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Here is an aerial view of Cross River Heritage Center in Schroeder. Soon to be open, the center is a mix of history, art, and information about the west end of the county. Admission is free. Staff photo by Rob Perez
I’ve driven by the Cross River Heritage Center hundreds of times. I’ve never stopped once. I wasn’t brave enough. Maybe I was intimidated by the word ‘heritage,’ some nebulous mix of history and culture. Maybe ‘center’ was a place for other people to gather, like a community center. Maybe I was confused. How could a river have a heritage? Or maybe it was the fact that it was the last time it was open was October of 2019?
Finally, I braved the great unknown and it turns out this was a gem, hiding in plain sight. One part museum, one part visitor information center, the Cross River Heritage Center offers a reason for locals and tourists to stop in.
I’ve personally seen many tourists at the rest stop across the street, not just to stretch their legs and take in the photogenic waterfall, but also desperate for information on the area, snapping pics with their phones of the brochures on the kiosk.
Luckily, the cavalry has arrived.
The Cross River Heritage Center is now officially the first stop for Visit Cook County. Linda Jurek, executive director of Visit Cook County says “We’re looking to create a gateway experience for anyone new to the area.” Tourists will have all the information they could want about lodging, dining, hiking, and a variety of outdoor recreation. “We hope to be a warm welcome to anyone visiting Cook County,” says Erik Simula, Executive Director of Schroeder Area Historical Society.
The CRHC is also a museum. The building, three floors, is rich with art, culture, and history. Everyone curious about the history of the area will find a range of sundries. There is a broad history of the area, the first settlers, and, of course, the native people that were here long before. Upstairs you can enjoy some early North Shore architecture in a room dedicated to Edwin Lunde. Downstairs you can explore the Lost Resorts and Ghost Towns.
Those hungry for art might enjoy the 2021 exhibit of the Canadian Mounties by the artist Arnold Friberg. There are a dozen paintings of these classic, mounted officers in their familiar and vibrant red.
Additionally, there are also two Native American exhibits, featuring artifacts from Alta McQuatters, trapper, elder, and historian of the Grand Portage band of Lake Superior Chippewa. There are photos from Travis Novitsky, also a band member and lifelong nature photographer. The Ojibwe-Anishinaabe Culture exhibit at the Cross River Heritage Center is presented in collaboration with the 1854 Treaty Authority and the St. Louis County Historical Society’s American Indian Advisory Committee.
Of course, to present Canadian Mounties side by side with Native American art is to invite controversy. But the CRHC welcomes the chance to have important, sometimes tough dialogue, remembering the full history, not just the parts that look good on a canvas.
The Cross River Heritage Center will quietly and officially reopen on May 21, without much fanfare. They are still determining hours of operation, struggling to staff up and also keenly aware that their new role as first stop in Visit Cook County means they need to stay open past 4pm on Friday.
So be brave. Stop by. Go on in. You might learn something about the area, the people – then and now.
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