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Faithful readers were introduced to 61 Gems, a short book of introductions to things to see and do on our North Shore, the North Coast of the United States. We covered Stoney Point, Buchanan Settlement, and the Trail of Whispering Giants. Here are some more, lesser-known gems of interest.
Old Pump House at Lakewood. Where Duluth still gets all its Lake Superior Water, along with Hermantown, Proctor, and Rice Lake Township. You can get filtered water from a spigot near the parking area while you marvel at the castle like structure with pipes 120 or so years old. Some of the reservoir’s date from the 1880’s. On a beach below the house, you can see where the 500-foot Crescent City went on the rocks. It is two miles up Old 61, now Congdon Boulevard.
Pierre the Voyageur. A statue on the Lake side of 61 just past Sonju auto dealership, there since 2011. Started out in Two Harbors but moved and refurbished. Press a button and Pierre talks to you (in French?),
Two Harbors Lighthouse and Bed and Breakfast Inn. The Lake County Historical Society has preserved a handsome lighthouse and supports it with a Lakeside B & B. Smart! (Maybe we can do something similar with Grand Marais Coast Guard Station.) Experience the angry sea, and tour the premises, but it’s hard to find the rates on the website.
Silver Creek Cliff Trail. If you drove our Highway 61 before the tunnel was built, you will recall driving on the edge of a sheer cliff—slowly, please. Old 61 is now a hiking trail, and the Gitchi Gami trailhead is nearby.
Water Tower at Gooseberry Falls State Park. Everyone has visited the Gooseberry River, and many take the trails to its falls. Many fewer, I suspect, have visited the CCC built tower. The 10,000-gallon tank no longer serves its nearby picnic area, but it is a beautiful product of architecture and stone masonry.
Iona’s Beach (SNA). Named after Iona Lind who, with husband John, ran Twin Points Resort for 50 years. (Don’t deny you wondered where that name came from.) You will find about 300 feet of pink beach. It is now managed by the Sugarloaf Association.
Madeira Pullout. There is no Portuguese drink served here, unless you bring it. But it offers the best place to snap a photo of the Split Rock Lighthouse and ponder how they got supplies and building materials to the top of the cliff. The Pullout is named for ship whose death was the last wreck before the Lighthouse was built. Sometimes you can see the remains of the Madeira that is usually below the Lake’s surface.
John Beargrease Indian Cemetery. You get there on Old Town Road which is found near the Holiday Station in Beaver Bay. While there, honor the memory of intrepid sled dog Postman after whom the annual Race is named. There are no individual headstones, but the names of those buried there are on the Historical Society-built plaque.
Black Beach at Silver Bay. The beach is black because of the taconite tailings that were dumped nearby for 25 years. The water is now clear again. Its history is the first attraction, but there is now a large municipal campground surrounding the Beach.
Wolf Ridge Environmental Learning Center. This is a big deal! Go four miles up Little Marais Road (County 6) and turn left where the signs point. Prepare to drive a fur piece past the multiple sites maintained by the Center on its 2,000 acres. Their website says, “Over 50 different classes and activities are available. Class subjects include environmental science, cultural history, contemporary environmental issues, personal growth, team building, and outdoor recreation.” …. Facilities include four classroom buildings, two dormitories, including the Margaret A. Cargill Lodge – the first renovation project in the world to receive Living Building certification – a cafeteria that serves food grown on our organic farm, a raptor aviary, two auditoriums, two indoor rock-climbing walls, and two outdoor ropes courses.” I thought I saw a farm there, too. To really understand this place, plan a half day adventure.
Cutface Creek Wayside Rest. Most Grand Maraisians probably skip this place because it is only about five miles from home. While you are there, you might find some Thomsonite stones on the shore. Good place to picnic with nice bathrooms.
A precocious 4-yearold. Not in the book but a gem who often visits our North Shore is a four-year old we would all love to claim as our grandchild. Another columnist in this paper wrote a tough love column about his clearly charming daughter. He claimed she is bad at everything except reading, from time to jokes. My reading is that she is really good at being four, and is already tough enough to be a woman in tomorrow’s world.
P.S. Last week’s column asked for readers who have visited more than the author’s 31 Gems send in the number they have seen. Mike Carlson claims 35. Pete and Carol Harris have visited 42! Anymore?
P.P.S. Where else but in this paper will we read a headline containing all the words “… cross fox, coons, coyote’s and Schrodinger’s cat?” (I could not find the umlaut key on my laptop.) And I am glad that the book banners and burners have not found home on the North Shore.
Steve Aldrich is a retired Hennepin County lawyer, judge, and mediator, serving as judge from 1997-2010. He and his wife moved here in 2016. He likes to remember that he was a Minnesota Super Family Lawyer before being elected to the bench. Now he is among the most vulnerable to viruses. Steve really enjoys doing weddings, the one thing a retired judge can do without appointment by the Chief Justice. He writes this column to learn more about his new home area and to share his learnings with others—and to indulge his curiosities. Bouquets and brickbats to the editor or stevealdrich41@gmail.com. Copyright Stephen C. Aldrich and News Herald, 2022.
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