Lake County Historical Society
About Lake County Historical Society
The Lake County Historical Society manages several of the most significant historic sites in Two Harbors, including the Duluth & Iron Range Depot museum and the 1892 Two Harbors Light Station, the oldest continuously operating lighthouse on Minnesota's North Shore.
Its subject is the industry that created the town: the first iron ore shipment from Agate Bay in 1884, on what were Lake Superior's first ore docks and briefly the largest in the world, and the railroad that brought the ore down from the Vermilion Range.
The society also operates the light keeper's house as a bed and breakfast, which is an unusual funding model and a genuinely appealing place to stay.
Get involved: Museum volunteering at the Depot and the lighthouse, membership, and archival work.
Neighborhoods it serves
The North Shore's working town: ore docks, a lighthouse, and a real grocery store.
Silver BayA whole town built at once in 1954, with the best cliffs on the North Shore behind it.
Knife River212 people, a working harbor, and the smokehouse that has been curing fish here since 1908.
Where these facts come from
- Lake County Historical Society, Duluth & Iron Range Depot accessed 2026-08-13
Last reviewed 2026-08-13 by Guide editorial.