Archaeologists unearth remnants of historic tram at Split Rock Lighthouse

Archaeologists working at Split Rock Lighthouse have discovered the remnants of an old rail tramway that was used to transport building materials from barges on Lake Superior up the steep bluff during construction of the historic lighthouse more than a century ago.

The discovery was made during restoration work at the lighthouse over the past several weeks that make improvements to pathways and walkways and create new scenic viewpoints of the lighthouse and the rugged Lake Superior coastline.

The work will also create a place where visitors can view the old hoist and derrick system that brought materials up from the water when the lighthouse was built in 1909. From there the gear was loaded on the tramways, or short rail lines, to finish the journey to the lighthouse.

This photo from 1917 shows the upper tramway at Split Rock lighthouse, which was used to help transport materials that were barged to the lighthouse on Lake Superior.

Photo courtesy of the Minnesota Historical Society

Crews unearthed footings of a tramway, including railroad ties and spikes, underneath an asphalt path.

"I would say we were definitely surprised,” said Jen Rankin, director of archeology for the Minnesota Historical Society.

“It's pretty incredible to get a feature like that. I will say this is definitely probably one of my top ten historic archeology and historic sites to have a feature like this still intact."

Workers also found an old sidewalk that once linked the lighthouse keeper’s house to one of the original barns at the site — “an outstanding find,” Rankin said.

Working in June, 2025, archaeologists unearthed footings to a historic tramway at Split Rock Lighthouse along the North Shore of Lake Superior.

Photo courtesy of the Minnesota Historical Society

The discoveries will help better tell a complete story of the lighthouse, how it was built, and what life was like there in the early 1900s to the more than 150,000 people who visit the historic site every year, said Hayes Scriven, the site manager for Split Rock Lighthouse.

"To actually see some of the original railway ties and the railroad spikes that these keepers and these builders were using, is really meaningful and powerful for us,” said Scriven.

“It really brings that history that's 115 years old, to 2025, right now.”

Archaeologists will continue working at the site throughout construction this summer. Rankin is particularly interested in searching for evidence of the families who lived at the lighthouse keeper’s house.

“We are actually encountering a lot of children's toys in those excavations,” she said.

Those kinds of details, Scriven said, allow staff at the site to “tell a much more complete and much more personal” story.