Gunflint Trail - Grand Marais - Minnesota
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History
The Gunflint Trail Historical Society History buffs will find a lot to grab their attention on the Gunflint Trail - and a few new history buffs may be initiated here. Because of the rich array of natural resources, this area was home to the hunting and gathering Ojibwe for many years. Pictographs can still be seen on the rock faces of cliffs along the lakes. The Voyageurs traveled through the lakes adjacent to the Trail; trapping and trading flourished in these parts until the last century. Mining had a brief history here, and logging has been one of the main industries for more than a hundred years. If you look carefully (and luck will play a part) you can still see remnants of these cultures and lifestyles. Before the new growth comes to the forest is unquestionably the best time to see things, that are, for most of the year, hidden well from view even when only a few feet away. In an area with a rich history (both natural and man-made) the opportunities for discovery beckon - this is the time for exploring. The mining industry, which flourished briefly until it was discovered that the iron was too difficult to remove from the local rock, left many artifacts and sites to be viewed by the curious hiker. Abandoned railroads, ruins of cabins and towns, even antiquated equipment can all be found as you hike the trailways of the Gunflint Trail forests. Trapper's cabins, leftover from the days when many of the local residents relied upon furs for their income, can still be seen, a few (thanks to respectful visitors), left almost as if ready for the next trapper to drop in. The old town of Gunflint, and another, La Blaine, once thrived on the north shore of Gunflint Lake, home and night-life-central to railroad builders and miners of the 1800s. The Italian workers, it seemed, could not live without their old world-brick-oven-baked bread, and today the remains of these ovens still stand. An ancient Indian cave awaits your discovery north of the narrows off Gunflint Lake (you will need a Remote Border Crossing Permit to visit; for details ask your host). Aside from this cave, most Indian sites are well-hidden and not meant to be discovered -- please respect the sacredness of these places should you stumble upon one and leave it unexplored, undisturbed and unadvertised. To learn more about mining history, stop near the site of the Paulsen Mine. (Wild North interpretive sign location: Approximately 45 miles north of the entrance to the Gunflint Trail.) John Paulson, a Minneapolis banker, opened the Paulson Underground Mine along the Gunflint Trail in 1888. Touted as "the most promising mine in 1893," it closed within months due to steep competition and an unsavory investor. The geology of the Gunflint Trail area is a fascinating natural history. Learn more at this DNR site. For a history of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area, visit this Superior National Forest history site. Good information about the fur trade and mining history can be found on the Minnesota Historical Society page. See a collection of items used by Voyageurs during the fur trade era, courtesy of the Minnesota Historical Society. |
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© 2006 Gunflint Trail Association
Information Center 1.218.387.3191
Contact us by email
info@gunflint-trail.com
© 2006 Gunflint Trail Association