So, you really want to see St. Croix State Park?
Climb 100 feet to the top of the fire tower for an incredible view. But imagine not being able to leave the cab for hours. You're not allowed to read books or magazines or take a lunch break. . . . — — Map (db m205649) HM
On Fire Monument Road (State Highway 48) 0.2 miles east of Morris Avenue (County Road 140), on the left when traveling east.
This Monument is erected by The State of Minnesota under an Act of the Legislature Approved April 7th, A. D. 1899 To the Memory of Four Hundred and Eighteen Men Women and Children who perished in the Great Hinckley Forest Fire of September First A. . . . — — Map (db m2802) HM
On St. Croix Scenic Byway, on the right when traveling north.
Between three and five o’clock on the afternoon of September 1, 1894, a raging forest fire driven by strong southwest winds swept over the town of Hinckley, killing 248 residents. The conflagration burned over 480 square miles in parts of five . . . — — Map (db m206871) HM
The Snake River area was a good habitat for beaver, as well as for fish and other animals.
Beaver pelts were the prize of the fur trade—the animals' soft undercoat was ideal for processing into felt for fashionable hats. But the beaver . . . — — Map (db m206439) HM
Sayer's crew of eight voyageurs built the North West Company Fur Post in six weeks—keeping just ahead of the approaching winter.
The post was built from materials at hand: white pine for the buildings and stockade, and clay to chink the . . . — — Map (db m206258) HM
Near Voyageur Lane north of Pokegama Lake Road (County Road 7), on the left when traveling north.
Early traders followed a network of rivers inland from Lake Superior. John Sayer and his men canoed up the Brule River, down the St. Croix, and up the Snake River to get here.
When Sayer arrived here in 1804, the best road was a path in the . . . — — Map (db m206433) HM
Near Voyageur Lane north of Pokegama Lake Road (County Highway 7), on the left when traveling north.
Every spring, Ojibwe people gathered to harvest maple sap and to make sugar. They stored some of the sugar for year-round use and sold what was left. Margoe, a local Ojibwe, brought John Sayer 68 pounds of maple sugar in the spring of 1805. . . . — — Map (db m206549) HM
Near Main Street North (County Highway 61) south of Northeast 1st Avenue, on the right when traveling north.
Plotted in 1869, was named from the Chippewa word "Chengwatana" City of Pines. It was a rough lumberjack town in the early days. From here, logs were floated down the Snake River into the St. Croix River to Stillwater. A rich deposit of copper was . . . — — Map (db m44032) HM
Near Voyageur Lane north of Pokegama Lake Road (County Highway 7), on the left when traveling north.
The Ojibwe and traders alike were changed by the business dealings of the fur trade. More than furs was traded between the two groups.
By concentrating on trapping and trading furs, the Ojibwe could obtain high quality manufactured goods . . . — — Map (db m206550) HM
Near Voyageur Lane north of Pokegama Lake Road (County Road 7), on the left when traveling north.
Wild rice has long been an important food for the Ojibwe people in this region. The rice harvest remains an important seasonal event today.
Every fall the Ojibwe paddled their canoes through the shallow waters of the wild rice beds, bending . . . — — Map (db m206702) HM
Banning was a boom-town. In 1896, Martin Ring platted a village along the St. Paul and Duluth Railroad. To honor the industry, Ring named the village and streets after railroad officials.
At its peak, Banning had a population of about 300, . . . — — Map (db m204504) HM
In the early 1900s, the Banning quarry ran out of high quality stone and turned to manufacturing crushed stone to stay in business. Rocks were dumped down from the railroad track to be loaded by hand into the crusher. A bucket conveyor carried the . . . — — Map (db m204996) HM
This was the stone cutters' area. Train cars brought large stones here to be split and shaped. One splitter supplied three stone cutters. Stone cutters shaped the blocks into curbing, building stones or paving blocks. Cities across the country still . . . — — Map (db m204503) HM
Near Interstate 35 at milepost 198,, 2.3 miles north of State Highway 23, on the right when traveling north.
Lumbering first arrived in this area in the 1830s, logging the white and red pine stands along the St. Croix River. Sawmills were few and much of the pine lumber was floated down the St. Croix to the Mississippi River and on to other states. Logging . . . — — Map (db m5105) HM
This building housed steam generators, an air compressor, electric generator and other equipment.
In the early days of the quarry, work was done by hand. Later use of power tools greatly increased efficiency. The drills, crusher, elevator and . . . — — Map (db m204930) HM
After drilling and blasting, the large stones called mill blocks were brought to the stone cutting shed. Here they were sawn into even slabs for use as sidewalk pavement or smooth building stones.
A heavy iron frame held a gang of several . . . — — Map (db m204873) HM
Near Interstate 35 at milepost 208,, 1.5 miles south of Laketown Road (County Road 46), on the right when traveling south.
In the 1880's, when General Christopher C. Andrews began urging the state to consider the future of its forested lands, most Minnesotans could not believe that there might ever be a shortage of timber. But by the time of his death in 1922 the vast . . . — — Map (db m5288) HM
