Legendary Minnesota

Rain and wind challenged our week in the Northwoods. Marlene was laid up because of her injury from crossing the Mississippi River. The swelling is down, but she is still icing and resting it. The rain and cold winds were also not encouraging for getting out and about. So, this week's blog will be more about this area and what I have learned from the Northwoods of Minnesota.

Welcome to Bemidji,MN

As we explored Bemidji, I discovered that the lore and popular culture are filled with legends, caricatures, and mythology. But when I looked beneath them, I found a beach full of stunning grains of truth! Welcome to Bemidji, the heart of Minnesota's Northwoods and the home to Paul Bunyan and Babe, The Headwaters of The Mississippi, fascinating Indian Culture, and a unique geology.

 

Minnesota is known as the Land of 10,000 lakes. These lakes rest in depressions formed when the glaciers retreated 12,000 years ago from a bedrock laid down 1.1 billion years ago. That bedrock of volcanic and sedimentary rock has been kneaded, folded, and eroded by the same forces that created the rest of North America. But starting a little over a million years ago, a series of glacial periods scraped and redeposited moraines, forming huge lakes rivaling the waters of the present-day Great Lakes. They also carved broad valleys and rolling hills. Today, this Land is collectively called the Northwoods because they are home to lakes teeming with Walleye and Muskie, woodlands filled with hundreds of species of birds, beaver, the occasional bear, and the rare moose who wander down from the north. For the last 3,000 years, humans have been moving through the area, leaving indelible marks on the Land.

 

The Anishinaabe People began migrating from Eastern Canada 500 years ago as they followed the Great Lakes waters. They became known as the Ojibwe to the French and Chippewa to the English. Other groups emerged out of this migration, including the Algonquin and Potawatomie. The Mississauga returned to the Great Lakes. These groups share a common root language, shared beliefs, and a history of care for the Land and waters of the region.

 

They started at Turtle Island in present-day Montreal. Their second Stopping point was the concave falls, known today as Niagara Falls. They then moved on to the narrow straits of present-day Detroit, where the tribe divided with bands moving in different directions. The Ojibwe continued West and settled along the North Shore of present-day Lake Superior, where we ended our week. This great migration is remembered in the oral traditions of each of the tribes and speaks of a people moving forward under the guidance and protection of the Great Spirit, Gitchi, for whom they named Lake Superior, Gitchigami (Longfellow renamed it Gitchigumi in his poem). The Chippewa are still present on the Land and waters but have yielded much of their influence to the French Voyageurs who came into the area in the 1600s, the British Explorers and trappers who followed them in the early 1700s, and the northern European farmers, shopkeepers and developers who began arriving in the mid to late 1800s.

 

Lake Itasca at the Source of the Mississippi

These shopkeepers found a land dotted with lakes surrounded by marshes and bogs. In places, the water flowed into small rivers. In 1832, the Indian agent Henry Rowe Schoolcraft, an Ojibwe guide, and a survey crew set out to explore the Upper Mississippi. Their expedition was supported by the US Department of War to find and make permanent peace with the Native people in the area. European Explorers had been searching for the Headwaters of the Mississippi since it was "discovered" by DeSoto in 1541. Schoolcraft and his crew navigated the River to a lake the Guide called Bemidji. But the River appeared and disappeared in the marsh. The Guide led him to a lake South of Bemidji, which his Guide called Elk Lake. As they surveyed the area, they discovered the first sustainable flow of water that he declared the Headwaters of the Mississippi. He renamed the lake Itasca, from the Latin meaning "true source". While this declaration has faced many challenges over the years, most cartographers believe that Schoolcraft was correct.

 

The Mississippi River

In the 1930s, FDR’s CCC came to Lake Itasca and channeled the swamp at the lake's north end, forming a visible Mississippi River, creating a State Park, and placing large rocks across the stream where it forms at the shore of the lake. Their work has become the Headwaters of the Mississippi, where thousands of people have walked across the Mississippi. But the present layout is deceptive. Land and water are not distinct elements; they are integrated ecosystems of water, land, flora, fauna, and human beings that require respect and stewardship to survive the human footprint.

 

Chief Bemidji

In the 1880s, lumber mills began to arrive, and the logging industry took root to supply lumber for the cities springing up all along the Mississippi River to the South. The loggers discovered an Ojibwe man living by Lake Bemidji. The name means a lake with rivers on both ends. The man was Shaynowishkung (He Who Rattles). He hunted in the area as a child and dreamed of returning one day. After losing his wife, he moved his children to a lodge on the south side of the lake. For ten years, he watched whites move into the area. He did his best to befriend them, helping them to see the lake and surrounding forest through his eyes. He believed they could all live in harmony if they respected the Land, the water, and the people. But the arrival of the Great Northern Railroad spelled the end of his time on the lake; the European settlers called him Chief Bemidji after the lake, and the city that grew along the shores became known as Bemidji. Many remembered him for the rattles that he wore to shake off negativity within and around him. But the Railroad needed the lake to ship lumber downriver, and the Chief was forcibly removed to the Leech Lake Reservation, where he died of pneumonia a few years later. But the people of Bemidji had not forgotten their "Chief," and he was returned and buried in the Land he loved.

 

Bemidji Visitor Center

As logging became the primary way of life in the Northwoods, people began telling stories that reflected who they were and what they believed. Legends of a giant lumberjack named Paul Bunyan and his faithful companion, Babe the Blue Ox. These stories began in the bunkhouses of logging camps across Southern Canada and the Northern US. His size and deeds varied with the imaginations of the men telling the stories and their desire to entertain. Some stories told of his creating the Grand Canyon by dragging his axe across a desert and forming Lake Bemidji with his footprint. (The lake is shaped like a boot print in the mud.) This was our second encounter with statues of Paul Bunyan and Babe. The first was in the Redwoods of Northern California. As legends or folklore, these stories tell us about the people who created them. They believed in the human ability to shape their world. They saw the forest as a subject to be explored and used rather than as an object of awe and respect. These outsized stories speak of an outsized culture sweeping through the Northwoods on steel rails and swinging sharpened steel axes.

 

The Beach at Diamond Point Park

Our last day in Bemidji started out cold and wet, but the Sun finally came out after lunch. We took the opportunity to do some much-delayed exploring around the city. Our first stop was Diamond Point Park behind Bemidji State University on the shores of the lake. We enjoyed a fun hour seeing some familiar birds dressed in their Springtime finery that we never see in Texas. We watched squirrels and chipmunks play under the trees. We spotted two new species, the Yellow-throated Vireo and the Blackpoll Warbler. I also watched either a Beaver or an Otter swimming along the shore, but only popping up briefly before moving on. We then moved down to downtown, where we paid homage to Chief Bemidji's Statue and walked through the Chippewa Trading Post with their re-purposed Muffler Man Statue, now dressed like an Ojibwe Warrior. It was a fun way to end our stay in Bemidji.

 

Paul Bunyan and Babe

Re-purposed Muffler Man

Rocks from all Fifty States and Canadian Provinces

Common Mergansers in Breeding Color

Shore of Lake Bemidji

Tennessee Warbler

Blackpoll Warbler

Where's that bug?

Eastern Gray Squirrel Hiding

Female Common Merganser

Eastern Gray Squirrel with Ear Tufts

American Crow

Playful Buddies

Chipmunk

Pair of Golden Eye in Breeding Color

Spotted Sandpiper

Female Goldeneye

Chipmunk Portrait

Artwork in Downtown Bemidji

A Last Goodbye to Paul and Babe

 

Burlington Bay Camground

The next day, we packed up on another cold, wet morning and made our first southward drive since we had left the Rio Grande Valley on March 1^st. We drove through the Chippewa National Forest. We crossed a marshy Mississippi River and countless small lakes and bogs. We arrived in Duluth, MN, and started up the North Shore of Lake Superior. I am grateful that this was the Thursday before Memorial Day weekend because this is a trendy destination to begin the Summer. The temps had warmed somewhat, and the Sun was shining. We set up Koko and settled in for one day of lousy weather before exploring The North Shore and all its wonders.

 

Burlington Bay

Two Harbors Lighthouse Point

 

Thank you, Bemidji!

Reflecting on our second week in Minnesota, I can appreciate all the legends surrounding this beautiful countryside. We are seeing it during a wet and cool spring. But a few months earlier would have been a different story. The lakes freeze with 1-2 feet of ice each year. The clerk at the Trading Post told us that people who live on the north side of Lake Bemidji commute across the frozen lake in the winter. The bitter cold, driven by high winds, makes life a challenge. Yet people have been living here for at least 3,000 years. The Land is as unforgiving as it is bountiful. But, to survive and thrive requires resilience and courage that inspires awe in this Southerner. These people live among legendary creatures in a land of folklore and campfire stories. I look forward to further exploration of the Northwoods along the North Shore. This is truly a special place, and Bemidji has earned the Sun's rays that fill the sky over the city!

 

I am glad you are along for the ride. I look forward to sharing more of our adventures.

 

Travel well, my friends!

 

Bob

At Elk Lake

 

 

Crossing the Divides

As we drove to Fergus Falls from Sioux Falls, we saw a sign that read "Continental Divide." We have crossed several Continental Divides in our travels. Generally, however, these have been atop high mountain passes or over small hills in the New Mexico Desert. What was one doing in the Lake Country of Minnesota? I knew we were on an adventure in a new land for both of us, and I had much to learn about divides and other things!

Crossing the Mississippi

I learned that North America has more than one Continental Divide. There are actually five of them in the United States. The Great Divide runs from Central America to Alaska through the Rocky Mountains. The Great Basin surrounds the Great Salt Lake. The Laurentian runs into the US in North Dakota. Then, it dips into Minnesota before returning to Canada outside International Falls. St. Lawrence runs through Wisconsin, South of Michigan, within a few miles of Lake Erie, Lake Ontario, and the St. Lawrence River. The last one, the Eastern Divide, runs along the Blue Ridge. The three eastern divides empty into the Atlantic while the Great Divide flows into the Pacific. Each one defines a unique area of the continent and offers fascinating insights into our travels. They challenge our understanding of our continent. It is time to discover the Laurentian Divide that empties into Hudson Bay nearly 1,000 miles away in the land of Polar Bears and the Northern Lights.

 

We began our week by making a beautiful drive from Sioux Falls, SD, to Fergus Falls, MN. Our only regret from our stay in Sioux Falls was that the Northern Lights that filled the skies throughout the US had failed to light up the sky at our campsite. But this drive was incredible. We enjoyed the last of the prairie, of “Little House on the Prairie" fame, and entered The Lake Country of Minnesota. We drove through South Dakota, North Dakota, and into Minnesota and seldom knew when we had crossed a state line. This is a special place, quite apart from the political lines on the map. 

 

A most agreeable ampsite!

We arrived at our campsite at The Fergus Falls KOA in Fergus Falls, MN. This portion of Minnesota has been inhabited for at least 3,000 years. The Anishshanabe, also known as the Ojibwe or Chippewa, has been here throughout its history. Immigrants from the Eastern Seaboard and Scandinavia have been here for less than 200 years. The land has provided a bounty to hundreds of generations of Native Families and nearly a decade of fur trappers until they were pushed aside to make room for expansive farms. At the same time, the rivers were “tamed” to run factories. Fergus Falls was the site of several mills and a railroad stop that brought industry and agriculture to the land of 1,000 lakes.

 

Otto the Otter

On Monday, we set out to wander around Fergus Falls. We started our wander at “Otto the Otter” at Grotto Lake. Otto the Otter is the kitschy statue of the mascot for Fergus Falls. He is a painted Concrete Sculpture of a cute River Otter. But we soon discovered that the shores of Grotto Lake had a rookery where Ring-Billed Gulls, Great Egrets, White Pelicans, and Double-Crested Cormorants were all fighting for nesting space on a little island and in the trees along the bank. (Life lesson # 379 - Do not park under tall trees in a nesting area.) Here are a few shots of Otto and the rookery.

 

 A Goose on a mission

A Crowded Rookery

Incoming!!!

Peace on the water

The High Rent District

Making Room

Dancing in the air

Dancing in the trees

A Great Egret Soars

The Ring-billed Gull soars as well

Not so graceful landing

Ah, but once they land!

A Noble Pose

Preening

A quiet day at the park.

Goodbye, Otto!

 

The Otter Tail River

Our next stop was the River Walk, which follows the Otter Tail River as it flows through downtown. The river provides electricity to much of the area through a small hydro plant in town. This dam was one of several that used to exist along the length of the rover that powered flour and cloth mills. But nature does not always cooperate with our human schemes. But I am getting ahead of myself.

Guess who?

A couple of squabbling Drakes

A victor emerges

A Proud Hen

A Drake thumbing his nose, err wing.

"And he's all mine!"

The Dam

Downtown Fergus Falls

Music for the playing

Beautiful old buildings

Americana

On Tuesday, we set out to wander a bit further afield by driving part of the Otter Tail Scenic Byway along the Laurentian Continental Divide. The name Otter Tail comes from the Ojibwe People, who named this hunting ground after the large "Otter Tail" shape they saw in the region's major lake. The Byway follows the Otter Tail River through Otter Tail County to Lake Otter Tail near Ottertail, MN.

 

Along the Broken Dam Trail

Our wandering began with a beautiful walk along the Otter Tail River just outside Fergus Falls, which took us to the site of the Broken Down Dam. (Yep, those Capitals indicate the site's official name.) The dam's engineering was faulty, and it failed in the middle of the night when water began pouring into the powerhouse. When the center gave way, a wall of water destroyed property in Fergus Fall, including two mills. There was no loss of life, but the damage was massive. Later investigations found that natural springs beneath the dam meant the failure was unavoidable. It was the end of the heavy industrialization, and a slow process began that led to greater reliance on agriculture. Yep, nature often wins when we challenge it with our plans.

 

The Broken Down Dam

The Otter Tail River

The Old Minnesota Treatment Center

Our next stop in our wandering took us to the former Minnesota State Treatment Center, located on a high hill above Fergus Falls. This majestic building complex sits on beautifully landscaped gardens amid a very expensive neighborhood. To fully appreciate this place, I had to imagine being here on a dark and stormy night with the wind howling through the trees. Developers have been trying to purchase this property since the hospital closed in 2008. The State and City have resisted so far. I suspect it is just a matter of time before this beautiful piece of history is torn down by greed and a lack of political courage.

 

Classy Architecture

The Outside Area for the Facility

 

We drove back toward our campground and stopped at the Big Chief Gas Station. This stop on I 94 sits on top of the Laurentian Divide. Here, I learned about the multiple Continental Divides that separate the watersheds for the major rivers of North America. The observation point at this stop told the story of this Divide as well as the inhabitants of the area.

 

There was a bit more kitsch to enjoy. A large Tripod and Transit paid homage to those who surveyed the area for the white settlers. The painted concrete Bison remembered the days when Bison roamed the area. There was also a skeleton of a teepee. Kitsch is generally less about the subjects than the ones who create it. The traits and tripod were pretty accurate. But the other two were more caricatures than art, and they took themselves very seriously. Bison were here but were more well-known on the plains. And the Teepee was not used by the Anishinaabe. They were used on the Plains by the Sioux. These stereotypes were etched in stone, betraying a lack of understanding or genuine appreciation for things beyond their culture.

Bison Sculpture

Transit and Tripod

The Laurentian Continental Divide

View from the top of ther divide

Trumpeter Swans

On the way to our next stop, we found these young Trumpeter Swans enjoying a day in their pond. While they share the water with Canada Geese, these Swans claim the most attention. They are incredibly graceful as well and very large.

 

Stretching their wings

The Goose was not to be outdone.

Gliding Along

Another View of the Divide

We arrived at Inspiration Peak atop Mount Leaf. This glacial moraine is the highest point in this part of the county. It overlooks the land along the Divide. The Peak is 400 feet above the surrounding land. When Sinclair Lewis, a native Minnesotan, stood here, he challenged all the people of Minnesota to discover this place's beauty and be proud of their native land.

Wood Violets

Dandilions

Anemone

A steep part of the climb

Looking toward Canada

A few miles further, we came upon Vining, MN, home to Nyberg Park and a collection of the best kitsch I saw in Lake Country. The Park is named after Karen Nyberg, an astronaut from Vining. The painted iron sculptures do not take themselves too seriously and bring a smile to the visitor. And each one achieved its goal. I smiled all the way through.

 

The Sculptor?

 

Chief Wenonga

Our next stop was in Battle Lake, MN, along the shores of Battle Lake. This lake was named by the Anishinaabe People after they lost a significant battle with the Dakota in 1795. Gretaly outnimv-bered by the Dakota, their Chief, Uk-ke-waus, sent his battle-weary warriors into a retreat under the leadership of a young Chief named Wenonga, who had been badly wounded in the battle. The older Chief, along with his three sons, continued the fight and was killed in battle. Only 50 Anishanabe survived the battle, and they named the lake “ish-quan-a-de-win-ing," which means "where but few survived.” A battle in 1850 drove the Dakota from the area. The statue of the young Chief sits on the shoreline as he gazes across the water to the site of the battle.

 

The Otter

Our last stop for the day was Ottertail, MN, where we met The Otter. This sculpture sat at the entrance to town, and I got the feeling that it was The Otter, as opposed to an Otter like Otto. The Otter was in a lovely manicured setting, and the sculptor took time to tell the story of the Otter holding a fish with its paw as it prepped to chow down. The Town of Ottertail sits on the edge of Ottertail Lake. With due homage paid to Ottertail and The Otter, we returned to Swan Lake to prepare for our last full day in Fergus Falls.

 

Otter Tail Lake

Yep, the water was cold!

Claiming his prize

A Bee forages nearby

On Wednesday, we drove to Moorhead, MN, and Fargo, ND, to enjoy an evening with our niece, Hope, and family. It was a foul day of cold wind and rain, so we had to limit our sightseeing to a brief drive through the cities after pizza with the family. We look forward to returning to the area to visit Hope, Chris, and family and check out the Hjemkomst Center with its Viking Ship and Staav Church Restoration and the 12ft Dilly Bar at the Dairy Queen, where the bar was created. Thanks, Hope and Chris. We look forward to our next trip to Moorhead and Fargo.

 

Our all-too-brief sojourn in Fergus Falls ended, and we set out for a week at the Bemidji KOA in Bemidji, MN. This drive took us through The Lake Country, where every depression in the rolling hills held a lake. Many were dotted with waterfowl. Soon, the Lakes yielded to woodlands where a mix of Birch, Pine, Poplar, and Ash covered the hills, which became more pronounced and scenic. We had entered the  Northwoods of Minnesota. These highlands on the south side of the Laurentian Divide are the headwaters of the Mississippi River as it begins its 2,500-mile journey to the Gulf of Mexico.

 

Our first day in the Northwoods took us to Itasca State Park, where the headwaters of the Mississippi. This has been a long-held bucket list destination for me. I wanted to walk across the Mississippi barefoot as the water emerged from Lake Itasca. The source of the headwaters was found after decades of surveying and searching. The search ended when the Ojibwe Chief, Ozawindib, led Henry Rowe Schoolcraft to this spot in 1832. While the Native People called it Elk Lake, Schoolcraft renamed it “Itasca," meaning "true head," in some 18th-century marketing for his discovery. 

 

We began our wander by checking out this beautiful lake. These are natural lakes, and they are brimming with life. Even though they freeze over every winter, when the ice leaves, life springs back. The shorelines are filled with flowers and tall trees. Birds were singing all around as we walked the trails. We heard American Redstarts, Black and White Warblers, Chestnut-Sided Warblers, Red-Breasted Nuthatches, Red-eyed Vireos, Blue-Headed Vireos, Ovenbirds, Blackburnian Warblers, Common Yellowthroat, and Northern Parula. We must find ways to get out and see these birds while we are here. This will be one of our challenges during our wandering.

Lake Itasca

Along the trail

A trillium

Marsh Marigolds

Posing with a favorite flower

Could be Canada, Beaver gnawed stump and trillium.

The Northwood's Birch

Marlene at the Headwaters

I have previously mentioned that Bucket List items have a high degree of disappointment for me. They seldom live up to my expectations. This stop was a case in point. The site was filled with young people working their way back and forth across the rocks when we reached the Headwaters. There was little concern for others as they made their way to fulfill their own Bucket List adventure. Marlene and I decided that I would take her picture as she made her way across, and then she would take mine when I made the trip. Unfortunately, the rocks were a bit more slippery than the young folks made them appear.

 

Starting her journey

Starting Strong

The Mississippi River Headwaters

Just downstream a bit

Marlene Pondering a Fateful Step

Marlene gave it a noble try, but one fateful step led to her falling into the river. She likely dislocated a toe but was otherwise unhurt. What was remarkable was only one single person attempted to help her return to dry land. She signaled that she was okay and found her way back, soaked and limping. Learning from her experience, I reconsidered my journey across the rocks. After applying some predictive analysis, I became convinced this was a younger person's stunt, so I settled for the log bridge about 50 fifty feet downriver. While contemplating this, two busloads of school children were unleashed by their teachers in the small area, and we were all drowned by hordes of screaming little "Jeffery Barones". At the same time, their chaperones stood by and smiled. (If you do not get that reference, check out the show "Everybody Loves Raymond"; it will become abundantly clear.)

 

 

The Mississippi Trail

The Mississippi River

 

Clear, clean, and cold water

We decided to drive through the park and enjoy some beautiful lake vistas, complete with Beaver Lodges. We returned to the headwaters when we saw the school buses leaving the parking lot and returned to take a few more pictures of the clear, clean water of the Mississippi. (I don’t think I have ever described that river with those words before!)

 

A beaver lodge in a large beaver pond

A Beaver Pond

Elk Lake

Into Mary's Lake

Another beaver lodge

Our wandering in the Northwoods is just beginning, and, no doubt, will be somewhat limited by Marlene's sore foot. But we will explore this new land filled with many new birds. Stay with us as we seek out all the critters, geology, and history of North Minnesota. I have even heard that there are a few Moose to be found when we head to Lake Superior next week.

 

Prompted by that sign last week, I started out the week pondering the "Continental Divides" in my life. Our lives are a series of divides that must be crossed. Our teen years moved us from childhood into adulthood. Our apprenticeship or college years moved us from Unskilled to Skilled workers. The loss of a parent or spouse forced us to cross an often times rocky and slippery grief. While I was prepared to cross the US, East to West, I was not ready to crisscross the Laurentian Divide. I did not even know it existed. The mere existence of a continental divide in Minnesota gave me pause to reflect. Fortunately, many divides, like the Laurentian, only require a little preparation. But others will demand more resources than we may have or are willing to use. The first step requires us to recognize these divides and muster the courage and resources they will need. Such crossings have shaped and will continue to shape our lives ahead.

 

Watch for those Continental Divide signs in your life. Pay attention to the little divides that set us on each new journey. Joy and insight arrive with each new Divide we cross, even when the divides prove intractable or frustrating. Each one will offer us untold wealth if we pay attention and keep moving!

 

The adventure awaits. I am glad you are along for the ride, and I hope you are experiencing some of the joy and challenge with us.

 

Travel well, my friends,

Bob