The Saint Paul Port Authority was formed just after the current lock and dam system on the Mississippi River from Saint Paul to New Orleans was born. The city of Saint Paul transferred Barge Terminal 1 to the Port in 1933 and the Port began managing commodities transfer throughout the 2.1 miles of the Saint Paul Harbor.

The Port continues to manage four river terminals — Barge Terminal 1 and 2, Southport and Red Rock — that serve as a commodities hub for grain, oil seeds, fertilizers, scrap steel, coal and gravel, among other things. Minnesota’s inland water transportation industry, of which the Port’s operation is part, directly generates more than 1,200 jobs and nearly $5 million in payroll taxes to the federal and state governments.

“The commercial navigation industry and the Saint Paul Port Authority have forged a strong partnership, which has served to ensure safe, reliable, environmentally and economically efficient river transportation in the Saint Paul area,” said Lee Nelson, president of Upper River Services Inc. Nelson’s firm is responsible for maintaining barges and moving them between river terminals.