoyed looking at the bridge cam at night, with all the city lights

HEYYY! Mr Wilson.