An arti­fi­cial canal was cut through Min­neso­ta Point to pro­vide direct access from Duluth Har­bor to Lake Supe­ri­or. It became a vital infra­struc­ture ele­ment that helped trans­form the city into a major trans­porta­tion hub. The canal is flanked by con­crete break­wa­ters and spanned by the icon­ic lift bridge con­nect­ing the penin­su­la to the city.