Trail Report:Trail Report:
Adapted from the April-May 1997 North Star: The Magazine of the North Country Trail.
by Bill Menke
Does a trail's designation as a national
scenic trail meant that it doesn't have historic points of interest? And conversely, does the fact that a trail
is designated as a national historic trail mean that it isn't scenic? The answer to both questions is--of course
not.
In the case of the newly certified segment of trail in northern Wisconsin's Brule River State Forest, the trail is both historic and scenic. Over half of the 4.2 miles of trail that was certified, follows the "Historic Portage" between the headwaters of the Bois Brule River, in the Lake Superior watershed, and the headwaters of the St. Croix River, in the Mississippi River watershed. This historic portage has been used by Native Americans, fur traders, voyageurs, and early explorers for hundreds of years as a route between the two major watersheds.
If time allowed and there wasn't a deadline for the newsletter, a little research could undoubtedly discover many interesting facts about the route. As it is, I can only share with you some of the things that I learned and observed while working on the trail last fall to get it ready for certification. Along the trail are seven sizeable stones, with small brass plates that have a name and a date--Dulhut-1680, Lesueur-1693, Carver-1768, Curot-1803, Cadotte-1819, Schoolcraft-1820, and Lucius-1886. Colorful names all, but I only recognize two.
Henry Rowe Schoolcraft is rather famous as an early explorer, at least in the lake states area. I recognize the name from my days in Minnesota. In his quest to discover the headwaters of the Mississippi River, Schoolcraft passed through Cass Lake and stopped on a large island. While camped on Star Island, he made arrangements with a local chieftan (whose name escapes me right now) to accompany him as he continued upstream toward the headwaters. Eventually Schoolcraft charted Lake Itasca, in today's Itasca State Park, as the headwaters of the Mississippi River.
I recognize the Lucius name because the route of the North Country Trail passes through Lucius Woods County Park in Solon Springs, WI. These "woods" are named after the Lucius family--prominent early settlers in the in the Solon Springs area.
When I first saw the stones, I asked the local forest manager if these persons had met their fate along the portage. The answer was no--the stones were placed some years ago by one of the local civic groups to serve as "memory stones" commorating the use of the route by someone significant to the history of the area.
Imagine the many events that have happened along this segment of the trail and the colorful campfire stories
that could be told by someone familiar with the history. Maybe someday, just such an event can be arranged as Wisconsin
members work to complete more of the trail across the state forest. In the meantime, visit the trail and see for
yourself. In addition to the historic aspects, the trail is very scenic especially where it is located near the
top of some steep hills that provide views for literally miles across the valley of the Brule. 