Near State Highway 72, on the left when traveling north.
Can you imagine the waves on a lake this size?
If you visited this region 10,000 years ago, the sight of Glacial Lake Agassiz would have astounded you! Covering 200,000 square miles, spanning numerous present-day states and . . . — — Map (db m307646) HM
Near State Highway 72, on the left when traveling north.
The Big Bog was the last refuge for the lower 48 states' woodland caribou, which vanished in the 1940s. Although caribou survived in Minnesota for a century after they disappeared in Wisconsin and Michigan, multiple threats took their toll here. . . . — — Map (db m190013) HM
Near State Highway 72, on the left when traveling north.
An early 20th century attempt to drain the bog failed, but the old ditches still mark the invincible, yet fragile landscape.
Taking on the Bog
In 1889, the federal government appropriated almost three million acres of the Red Lake Indian . . . — — Map (db m191353) HM
On the road to the Big Bog boardwalk west of Minnesota Highway 72.
Several years of dry weather set the stage for the devastating fire of 1931
Prelude to Disaster
The bog's early settlers often set fires to burn trash or to clear land for planting. During dry spells, these fires created . . . — — Map (db m308930) HM
Norway Pine planted in memory of Harry Davidson 1894 — 1983
Harry and Vera Davidson operated Sunset Lodge on this site from 1938–1970. It included a café & bar, 9 cabins, and boat rentals. — — Map (db m199596) HM
Near Waskish Beach Road N.E. west of Minnesota Highway 72, on the right when traveling west.
As far back as 1927, walleye eggs were harvested at the mouth of the Tamarac River. Eggs collected here were sent to the State Hatchery at Redby for hatching until 1941 when the Waskish Hatchery was built as a Works Progress Administration . . . — — Map (db m272963) HM
Near Waskish Beach Road N.E. west of Minnesota Highway 72, on the right when traveling west.
River Routes
Our local rivers were used for transportation for centuries, first by Indians, later by white fur traders, explorers, trappers and hunters. From Red Lake, early travelers could canoe either to Lake Winnepeg via the . . . — — Map (db m272830) HM
Near State Highway 72 2 miles south of County Road 77, on the left when traveling north.
In 1891, government surveyors platted this area as "meadows." Travel was difficult until drainage ditch spoil piles provided a rough bed for the first road, present-day Highway 72. A road linking Baudette and Kelliher was completed in 1914. . . . — — Map (db m191359) HM
Near State Highway 72, on the left when traveling north.
Constructed by dragline in the 1960s, this ditch was used by fishermen as a marina and safe harbor. Shallow water, strong winds and big waves made mooring fishing boats difficult. Docking boats by the campground along the Tamarac River could also . . . — — Map (db m191558) HM
Near Waskish Beach Road N.E. west of Minnesota Highway 72, on the left when traveling west.
Tradition holds that Red Lake was named after its beautiful red sunsets. The name first appeared on a 1755 map as "Lac Rouge," (French, translation–Red Lake.)
The great glaciers that covered Minnesota melted, first in the . . . — — Map (db m272683) HM
Near Waskish Road NE (County Road 40) west of State Route 72.
Waskish was named by the Chippewa Indians who hunted, fished, and gathered wild rice along the Tamarack River. The Ojibway word for deer is Wawaskishi, which was shortened to Waskish by the early pioneers. The old town site was located at the . . . — — Map (db m181008) HM
Near State Highway 72, on the left when traveling north.
The Big Bog is part of the Patterned Peatland of Minnesota, whose rare landforms and plant and animal communities provide a vital resource for for scientific research, education, and recreation. A place of wonder and renewal for many, the Big Bog . . . — — Map (db m191556) HM
On Hillman Drive NE (County Highway 9) at the Big Bog State Recreation Area entrance road, on the right when traveling south on Hillman Drive NE.
The Red Lake Peatlands are one of the most intact and undisturbed ecosystems in Minnesota. However, this is not for lack of trying. Settlers tried to "tame" and drain the wilderness but were unsuccessful in making a living off the land.
The . . . — — Map (db m313352) HM
On Hillman Drive NE south of the Big Bog State Recreation Area entrance road, on the right when traveling south.
The surface area of Red Lake is 444 square miles. It is the largest lake found entirely within Minnesota borders.
Mille Lacs Lake ranks number two at 207 square miles, less than half the size of Red Lake.
Leech Lake is 175 square . . . — — Map (db m310742) HM
On Waskish Beach Road N.E. west of State Highway 72, on the left when traveling west.
The Red Lakes have a long history of walleye production that supported a successful commercial fishery, a constant subsistence fishery, a popular sport fishery, as well as provided a source of walleye eggs for introducing or enhancing walleye . . . — — Map (db m272744) HM
On Hillman Drive NE (County Highway 9) at Big Bog State Recreation Area entrance road, on the right when traveling south on Hillman Drive NE.
You are standing at the site of an old forestry station, established decades ago to fight one of the biggest foes of forests—fire!
While pickaxes and pulaskis were common fire-fighting tools, a forester's biggest weapon may have been a tower. . . . — — Map (db m207228) HM
