Hubbry Logo
search
logo
1635136

Port of Dubuque

logo
Community Hub0 Subscribers
Write something...
Be the first to start a discussion here.
Be the first to start a discussion here.
See all
Port of Dubuque

The Port of Dubuque (also known as the Ice Harbor, 4th Street Peninsula, or the Riverfront) is the section of downtown Dubuque, Iowa, USA, that is immediately adjacent to 579.4 mile to the Mississippi River. The area was among the first areas settled in what became the City of Dubuque, and the State of Iowa. Historically, the area has been a center of heavy industry, but has recently seen extensive reinvestment and new construction. The area is now one of the main tourist destinations in Dubuque, as well as Iowa.

The Port of Dubuque includes all of the area that lies north of the CCPR rail yards, south of East 9th Street and Dove Harbor, east of the CCPR/ICER railroad tracks, and west of the Mississippi River. It is divided into two main sections: the North Port and the South Port, which are separated by the Ice Harbor.

The Port area is separated from Downtown Dubuque's central business district by a double set of railroad tracks and an expressway that carries U.S. highways 151 and 61. The North Port can be accessed via East 5th Street, or the East 3rd Street overpass, while the South Port is accessible from Jones Street, or Ice Harbor Drive—which connects the two ports together.

As of 2006,[needs update] all of the redevelopment in the area has occurred in the North Port, and the South Port remains largely industrial or underutilized. This may be due to the anticipated construction of a new Mississippi river bridge, which will be built in the near future,[when?] alongside the Julien Dubuque Bridge.

The Port of Dubuque was one of the first areas settled in what is now Downtown Dubuque. Its proximity to the river made the area convenient for a variety of industrial uses, including boat building, lumber transportation and storage, and ice harvesting. The 1868 opening of the first Dubuque Railroad Bridge to Illinois also strengthened the Port's role as a center for heavy industry. In addition to these purposes, the Port was a major landing site for many of the steamboats which traveled on the river. However, for most of its history, the low-lying Port area was unprotected against the frequent spring flooding of the Mississippi. For this reason, much of the city's commercial and retail businesses were built farther inland, centered on West 9th and Main Streets.

The Port area was an ideal location for some of the city's early manufacturing companies. In the 19th and early 20th centuries, Dubuque was a major boat building center on the Mississippi River, and this industry was centered on the Port area and the Ice Harbor. Alongside boat building, the port had lumber yards, the Dubuque Star Brewery and a Civil War-era shot tower.

The region has long been a transportation center in Dubuque. U.S. highways 20, 151, 61, 52, and Iowa Highway 3 all converge in the Port of Dubuque. The Chicago Central and Pacific and Iowa, Chicago and Eastern railroads run through the Port area. The Dubuque Railroad Bridge, built in the 1890s, connected the city with population centers to the east. The Ice Harbor and Mississippi shoreline were the site of steamboat arrivals and departures in the city, and three of the city's four train stations were located in or near the area.

In 1943, the Julien Dubuque Bridge was completed south of the Ice Harbor, thereby moving vehicular traffic over the Port, instead of through it, across the old Dubuque "High" Bridge. Following a record-breaking flood in 1965, the City of Dubuque began construction on a 30-foot-high (9.1 m) flood protection wall to protect all of the city's riverfront from the seasonal flooding of the Mississippi River. This was completed in 1973. Boat building ended in the area in the early 1970s, and brewing came to a halt shortly after.

See all
User Avatar
No comments yet.