By Dana Ferguson, Minnesota Public Radio News

For the foreseeable future, Minnesota might be more of a layover than a home base for Gov. Tim Walz as he racks up the miles as the Democratic vice presidential candidate.

And that’s put some of his normal duties in the hands of others or required remote attention as he criss-crosses the country campaigning for and with Vice President Kamala Harris.

The official schedule put out by his office has become repetitive of late: “Governor Tim Walz has no public events scheduled.”

In the eight days since Walz was named as Harris’ running mate, Walz appeared at rallies and fundraisers in more than a half-dozen states. He’ll check off more before the week is up with stops in Rhode Island, Nebraska and New York on the docket. And that frenzied travel is not going to let up between now and November.

On Wednesday, members of the state Board of Land Exchange, Minnesota Executive Council and State Board of Investment gaveled in for back-to-back meetings after noting that a key player was missing.

Walz — who by law chairs the boards — was away.

That meant that other members, Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan and State Auditor Julie Blaha, ran the proceedings in his absence.

On the day after Walz was named as Harris’ running mate last week, Flanagan spoke on a panel at Farmfest, the annual agriculture trade show in Redwood County. The governor was marketed as a speaker at the event and usually enjoys the chance to mingle with farmers.

So far, there haven’t been any big emergencies — natural or otherwise — where his absence would hinder a state government response.

Last week, Flanagan said Walz won’t shirk his duties in Minnesota in the runup to Election Day.

“Tim Walz is still the governor. Minnesotans will continue to see him here in the state,” Flanagan said. “Of course, he’ll be on the campaign trail, but I think he can do two things at once.”

Flanagan has frequently appeared alongside Walz at news conferences and official events. But she could take on more solo speaking engagements or other duties in the next two months. She was set to headline an I-94 groundbreaking ceremony on Friday.

At Wednesday’s board meetings, people there to press the state to divest from investments in Israel noted the empty seat at the table.

“As Governor Tim Walz prepares to run for the second highest elected position in this country, his track record here will undoubtedly be watched on the national stage now, if he’s willing to say on CNN a few months ago that what’s happening in Gaza is intolerable, why then can he tolerate funding it?” said Emma Fletcher, a member of Minnesota Association of Professional Employees and the Democratic Socialists of America.

“As the governor of Minnesota who oversees our state investments. Sympathetic words are nice, but not enough,” Fletcher continued.

The board did not take up a motion to divest during its meeting yesterday and has fielded similar testimony in the past.

Walz has been back to Minnesota since being added to the ticket. He was spotted at a dog park on Sunday, and on Monday he held in-person interviews before selecting a new judge. He also voted in the primary election and jetted to California for events.

His staff said he’s been able to participate during his return trips to Minnesota or remotely. The rest his staff and colleagues in executive leadership can help with, aides said.

Republican political strategist and former state Senate Majority Leader Amy Koch said that Flanagan’s role co-hosting the events in the past could make Walz’s absence less apparent and streamline a potential transfer of power later.

“I do think it’s helpful that Lieutenant Governor Flanagan has been so involved, probably the most involved lieutenant governor that we’ve had as far as any history that I can remember, which may help,” Koch told MPR News’ Minnesota Now this week.

It could just be a taste of things to come: if Harris and Walz win, Flanagan would be promoted to governor once he officially gives up the post.

TACONITE HARBOR, Minn. — If you’ve never heard of the town of Taconite Harbor, it might be because it doesn’t exist anymore.

“There’s still a light pole. And this was Main Street right here,” said Skip Lamb, pointing to a street that nature has slowly taken back. “This was all mowed lawns, and this was where all the folks lived.”

From the mid-50s to the mid-80s, the Taconite Harbor community thrived. There were about 20 homes along with a town hall, fire hall and even a school with sports teams.

A basketball court remains, which used to mark the middle of town.

Lamb was once a little league coach in Taconite Harbor. Now, he’s a historian for a time that was. The town’s history goes like this: a break wall was built around two nearby islands on Lake Superior to protect boats picking up iron ore.

“Then they needed a town for the people to live in that were going to run it. And they had to build them houses because there wasn’t any housing here. They built the entire city,” said Lamb.

Many residents worked at the loading dock, and during the boom, they shipped taconite pellets to the East Coast. Ten million tons of taconite a year came from the town. Then came the bust. In the early 80s, the industry hit an all-time low, forcing many families to leave and find work elsewhere.

“This is part of the Iron Range saga. Where towns get abandoned, moved out, homes get moved,” said Lamb.

After the residents left, a real estate developer bought the houses, moved them and sold them off one by one. They were gone by the early 90s. A decade later, the dock was also abandoned.

“We feel very committed in telling the rest of the story about Taconite Harbor,” said Steve Schug.

In the nearby town of Schroeder, Taconite Harbor lives on. 

“At one time, it was the fastest ore-loading facility on the Great Lakes,” said Schug.

Schug is the president of the Cross River Heritage Center. This summer they have an exhibit celebrating the abandoned harbor town.

“We have Taconite Harbor reunions frequently here at the Heritage Center and a lot of people come for that,” Schug said.

The exhibit looks at the highlights and lowlights of the community’s history. For instance, at one point, taconite dust would turn a lot of things red. That included fresh laundry hanging from clotheslines.

“I had a laundry mat. I had to have three washing machines just to wash red clothes,” said Lamb.

There was also a train derailment involving more than 90 cars loaded with taconite. Thankfully, no one was seriously hurt. But for people who once lived and prospered here, the good memories far outweigh the bad.

“It’s important that people understand that it was a viable community, it was a town,” said Lamb. “It was a fun place to live, and it was a fun place for these kids to grow up.”

You can still visit a portion of the abandoned Taconite Harbor on the North Shore.