EXPLORING

MINNESOTA

By Stephen Nguyen

We will be examining the following pages in DeLorme’s Minnesota Atlas & Gazetteer:

Page 87 Page 75 Page 55 Page 34

PAGE 87: BACKGROUND

This page lies in the very southeastern corner of Minnesota

It is part of the Bluff Region It is made up of the Winona and Houston

Counties Sites:

Winona State University and St. Mary’s College Richard J. Dorer Memorial Hardwood State Forest Great River Bluffs State Park Beaver Creek Valley State Park Apple Blossom Drive

THE LAND: BLUFF REGION In this part of the state, you will find many bluffs,

which are steep or broad hills or cliffs, typically located near a river

Bluffs were formed because of repeated transgressions of subsidence and uplift between 550 and 350 millions of years ago When seas covered the large areas during subsidence,

layers of sedimentary rock were left on the floors of the sea and became strata of sedimentary rock once the land was uplifted again

This is the only part of the state where you will find solid bedrock, or bedrock that is close enough to the surface that it has an impact on the shape of the land

Bluff Examples

“Sugar Loaf Bluffs” in Winona, MN

More Bluffs in Winona, MN

Limestone Bluff in Winona

THE LAND: STRATA In southeastern Minnesota, the lowest sedimentary

rock was deposited first; thus, they are the oldest This older strata is primarily sandstone The younger strata that sits on top is primarily

carbonates (limestone and dolomite) These rocks resist physical erosion and they

caprock steep sandstone bluffs They dissolve very easily The underlying rock that dissolved caused

sinkholes in the land and the ground to collapse

THE LAND: DRIFTLESS AREA Glacial ice apparently did

not cover the southeastern part of the state near the Mississippi River

“Drift” refers to all materials deposited by glaciers

On page 87, you will find a Driftless Area on the upper right corner of the page. It is marked with a “Unique Natural Features” symbol (see legend)

It is known as a Driftless Area because no glacial deposit left by the ice has ever reached it

THE LAND: GOAT PRAIRIES Also marked with a “Unique Natural Features”

symbol in the DeLorme atlas, these dry, hilly prairies are located just above the Driftless Area on page 87

These prairies tend to be dry because they sit on a steep slope, soaking up the sun

They receive little water, and the dry shallow soil sits over sand or limestone

WINONA Winona is one of the major

cities on page 87 of the Atlas Winona means “first-born-

daughter” in Dakota Its location on the Mississippi

River made it Minnesota’s third-largest town in 1860

It became a major sawmilling center and received over a thousand steamboats a year by 1860

Winona profited greatly from farming In 1870, it was the fourth

wheat shipping port in the United States

Winona’s population peaked in 1900, and the city began to decline until recent decades

SITES IN WINONA J.R. Watkins Company located in the Majestic

Administration Building off East 3rd St. J.R. Watkins began his business in Winona where he

manufactured an array of pharmaceutical applications, most notably the red liniment

The company has grown into one of the largest direct sales operations in the world

It’s still a thriving business today with the help of its catalog and internet sales

You can also visit the Watkins Museum located in this building

Polish Museum (102 Liberty Street) Minnesota Marine Art Museum (800 Riverview Drive) Merchants National Bank (102 E. Third St.) Acoustic Café (77 Lafayette St)

WINONA STATE UNIVERSITY Established in 1858 when the MN State

Legislature established “normal schools”

Enrollment of about 8600 In the 2011 edition of “Best Colleges”

by U.S. News Media Group, WSU is ranked second among public universities in Minnesota

Also ranked  America’s "100 Best College Buys" for 15 years in a row for the quality and value that they convey

St. Mary’s College A Catholic college established in

1912 in Winona Enrollment of about 6000 Offers two Campuses: Winona and

Minneapolis Received recognition from Forbes,

Princeton Review, and U.S. News and Report

Richard J. Dorer Memorial Hardwood State Forest

Richard J. Dorer began working for the MN Department of Conservation in 1938

After seeing the erosion in the hillsides in southeastern MN, he developed a plan to restore the area Replant slopes with trees Acquire erosion-prone land and establish wildlife

management areas, state parks and forests The forests stretches for about 1 million acres and is

public and privately owned. The State owns about 45, 000 acres

GREAT RIVER BLUFFS STATE PARK The park is located just

southeast of Winona Its about 3000 acres long

with steep bluffs rising 500 ft

The park includes hiking trails, a campground, and stunning views

Wildlife includes 35 species of mammals, 17 species of reptiles and amphibians, and over 100 species of birds

The park offers great views of steep grassy hillsides covered with sunflowers and wild bergamot

September to mid-October are peak color months

BEAVER CREEK VALLEY STATE PARK Located in Caledonia (The

Wild Turkey Capital of MN) The park is 1,187 acres

long There are 45,474 annual

visits, and 6,437 overnight visits

The park resides in the Driftless Area

Wildlife include: deer, raccoon, muskrat, mink, badger, red and gray fox, an occasional beaver, and wild turkey. A rare animal that can be found in the park is the timber rattlesnake

APPLE BLOSSOM DRIVE Located in La Crescent

(Apple Capital of MN) Just off of Highway 61,

Apple Blossom Drive rises into the Bluff Country with wooded ravines and hills covered by apple trees, and farmlands

“17 miles of spectacular beauty- orchards, bluffs, farm lands- overlooking the Mississippi River”

Slide 2 Image Src: DeLorme Atlas & Gazetteer

Slide 4 Info Src: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bluff

Slide 4 Info Src: Landscapes of Minnesota: Hart, John

Slide 5 Img Src: http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_qMfHdW5XHs0/TESR80Oa5DI/AAAAAAAAECI/Xf6UicdCujw/s1600/249275680_f40a8ec4cb.jpg

Slide 5 Img Src: http://www.co.rice.mn.us/parks/cannon.php

Slide 5 Img Src: http://www.hbci.com/~bkuhl/winona.htm

Slide 6 Info Src: Landscapes of Minnesota: Hart, John

Slide 7 Info Src: Landscapes of Minnesota: Hart, John

Slide 7 Img Src: http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2006/04/19/driftless/

Slide 8 Info Src: http://dnr.wi.gov/org/caer/ce/eek/nature/habitat/whatprai.htm

Slide 8 Img Src: http://adventurewithbandb.blogspot.com/2008/10/beaver-creek-valley-state-park-october.html

Slide 8 Info Src: The Seven States of Minnesota: Toren, John

Slide 9 Img Src: http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_qMfHdW5XHs0/TESRGkbiTfI/AAAAAAAAECA/8gDNZVlbzzU/s1600/winona-minnesota.jpg

Slide 9 Info Src: http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/state_forests/sft00033/50years_video.html

Slide 9 Img Src: http://plainviewcvb.com/hardwood_forest.htm

Slide 10 Info Src: The Seven States of Minnesota: Toren, John

Slide 11 Info Src: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Winona_State_University

Slide 11 Img Src: http://campusfacdev.project.mnscu.edu/index.asp?Type=B_BASIC&SEC={4D0F952E-F930-40A1-8B35-20D7CF958CD8}

Slide 11 Info Src: http://www.smumn.edu/welcome-tobrst-marys/about-smu/fast-facts

Slide 11 Img Src: http://annexstadfamilyfoundation.org/saintmary1.html

Slide 12 Info Src: The Seven States of Minnesota: Toren, John

Slide 13 Img Src: http://minnesota.cbslocal.com/top-lists/best-places-to-see-fall-colors-minnesota/

Slide 13 Img Src: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_River_Bluffs_State_Park

Slide 13 Info Src: http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/state_parks/great_river_bluffs/narrative.html

Slide 14 Info Src: http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/state_parks/beaver_creek_valley/narrative.html

Slide 14 Img Src: http://www.mnartists.org/work.do?rid=236140

Slide 14 Img Src: http://www.bluffcountry.com/caledonia.htm

Slide 15 Info Src: http://www.lacrescentmn.com/appleblossom.html

Slide 15 Img Src: http://minnesotascenicbyways.com/appleBlossom.html

PAGE 75: BACKGROUND This page lies in the southern central part of

the state It is part of the Southern Prairies It is mainly made up of the Brown, Le Sueur,

Sibley and Nicollet Counties Major cities include: New Ulm, Mankato, and Le

Sueur Sites:

Minneopa State Parks Mount Kato Sakatah Singing Hills Flandrau State Park Harkin Store The Mayo House

DISTRIBUTION OF GLACIAL LANDFORMS Over a period of 60,000 years,

huge lobes of ice scattered southward across the state many times from different directions

There are 4 major lobes: Wadena, Rainy, Superior, and Des Moines

These lobes are responsible for most of Minnesota’s current landscape

The Des Moines Lobe is responsible for creating much of the present landscape in southern Minnesota

THE LAND 14,000 years ago, the Des Moines Lobe pushed

southward across MN from the Red River Valley all the way to Iowa

It deposited particles from Canada and North Dakota such as fine-textured, silty, grayish-brown till consisting mainly of shale particles

This formed a rolling till plain that has now developed the finest farmland in south central and southwestern MN

SOUTHERN PRAIRIES

When European immigrants first arrived in the Midwest, they saw a massive land of prairie grasses

Southern Minnesota was dominated by prairie grasses that were often more than head high

In the western states, grasses were drier and shorter

Today about one fifth of these western grasses remain

Almost all of the tall grass prairies of the 1850s have vanished 150,000 acres of prairie remain, which is only less

than 1% of its original content

HISTORY- TRAVERSE DES SIOUX The site where whites and Indians came

together to negotiate the sale of southern lands in MN to the Unites States resides on page 75 of the atlas

In 1851, the signing of this treaty agreed that the Sisseton and Wahpeton Dakota tribes would sell 24 million acres of land, most of southern MN, to the United States in exchange for cash, annuities, and agricultural training

The MN Historical Society has placed several kiosks around this site to explain its significance

The Nicollet County Historical Society has built a Traverse de Sioux Interpretive Center nearby

LE SUEUR, MN In Le Sueur, you will find many

industries such as warehouses, cheese factories, and canneries

The Minnesota Valley Canning Company began its operations in Le Sueur in 1903 selling sweet creamed corn

The Green Giant was introduced in 1903 as a promotional figure for the company’s peas. In 1950, the company adopted the name Green Giant

General Mills bought-out Green Giant and the headquarters no longer exist in Le Sueur

THE MAYO HOUSE The small white house

located at 118 N Main Street in Le Sueur is where the founder of Green Giant once lived

Perhaps more surprising is that the house was built by Dr. William Mayo, who practiced there for five years as his first medical practice location

Dr. Mayo and his sons moved the practice to Rochester and expanded into Mayo Clinic, the largest and most famous medical facility in the world

DAKOTA CONFLICT In 1862, the most violent battle in the state’s

history occurred in the area between New Ulm and Redwood Falls, known as the MN River Valley

The harvest of 1861 was poor, making it a harsh year for the Indians who found themselves in near starvation

Tensions arose as agents refused to give the Indians food from the warehouses until annuity payments were made from Washington which were usually late

The conflict sparked when an ignorant trader said, “if they are hungry, let them eat grass”

DAKOTA CONFLICT Four young Dakota men attacked a farm in Meeker

County, killing five white settlers Then groups of Dakota men launched a surprise attack

on the Redwood Agency, killing agents, traders, and Indians, and looted and burned buildings

They also attacked isolated farms, killed settlers, burned their belongings, as well as their houses and barns

They then attacked Fort Ridgely and New Ulm On August 23, they attacked New Ulm again, nearly

burning the whole town down The six week conflict ended on September 23, 1862,

when a mobilized army defeated the Dakota at the battle of Wood Lake, and many Dakota fled to Canada

303 Dakota were captured and to be hanged, but Abraham Lincoln only approved of 38 to be hung Occurred in Mankato on the day after Christmas, making it

the largest mass execution in American History

NEW ULM New Ulm was established by two German settlers,

Ferdinand Beinhorn and Wilhelm Pfaender By 1860, the town was populated with Germans; and

only 2 out of the 635 residents were not of German origin

In the mid 20th century, New Ulm was recognized as the Polka Capital in the United States

In 2000, the city had a greater percentage of citizens with German decent than any other city in the U.S.

HERMANN THE GERMAN A statue of a Hermann who led

the Germans in battle against the Romans in 7AD sits on top of a hill in New Ulm 102 ft tall Founded by the National Grand

Lodge of the Sons of Hermann, a fraternal organization

A second monument was put up in 1991 by the German Bohemian Heritage Society to honor the Bohemian immigrants in New Ulm

Schell Brewery is a great way to get a sense of the German heritage in the town It is the second oldest family-

owned brewery in the country Produces 38 different beers

HARKIN STORE Old store that is nestled

in the woods Located in the town of

West Newton, between New Ulm and Fort Ridgely

Preserved because of the railroad route

Closed in 1901 Much of the original

merchandise still sits on the shelves

The Minnesota Historical Society now manages the site

NEW ULM FESTIVALS The city hosts several popular festivals throughout the

year Fasching- a series of “crazy days” prior to Lent Bavarian Blast in July Oktoberfest during the first two weeks of October

Visit Domeier’s (1020 S. Minnesota St.) to find an array of unique German and Bavarian souvenirs

Fasching, New Ulm

Oktoberfest, New Ulm

Bavarian Blast, New Ulm

MINNEOPA STATE PARKS 2, 689 acres long 106, 800 annual visits Great site for bird watching

Home to a large variety of songbird species Here you will find the eastern bluebird, the western meadowlark,

and the yellow shafted flicker Established in 1905 after Minnesota passed legislation to set aside

the area for public use This made Minneopa the third state park in MN

The entire park sits on the banks of the Glacial River Warren The southern part of the park is very hilly and wooded One of the main features is the Minneopa Creek and its waterfalls

MOUNT KATO Winter sports facility Offers skiing, snowboarding, snow tubing,

and mountain biking There are 19 trails with 55 skiable acres Vertical drop of 240 feet

SAKATAH SINGING HILLS 39 mile paved trail Construction on the trail began in 1974,

which consisted of mostly gravel, and was then fully paved in 1995

Activities include: bicycling, snowmobiling, cross country skiing, walking, rollerblading, walking pets, bird watching and nature observation

Maintained by the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources

FLANDRAU STATE PARK 1,006 acres 254,650 annual visits 22,351 overnight visits Common wildlife include many types of birds, white-

tailed deer, and raccoons Landscape includes wooded riverside areas, oak forest

and grassland areas along the bluffs Mainly a floodplain forest

Slide 17 Info Src: DeLorme Atlas & Gazetteer Landscapes of Minnesota: Hart, John The Seven States of Minnesota: Toren, John

Slide 18 Info Src: Landscapes of Minnesota: Hart, John

Slide 19 Img Src: http://www.springerimages.com/Images/Geosciences/1-10.1007_s10933-008-9291-6-1

Slide 19 Info Src: Landscapes of Minnesota: Hart, John

Slide 20 Info Src: The Seven States of Minnesota: Toren, John

Slide 21 Info Src: The Seven States of Minnesota: Toren, John

Slide 22 Info Src: The Seven States of Minnesota: Toren, John

Slide 22 Img Src: http://senses.typepad.com/sensesworkingovertime/2008/09/green-giant-peas--1955.html

Slide 23 Info Src: The Seven States of Minnesota: Toren, John

Slide 23 Img Src: http://www.mnriv.com/mayo.html

Slide 23 Img Src: http://blog.lib.umn.edu/schwa735/architecture/

Slide 24 Info Src: The Seven States of Minnesota: Toren, John

Slide 25 Info Src: The Seven States of Minnesota: Toren, John

Slide 26 Info Src: The Seven States of Minnesota: Toren, John

Slide 26 Img Src: http://www.trailergypsies.com/Minnesota/New%20Ulm.htm

Slide 27 Info Src: The Seven States of Minnesota: Toren, John

Slide 27 Img Src: http://www.trailergypsies.com/Minnesota/New%20Ulm.htm

Slide 27 Img Src: http://mnprairieroots.wordpress.com/2010/08/28/learn-a-little-history-drink-a-little-beer-on-the-august-schell-brewing-company-tour/

Slide 28 Info Src: The Seven States of Minnesota: Toren, John

Slide 28 Img Src: http://minnemom.com/2008/06/25/still-no-mail-for-us-at-the-harkin-store/

Slide 28 Img Src: http://events.mnhs.org/media/Images/Sites/hs/

Slide 29 Info Src: The Seven States of Minnesota: Toren, John

Slide 29 Img Src: http://www.nujournal.com/photos/news/md/523074_1.jpg

Slide 29 Img Src: http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4079/4815406145_c238597504.jpg

Slide 29 Img Src: http://www.minnesotabeautiful.com/wp-content/uploads/image/Bavarian%20Blast%20New%20Ulm_1.jpg

Slide 30 Info Src: http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/state_parks/minneopa/narrative.html

Slide 30 Img Src: http://minnemom.com/2010/04/15/minneopa-falls-state-park-mankato-minnesota/

Slide 31 Info Src: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Kato

Slide 31 Img Src: http://www.snowrev.com/Travel/All/North-America/USA/Minnesota/Mount-Kato

Slide 32 Info and Img Src: http://www.sakatahtrail.org/about.html

Slide 33 Info Src: http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/state_parks/flandrau/narrative.html

Slide 33 Img Src: http://sistertex.com/flandrau.html

Slide 33 Img Src: http://www.panoramio.com/photo/37569683

PAGE 55: BACKGROUND

This page lies in the northeastern part of the state

It is part of the Heartland area It is made up of the Aitkin County Most notable is Lake Mille Lacs Other Sites:

Mille Lacs Indian Museum Mille Lacs Kathio State Park Wealthwood State Forest Father Hennepin State Park Solana State Forest

DISTRIBUTION OF GLACIAL LANDFORMS The Superior and Rainy Lobe is responsible for

creating much of the present landscape in northeastern Minnesota

About 30,000 to 20,000 years ago, the Superior and Rainy Lobe made its way thru northeastern Minnesota, depositing brown and reddish till from the Superior Upland This till consisted of course, sandy fragments of tough

old rocks The soils derived from this till are mostly used in dairy

farming The Rainy Lobe scoured the Superior Upland The Superior Lobe is responsible for forming the

thick, hummocky, boulder-strewn St. Croix Moraine The later advancements of the Superior Lobe formed

the moraine that cups Mille Lacs

THE HEARTLAND The heartland consists of many farms,

ranches, hills, forests, rivers, bogs and lakes It is part of the Coniferous Forests Network of rivers and trails made the area

easily accessible St. Croix, Rum, Mississippi, Crow Wing, and Ottertail

Rivers

Great history of lumbering and railroads Holds Minnesota’s largest reservations

According to the DeLorme atlas, page 55 consists mostly of Woodlands and Wetlands

AITKIN The town of Aitkin got its name from an

ambitious fur trader by the name of William Aitkin

William Aitkin established trading posts at various strategic points in the area

The town of Aitkin really came into being when the railroad reached the Mississippi from Duluth in 1870

Once the rail link to Aitkin had been established, the town flourished as a major supply base in the lumber industry Trains from Duluth brought supplies to Aitkin, and

the materials and lumbermen were brought to camps along the Upper Mississippi River by means of steamboats

AITKIN Five years after the town was founded, it had a

population of 165, with all but 20 being men Soon after, immigrants came into Aitkin and

cultivated the land Aitkin developed a bit of civilization, with church

socials, public lectures on scholarly subjects, and even an opera house

Aitkin remains a pleasant town and tourism center Explore its early history in the museum located in the

preserved train station downtown Many festivities post-Thanksgiving

Annual Fish House Parade, where decorated fish houses roll down MN Street on trailers

The American Legion Chili Cook-Off Day-long craft fair Sample the Fish House Stew provided by a local Bank via

Moose Lodge

FRANCIS LEE JACQUES MUSEUM Jacques was a famous

landscape and wildlife painter and long-time resident of Aitkin

You can see his works at the Jacques Art Center in downtown Aitkin

He created many works for the Museum of Natural History in New York City, and also the Bell Museum of Natural History at the University of Minnesota

Jacques was a farmer and also worked in other blue-collared occupations-lumberman, railroad hand, taxidermist

As he spent a good deal of time in the forests and lakes, he would depict what he saw in drawings

RICE LAKE NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE Located on Hwy 65, just South of McGregor This is an unusual natural environment that Jacques

enjoyed exploring It is most known as a seasonal home to one of the

largest populations of ring-necked ducks migrating in North America

Also known for its cultivation of wild rice Kettle River runs through it There is a nine-mile stretch with several different

habitats to explore along the drive

LAKE MILLE LACS A Mecca for fishing It’s the second-largest inland lake in

Minnesota at 132,516 acres  Premier walleye lake, with fish weighing in at

ten pounds or more The lake is very shallow with a maximum

depth of 42 feet The massive amounts of fish made the lake

appealing to white explorers and fur traders Wild rice and maple sugar also came in

abundance There were long disputes between the

French, Ojibwe, and Dakota over who claimed the land

LAKE MILLE LACS Ice-fishing began to gain popularity in the 1950s, and

continued to grow into the recent decades There are times when more than eight-thousands fishing

houses are planted on the ice These houses sit on timber frames with floors six inches

off the ice The may have 4 to 6 fishing holes measuring eight to

sixteen inches in diameter Offer propane gas heat, toilets, batter-powered stoves,

microwaves, and color television

MILLE LACS INDIAN MUSEUM This museum is

dedicated to the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe, and offers many permanent exhibits relating to the band

It opened on May 18, 1996 and is run by the MN Historical Society

In February of 2005, they celebrated the 150th anniversary of the Treaty of 1855, which established the Mille Lacs Reservation

MILLE LACS KATHIO STATE PARK 10,585 acres 133,127 annual visits This park will give you the sense of what the first

settlers found so appealing about the Mille Lacs area It contains the site of where Kathio once stood It is Minnesota’s fourth-largest park and offers hiking,

camping, swimming, and horseback riding You can get information relying the park and the

history of the town of Kathio at the interpretive center

WEALTHWOOD STATE FOREST 15, 042 acres Established in 1963 Rolling topography with small wetlands and strands of

mixed hardwoods In its history, the land was seen as very valuable for

timber production The Minnesota legislature enlarged the original size in

1963 to the current 15, 042 acres in 2000

FATHER HENNEPIN STATE PARK

320 acres 130,086 annual visits 26,359 overnight visits Named after Father Louis Hennepin, a priest

who visited the area with a French expedition in 1680 He wrote intensively about the Mille Lacs area He called the area Louisiana after King Louis XIV His journal of meeting with Dakota and the

landscape of the area are written in the book, Description of Louisiana, published in 1683

The Rainy and Superior lobe are responsible for the forest, bogs, and swamps in the area

Slide 35 Info Src: Landscapes of Minnesota: Hart, John Slide 36 Info Src: The Seven States of Minnesota: Toren, John Slide 36 Img Src: http://www.nemnatp.org/images/region.jpg

Slide 37 Info Src: http://www.landsat.com/glory-minnesota-aerial-p654724.html

Slide 37 Info Src: http://www.co.aitkin.mn.us/departments/land/forestmgmt.html

Slide 38 Info Src: The Seven States of Minnesota: Toren, John

Slide 39 Info Src: The Seven States of Minnesota: Toren, John

Slide 40 Info Src: The Seven States of Minnesota: Toren, John

Slide 40 Img Src: http://liquidnight.tumblr.com/post/171242681/francis-lee-jacques-swan-diorama-at-the-museum-of

Slide 41 Info Src: The Seven States of Minnesota: Toren, John

Slide 41 Info Src: http://www.flickr.com/photos/tiffibunny/sets/72157594177240783/detail/

Slide 42 Info Src: The Seven States of Minnesota: Toren, John

Slide 43 Info Src: Landscapes of Minnesota: Hart, John

Slide 43 Img Src: Landscapes of Minnesota: Hart, John

Slide 43 Img Src: http://www.flickr.com/photos/33275719@N02/favorites/page5/?view=lg

Slide 44 Info Src: The Seven States of Minnesota: Toren, John

Slide 44 Img Src: http://www.igougo.com/journal-j44965-Minneapolis-Fishing_Lake_Mille_Lacs.html

Slide 44 Img Src: http://events.mnhs.org/media/Kits/release.cfm?newsID=2020&SiteID=3

Slide 45 Info Src :http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/state_parks/mille_lacs_kathio/index.html

Slide 45 Info Src: The Seven States of Minnesota: Toren, John

Slide 45 Img Src: http://ookaboo.com/o/pictures/topic/1972383/Mille_Lacs_Kathio_State_Park

Slide 46 Info Src: http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/state_forests/sft00052/about.html

Slide 46 Img Src: http://www.maps7.com/picture.php?place=Mille+Lacs&address=Mille+Lacs+Lake%2C+United+States&latitude=46.363188786214&longitude=-

Slide 47 Info Src: http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/state_parks/father_hennepin/narrative.html

Slide 47 Img Src: http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_QSwDZi5_3ao/SlYV4YkdbXI/AAAAAAAAAO8/QqkNq9pc4cs/s400/BlogPhoto-Day11MilleLacsSign.JPG

Slide 48 Info Src: http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/state_forests/sft00049/index.html

PAGE 34: BACKGROUND This page is further up north and to the east than

the previous page we just explored It lies in the St. Louis County

the second-largest county in the United States east of the Rocky Mountains

Larger than the states of Connecticut and Rhode Island combined

Sits in the Mesabi Range (Iron Range) Major Cities: Hibbing and Virginia Sites:

Superior National Forest Sturgeon River State Forest Sturgeon River Trail George Washington State Forest McCarthy Beach State Park Laurentian Divide

THE LAND

Page 34 is mostly made up of coniferous forest and wetlands

This corner of the state was the last occupied by settlers, and consisted of many different immigrants You will find many Slavs and Finns here than any

other part of the state This part of the state is transitory due to its

mining On the lower part of page 34, you will find

many areas marked with a “Mine or Quarry” symbol (see legend)

IRON RANGES Minnesota has three iron ranges :

Vermillion Range- extends 25 miles from Tower to Ely, and had ore with 63 to 70 percent iron

Mesabi Range- stretches more than 100 miles long from Grand Rapids to Babbitt and south of Virginia, with ore containing 55 to 60 percent iron

Cuyuna Range- is entirely in eastern Crow Wing County and had ore with 45 to 63 percent iron. This ore was rich in manganese, which is essential for producing steel

Together, these three ranges accumulated 3 billion tons of iron ore

The Mesabi Range cuts across the lower part of page 34

IRON RANGE Prospectors and engineers had long

suspected that the old rocks beneath the wilderness near Duluth would contain valuable deposits of ore, just as similar rocks of pure copper were found by Indians on the Keeweenaw Peninsula and Marquette, Michigan These rocks came from Lake

Superior in northern Michigan Native tribes have been extracting

copper for over 5000 years The first iron mines in Minnesota

opened along the Vermillion Range From 1900 to 1980, the Mesabi

Range contributed about 60 percent of the nation’s iron ore

THE GOLD RUSH In 1865, the state of MN hired a geologist to examine

the area around Lake Vermilion for iron The geologist found something far more valuable—

gold! This started the state’s first and only gold rush

A rode from Duluth to the southern shore of a remote lake was constructed

A town developed with saloons, dry good stores, and boarding houses

Unfortunately, there was no gold to be found, and the gold rush quickly came to an end

HIBBING Sometimes considered the center of the Iron

Range Largest town in the area and sits at the heart

of the Mesabi Range The town was discovered by a German

immigrant named Frans Hibbing Worked in real estate in Duluth, and also studied

mineral exploration In 1892, he and a group of 30 men went into the

Range and found ore deposits The next summer, the town site was platted, and

named in honor of Frans Hibbing He returned the favor by financing the

construction of a water plant, and electric plant, roads, a bank, a sawmill, and a hotel via personal funds

REVENUES FROM THE IRON RANGE The Iron Range produced a great revenue for the

surrounding area Many towns on the Iron Range had more lavish

parks, schools, and community buildings than the norm, due to the property taxes brought in from the mining companies

The Hibbing Taconite Company still extracts eight million tons of ore each year

The Mesabi Range currently produces 75% of the iron ore mined in the United States

The ore extracted from the Mesabi Range produced massive amounts of steel

This steel helped produce a number of cars, airplanes, tanks, appliances, computers, cables, and many other steel appliances

THE HULL RUST MINE Located on the outskirts of

Hibbing Known as the world’s largest

open pit mine, this enormous hole in the ground stretches more than three miles long, up to two miles wide, and 600 feet deep

It was the first mine opened in the Mesabi Range

In 1895, more than 1.4 billion tons of earth was removed form it

At its peak operations, it produced more than a quarter of all the ore mined in the United States

PLACES TO VISIT To get a glimpse of the Iron Range life, head

down to the Sunrise Bakery (1813 3rd Ave E)Sample some of the miner’s favorites such as

Pasties- a Cornish meat pie, Potica- a traditional Slovenian nut bread, or Porketta- a Range favorite of rolled pork roast

BOB DYLAN Bob Dylan was born in Duluth in

1941 but grew up in Hibbing once his family moved there when he was eleven

You can drive by Dylan’s boyhood home, located on the corner of 25th Street and 7th Ave. E

Stop by Moose Lodge on a Friday for some fish fry and see the venue where Dylan and his band use to play

Zimmys, a restaurant located on Howard Street, offers a memorabilia of Dylan and some good eats

The Hibbing Public Library features a Bob Dylan exhibit in the basement, with rare yearbook photos and posters

LAURENTIAN DIVIDE

Just outside of Hibbing, you will find a unique geographical interest—a Laurentian Divide (located on page 34 in the lower right corner where Hwy 106 and Hwy 169 meet)

It marks the spot where three watersheds meet Hudson’s Bay Gulf of Mexico North Atlantic

You will see many Laurentian Divide signs throughout the northern areas of the state

This spot marks one of only two divides in the country where not two, but three drainage systems meet

BUS INDUSTRY Hibbing is home to the American

bus industry Two local entrepreneurs, Carl

Wickman and Andrew “Bus Andy” Anderson, started a bus line in 1914 Purpose was to provide

transportation for iron miners back-and-forth from Hibbing to the nearby town of Alice

The first buses could only carry a few people, but once the service became more popular, new routes were added, and the businessmen expanded there operations little by little into what is now the Greyhound Bus Line

In 1989, the Greyhound Bus Museum opened in Hibbing to celebrate the astonishing chapter in the nation’s transportation history

VIRGINIA Virginia has placed pride on itself

for having a touch of class not found in its neighboring towns

The main business district burned down twice during the early years, but the town picked itself up from the devastation both times

When a lumber baron named Frederick Weyerhauser established the Virginia and Rainy Lake Lumber Company in 1908, its mill was the largest and most modern in the world The mill covered a square mile of

land Employed 3000 lumberjacks and

1,800 workers at the mill It closed in 1929, signifying the

end of a golden era in white pine logging

VIRGINIA MINING Virginia was also rich in mining, with 20

mines operating simultaneously The Messabe Mountain Mine in Virginia was

the largest mine in the world at that time Because of the wealth generated by the

mines, people started to refer to the city as “The Queen City of the North” and the name is still retained today

Virginia, MN

VIRGINIA- SITES The appealing Chestnut Street downtown

is lined with store fronts and marquees from past periods

At the west end of Chestnut Street, you will find a train station in a three-story orange building, which now houses a bank built in 1913

Virginia was a large rail center, with four railroads running twenty trains a day in and out of the city A “Lumberjack Express” also ran from Virginia to

Cusson, hauling forest workers to their appointed destinations

The final passenger train left the Virginia station in 1961

Slide 50 Info Src: Landscapes of Minnesota: Hart, John Slide 51 Info Src: Landscapes of Minnesota: Hart, John

Slide 52 Info Src: Landscapes of Minnesota: Hart, John

Slide 53 Info Src: The Seven States of Minnesota: Toren, John

Slide 53 Img Src: http://www.ironrange.org/communities/mt-iron/

Slide 53 Img Src: http://www.cirimn.org/Mining/History/tabid/126/Default.aspx

Slide 54 Img Src: http://www.etftrends.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/gold-bars.jpg

Slide 55 Info Src: The Seven States of Minnesota: Toren, John

Slide 56 Info Src: The Seven States of Minnesota: Toren, John

Slide 56 Img Src: http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KxL7 KDnUgg/Td7AHz_ruqI/AAAAAAAABCI/nsKNPzHCKhc/s1600/2.jpg

Slide 56 Img Src: http://www.ironcityproperties.com/a/j/rental-property/belmont-apartments-apartments-for-rent-hibbing-mn

Slide 57 Info Src: The Seven States of Minnesota: Toren, John

Slide 57 Img Src: http://www.topnews.in/files/iron-ore.jpg

Slide 57 Img Src: http://www.wisconsincentral.net/Culture/Culture/AshlandOreDocks_files/page13-ironoretrain.jpg

Slide 58 Info Src: The Seven States of Minnesota: Toren, John

Slide 58 Img Src: http://www.flickr.com/photos/pmarkham/3478379111/

Slide 58 Img Src: http://pics4.city-data.com/cpicc/cfiles48569.jpg

Slide 59 Info Src: The Seven States of Minnesota: Toren, John

Slide 59 Img Src: http://staticart.ybcdn.net/adartwork/ints/000/074/145/21.1.png

Slide 59 Img Src: http://bakerypoticagift.com/var/cy/152587/1158933-callout.png

Slide 59 Img Src: http://images.meredith.com/bhg/images/recipe/ss_R059908.jpg

Slide 60 Info Src: The Seven States of Minnesota: Toren, John

Slide 60 Img Src: http://www.yogadork.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/Bob_Dylan_yoga.jpg

Slide 61 Info Src: The Seven States of Minnesota: Toren, John

Slide 61 Img Src: http://www.macalester.edu/geography/mage/curriculum/gomn/east_central_mn/hibbing/3way_water/Hibbing_3way_water2.jpg

Slide 62 Info Src : The Seven States of Minnesota: Toren, John

Slide 62 Img Src: http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3346/3606999684_c14f9833d0.jpg

Slide 62 Img Src: http://nocargo.files.wordpress.com/2010/07/greyhoundbus_300x210.jpg

Slide 63 Info Src: The Seven States of Minnesota: Toren, John

Slide 63 Img Src: http://www.lakesnwoods.com/images/Virgin55.gif

Slide 63 Img Src: http://www.moodyscollectibles.com/store/images/uploads/usviews/minnesota/11421.jpg

Slide 64 Info Src: The Seven States of Minnesota: Toren, John

Slide 64 Img Src: http://www.miningartifacts.org/Virginia__MN_open_pit_mine..jpg

Slide 65 Info Src: The Seven States of Minnesota: Toren, John