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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
