LAKE CITY, Minn. – Two Ingram tows acted as their own ice breakers, forcing their way through the thinning Lake Pepin ice pack. The motor vessels Neil N. Diehl and Philip M. Pfeffer were the first of the season to venture through the 22-mile Mississippi River lake. It was a slow-go, each with twin screws and 6,150-horsepower and pushing only a single barge each – far short of the usual max array of 17. The speed: A mere 1.5 knots. Their journey marked the opening of the 2023 Upper Mississippi shipping season. The average date for the first commercial vessel through Lake Pepin is March 20. The earliest start has been March 4.
Sibling tows. Two Ingram tows, vintage 1981 and 1882, inaugurate the new Upper Mississippi commercial navigation season. Image: Steve Drazkowski