Lake Superior's Historic North Shore: A Guided Tour

LAKE SUPERIOR’S HISTORIC NORTH SHORE

LAKE SUPERIOR’S

HISTORIC NORTH SHORE

A Guided Tour

Deborah Morse-Kahn

  MINNESOTA HISTORICAL SOCIETY PRESS

© 2008 by the Minnesota Historical Society. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews. For information, write to the Minnesota Historical Society Press, 345 Kellogg Blvd. W., St. Paul, MN 55102-1906.

www.mhspress.org

The Minnesota Historical Society Press is a member of the Association of American University Presses.

Manufactured in Canada

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The paper used in this publication meets the minimum requirements of the American National Standard for Information Sciences—Permanence for Printed Library Materials, ANSI Z39.48-1984.

Credits

Front cover: Split Rock Lighthouse, by Brian Peterson

Back cover: MHS collections

Interior: McDougall-Barnes Shipyards, 1942, courtesy of NEMHC, Duluth (S3766b2f5); all other photos from MHS collections

Maps: CartoGraphics Incorporated

Design: Percolator

International Standard Book Number

ISBN 13: 978-0-87351-621-1 (paper)

ISBN 10: 0-87351-621-4 (paper)

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Morse-Kahn, Deborah, 1952–

Lake Superior’s historic North Shore : a guided tour / Deborah Morse-Kahn.

p. cm.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN-13: 978-0-87351-621-1 (pbk. : alk. paper)

ISBN-10: 0-87351-621-4 (pbk. : alk. paper)

Ebook ISBN: 978-0-87351-677-8

1. Superior, Lake, Region—Tours.

2. Historic sites—Superior, Lake, Region—Guidebooks.

3. Historic buildings—Superior, Lake, Region—Guidebooks.

4. Landscape—Superior, Lake, Region—Guidebooks.

5. Superior, Lake, Region—History, Local.

I. Title.

F552.M67 2008

917.76'70454—dc22

2007049739

For my parents, Joyce and Howard Kahn, who loved Lutsen in the autumn

CONTENTS

Preface

Introduction

THE NORTH SHORE STORY

DULUTH AND ST. LOUIS BAY

The St. Louis River and St. Louis Bay

Duluth’s West End

Central Duluth

Duluth’s East End

LAKEWOOD TO TWO HARBORS

The Lower Shore

Two Harbors

FLOOD BAY TO BEAVER BAY

Flood Bay to Gooseberry Falls

Split Rock to Beaver Bay

SILVER BAY TO LUTSEN

Silver Bay

Palisade Head and Tettegouche

Little Marais

Crosby-Manitou and Caribou Falls

Sugarloaf Cove and Taconite Harbor

Schroeder and the Cross River

Temperance and Tofte

The Lutsen Resort District

CASCADE RIVER TO THE PIGEON RIVER

The Cascade River District

Grand Marais and the Lower Gunflint

Chippewa City and Croftville

Colville and Magney State Park

Hovland

Grand Portage and the Pigeon River

Acknowledgments

Further Reading

PREFACE

When I made my final research trip for this book in spring 2007, wildfires had been raging for a week along the Gunflint Trail. Though most of the flames were out, one could still smell the wood smoke as far south as Tofte. But the fire I had come to monitor—the wildfire of property development that has been sweeping up the shore—was unabated, even accelerating, taking too many markers of the life and culture, history and prehistory of this magnificent place; erasing great sweeps of historic shoreline; and dismantling the story of Lake Superior’s north coast.

My professional discipline of public history subsumes the crafts of history, historiography, archaeology, sociology, geography, geology, architectural history, cartography, and archival science to understand and codify the story of people and place in time. Public historians are vigilant of assaults on our collective history. We fall in love with what we see, story and land and all, and when the historic structures and landscapes we love are threatened, we raise our warning flags and alert those who might help lessen the damage.

This guide to the history and people of the North Shore was written in the hope of reclaiming this coastline of Gii-dzhii Ojibwe-gah-meeng, the Great Sweet Water Sea, for our national inheritance. We must do so, or at the current pace of change, there will be far fewer visible remnants left to tell the stories of the past to future generations.

I hope this book brings you great heart for, and delight in, a very special place.

LAKE SUPERIOR’S HISTORIC NORTH SHORE

INTRODUCTION

Minnesota’s Lake Superior shore stretches nearly 150 miles—from Duluth to Grand Portage—and comprises thirty distinct communities, eight state parks, several state and national forests, countless rivers and streams, and a broad range of ethnic and religious groups. It is the physical evidence left behind that exemplifies a way of life passing or now gone and begs the questions: How did this lodge, bridge, church, graveyard, barn, hotel, fish house, lighthouse, or cabin come to be here? Why does it look this way? Who lived here? Labored here? Died here? How can we honor those who have passed this way before us?

This guidebook to Lake Superior’s North Shore tells its history while guiding readers to the historic sites and districts found along this great coast’s main road, Highway 61. Recommendations on favorite places to put down your overnight case and some wonderful places to pick up a fork are given, because even these lodgings and cafés play a part in the North Shore’s story.

North Shore bridge over the St. Louis River, c1920

RECOMMENDATIONS FOR SAFETY AND COMFORT

Traveling the North Shore is a unique road trip experience. Roads appear on maps but are never found on the ground. Roads are not roads but driveways into private property. Roads are crowded, filled with cars, logging trucks, gas tankers, and motorcycles.

Did someone mention the weather?

Having no guidebook on my shelf that speaks to these issues, I drafted a list gleaned from my field experiences on the North Shore. Take it with a very large pinch of salt, but do take it. It could make the difference in your physical comfort, your physical safety, and, at the very least, your enjoyment of your journey. You may not encounter every situation during every single journey, but you’ll know all about that road (moose, dead end, sudden fog, lumber truck) when you meet it.

RULES OF THE ROAD

• To North Shore residents, north is east and south is west. The North Shore does, indeed, extend from the southwest to the northeast, but travelers will have no sense of this on the highway. For the purposes of this guidebook, directions up the shore road toward Canada are noted as north and down the shore road toward Duluth as south.

• Many roads leading from Highway 61 down to the lake terminate in someone’s driveway. These roads are often named for the families who have cabins there or are named for their cabin . . . or their child . . . or their dog! A good map will keep you on the good roads.

• Pulling out onto Highway 61 is a North Shore art form: turn onto the right shoulder, then merge. You are starting from a dead stop, and that logging truck so far back in your rearview mirror is moving at 70 MPH.

• Resist the lure of the unpaved roads leading up into the inland hills north of Grand Marais unless you are in a heavy four-wheel-drive vehicle, or you may find yourself at a ninety-degree angle with half the Laurentian Divide under your wheels.

• The state mile marker (MM) system is invaluable for orientation from Duluth to the Pigeon River on the U.S.-Canada border. Mile markers run from south to north. Blue address markers run, however, to a midpoint: 1 to 7300 go from Duluth to the northern Lake County line and then begin to count down from 9400 to 1 at the southern Cook County line.

• Highway 61 is the only road between the North Shore towns and Duluth, where many North Shore residents work. Cars may be moving at high speeds on the two-lane highway during the morning and evening commutes. If the pace is too fast for your comfort, use turnouts and slow lanes to catch your breath.

• Deer—and, in season, moose—are on the move at dusk. Hitting a deer is the leading cause of accidents on North Shore roads. Many experienced North Shore travelers aim to be off the road by dusk (5:00 PM in the spring and autumn, 7:00 PM in the summer).

• Run with your car lights on—even during the day—for visibility and safety.

SAGE ADVICE

• The year-round North Shore residents are among the kindest and friendliest around, so feel free to start a conversation. Many have lived and traveled around the Midwest, around the country, and around the world and will gladly hear your news of doings in far places and share their own stories of how they came to settle on the North Shore.

• If you are onsite at a historic resort, stop at the office to visit with the proprietors. They are often wonderfully knowledgeable and may represent a third- or fourth-generation North Shore family. If the resort is closed, leave a note to let them know you were there. They will add you to their mailing list for next season and will appreciate your courtesy.

• Winter stays late and arrives early on the shore. Mid-April can bring snowstorms; mid-October, driving, cold rain. WTIP North Shore Radio at 90.7 FM is an excellent source for weather news.

• Gas will be costly up the shore: they have to truck it up. Try to fill up in Duluth or Two Harbors.

• Cell phone coverage can be chancy on the North Shore. If there’s a moose within a mile, you’ll lose your signal. The bigger towns of Two Harbors, Beaver Bay, Silver Bay, Schroeder-Tofte-Lutsen, Grand Marais, and Grand Portage should have a good signal, but even then it may come and go.

• A vacancy sign outside motels and resorts in the off-season often means they are closed.

• Get the smoked fish double-bagged, or the memory of this North Shore delicacy may haunt your vehicle for months.

RESOURCES

The tools of the history-minded traveler include maps, books, historical societies, local and area chambers of commerce, libraries, and state and regional travel centers. The Internet can take travelers directly to many of these organizations and agencies.

MAPS

• The Minnesota Atlas and Gazetteer published by DeLorme contains detailed U.S. Geological Survey topographic maps depicting every area of the state. If you own an older copy, consider replacing it with the newest version, as development is quickly changing the face of the North Shore.

• U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) topographic quad maps are fantastically detailed and will reward your investment. The maps can be purchased from Twin Cities sources such as Latitudes (www.latitudesmapstore.com) or the USGS office at the University of Minnesota, or from many outfitters up the North Shore, particularly in Grand Marais.

• The Lake Superior Water Trail Association has published four maps that are unmatched for North Shore road and park detail. These can be ordered from the association’s website (www.lswta.org) or purchased at visitors centers along the shore.

BOOKS

More books have likely been written about the North Shore than about any other Minnesota travel destination. A list of many of the best titles is in the further reading section at the end of this book. City and town libraries can be wonderful resources while you are on the road. The libraries of Duluth, Two Harbors, Silver Bay, and Grand Marais are excellent. Their staffs are knowledgeable, and the local history collections are first class. Listings and links for these libraries are at the end of related chapters.

HISTORICAL SOCIETIES AND CHAMBERS OF COMMERCE

Three county historical societies, one regional history center, and