William O'Brien State Park near Marine on St. Croix in Washington County, Minnesota — The American Midwest (Upper Plains)

White Pines

— Riverside Trail —

Photographed by McGhiever, September 15, 2021

1. White Pines Marker

Inscription.

Reaching 250 feet into the sky, with a diameter of six feet, it is easy to see why the gigantic white pine was called the monarch of the forest. The large white pines you see here today were just seedlings in 1839, when the Marine Lumber Company cut the first log in the St. Croix Valley. The white pine forests that once grew north of Marine-on-St. Croix—once considered inexhaustible—were gone by 1900, and the heyday of lumbering in the St. Croix Valley came to an end.

This is also a good place to look for river otters sliding down the banks or swimming in the river.

White Pine

Marine Lumber Company, Marine-on-St. Croix, Circa 1890

Log Jam on the St. Croix River, 1884

You can distinguish the white pine from other evergreens—look for soft, greenish blue needles in bunches of five and four- to seven-inch cones.

Erected by Minnesota Department of Natural Resources.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Environment • Industry & Commerce. A significant historical year for this entry is 1839.

Location. 45° 13.388′ N, 92° 45.355′ W. Marker is near Marine on St. Croix, Minnesota, in

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Washington County. It is in William O'Brien State Park. It can be reached from O'Brien Trail N. (County Route 33) east of Minnesota Route 95. The marker is on the Riverside Trail just southeast of the Riverside Group Campground. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Scandia MN 55073, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in the Twin Cities Metropolitan Area.

It is also in the American Midwest,

in the Corn Belt,

and in the Great River Road Region.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once Rupert’s Land,

the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

and the Northwest Territory.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 2 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Lake Alice (approx. 0.2 miles away); Native Cultures and the River (approx. 0.2 miles away); William O'Brien State Park (approx. half a mile away); Wedge Hill (approx. 0.7 miles away); The Marine Township Hall (approx. 1.8 miles away); Historic Marine on St. Croix (approx. 1.8 miles away);

White Pines Marker on the Riverside Trail along the St. Croix River image. Click for full size.

Photographed by McGhiever, September 15, 2021

2. White Pines Marker on the Riverside Trail along the St. Croix River

St. Croix National Scenic Riverway (approx. 1.8 miles away); Marine (approx. 1.8 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Marine on St. Croix.

Another marker is no longer nearby. Technological Revolution (was approx. 1.8 miles away but has been replaced with another marker now near it).

Credits. This page was last revised on September 8, 2023. It was originally submitted on September 6, 2023, by McGhiever of Minneapolis, Minnesota. This page has been viewed 125 times since then and 7 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on September 6, 2023, by McGhiever of Minneapolis, Minnesota. • J. Makali Bruton was the editor who published this page.