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The Incline Railway, built in 1891 by the Highland Improvement Company cost $110,000 to construct. The 1/2 mile long incline ran up 7th Avenue West, rising to over 500 feet above Lake Superior. Huge cars big enough to carry horse & wagon teams were attatched by cables to a power house at the top of the hill.
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The incline carried passengers to a connecting street car line that ran to Highland Avenue.
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In 1893, the Beacon Hill Pavilion was built at the top of the Incline. It was the stage for concerts, picnics, etc. Up to 5000 people at a time would attend events at the park-like area. The Beacon Hill Pavilion burnt to the ground May 28, 1901. Fire started in a coal bin in an engine room of the power house and spread to the pavilion. Water from a 10,000 gallon tank at the top of the hill was used to fight the flames, but it was no use. Within minutes, wind carried the fire to the pavilion, and the water supply was cut off. While the pavilion and the power house burned, the incline car at the top the tracks was lashed to the tracks in an effort to save it. The heat of the fire grew so intense the chains broke, and the car hurdled the 1/2 mile to the bottom of the incline, smashing into the retaining wall at Superior Street. The car disintegrated, spreading debris by more than a block. Fortunately police had stopped traffic and cleared the area when they realized what might happen. An hour after the fire, all that remained of Beacon Hill was a smoking pile of rubble.
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Although the Incline Railway was repaired within six months, the
pavilion was never rebuilt. The Incline was rebuilt using smaller cars.
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