St. Paul is a river town. The shipping season usually ends in December and starts up again in mid-March. The river doesn’t freeze solid but it does develop a thick crust of ice which ends the navigation season.
Last year the shipping season started and then ended because of spring flooding and restarted in mid-May. As a result, the tonnage shipped on the river dropped by 30%.
Barges have been used for shipping goods since ancient Egypt and are still used today.
For me, the first sign of spring is the sound of boat horns on the river. I haven’t heard them yet but I am listening.
