Dunn Paper - Port Huron Michigan

[William Lafferty]

Judging from the industrial plants in the background on the Canadian side wouldn't this be the site of the Port Huron Seaway Terminal otherwise commonly referred to as the Bean Dock rather than the Dunn Paper dock north of the Blue Water Bridge?

The caption identified it as Dunn. Perhaps not. Here is another newsprint image from 1954 showing a salty at the Dunn plant. It is difficult to say, but the vessel may be Siljan when it was chartered to Swedish American and would become its Skogholm in 1963.

[Jon Paul]

I grew up in Flint, MI and every weekend during the shipping season in the 60's we spent in Port Huron under the Blue Water Bridge taking boat pics.
I remember a few times seeing small salties at the Dunn Paper dock.
As for making the Peerless dock, I was told by guys I sailed with that had unloaded there that it wasn't all that difficult. Bradley and Tomlinson delivered there on occasion and they would skirt the west bank of the river up bound into the current and the deflection of the water off the waterworks in Point Edward diagonally across the river and help hold them making the dock.

[Guest]

Dunn Paper Company began receiving Scandinavian pulp from salties after World War II, and possibly before the war. It had been the Dunn Sulphite Paper Company, founded in 1924, and became Dunn Paper Company in 1948. The dock was extended in 1964 to handle larger vessels. Here is a poor newsprint image of the Carlsholm of the Swedish American Line unloading pulp at the extended dock in 1965.

Judging from the industrial plants in the background on the Canadian side wouldn't this be the site of the Port Huron Seaway Terminal otherwise commonly referred to as the Bean Dock rather than the Dunn Paper dock north of the Blue Water Bridge? I recall a very nice booklet put out in the 1980s by the Seaway Terminal that had a number of photographs of the dock throughout its history, which I believe was originally a coal dock, and there were some pictures of saltwater vessels unloading there. I believe some of the cargoes may have been newsprint for the Times Herald Paper Company. Unfortunately, this booklet became a casualty of a rather nasty divorce several years ago, which is unfortunate as they seem to be extremely rare.

[William Lafferty]

Dunn Paper Company began receiving Scandinavian pulp from salties after World War II, and possibly before the war. It had been the Dunn Sulphite Paper Company, founded in 1924, and became Dunn Paper Company in 1948. The dock was extended in 1964 to handle larger vessels. Here is a poor newsprint image of the Carlsholm of the Swedish American Line unloading pulp at the extended dock in 1965.

[Guest]

That is a great picture of a bygone era on the lakes! So Dunn paper did have at least one ship visit. In reference to the currents, I always heard that they were worse below the bridge and it seems like ships had no extreme difficulty docking at the old Peerless Cement dock which would, if I'm not mistaken, would have been at about the same location as the Edison Inn and the condos. Maybe someone with experience sailing through that area has a better insight than I do. I used to have a boat and about the furthest I ever went up the river was into Sarnia Bay to take some pictures as it always seemed like the stretch along the Edison walkway was one of the busiest in the river for pleasure craft.

[MattM]

Ships have docked at Dunn Paper. Vessels can pass there while one is docked there. The attached photo shows a salty docked there with the Callaway and Black Bay passing seen from the Pt Edward side. This was take in 1963 from the Al Sykes coll.

[Guest]

Yes that is Dunn Paper and I have a hard time imagining that, even if there was demand for it, a boat could dock there. It would block the channel, preventing any other ship movements and the current is mighty strong there. As far as I can tell, the only reason it's there is because of the large amount of water needed in the paper making process.

Yeah, I figured as much.

[Guest]

Yes that is Dunn Paper and I have a hard time imagining that, even if there was demand for it, a boat could dock there. It would block the channel, preventing any other ship movements and the current is mighty strong there. As far as I can tell, the only reason it's there is because of the large amount of water needed in the paper making process.

[Guest]

I believe that the plant just north of the Blue Water Bridge is the Dunn Paper plant at least that is what I have heard it called by locals. My question is, was this facility ever serviced by ships? I know that ships used to dock at the Peerless Cement dock below the bridge until sometime in the 1970s but I have never heard of any ships going into the Dunn Paper plant.