A new watercraft exhibit is under construction at Chik- Wauk Museum & Nature Center located 57 miles northwest of Grand Marais up the Gunflint Trail. When completed next year, the 24- by 36- foot building will house up to 12 vintage watercraft that were at one time integral to early life on the Gunflint Trail.
The museum is located within the historic Chik-Wauk Lodge on Saganaga Lake and presents the area’s cultural and natural history through interpretive and interactive exhibits. Since it opened in 2010, the museum has educated people about the Gunflint Trail’s prehistoric beginnings and people who helped shape the region, including Native Americans, voyageurs, miners, loggers, resort owners, and residents.
“The canoes and boats were donated by private resort owners and citizens and will tell the unique stories of how the Gunflint community was explored, settled and grew,” said Dave Tuttle of Gunflint Trail Historical Society. “The new watercraft exhibit building was supported through a tremendous amount of private financial donations, many volunteer hours, and some state grant funding.”
Chik-Wauk Museum and Nature Center has 8,000 visitors annually and is open daily Memorial Day weekend through the third weekend of October. Managed by the Gunflint Trail Historical Society, the museum encompasses a nature center, interpretive center with historical artifacts and a network of nature trails crossing the 50-acre grounds.
This project was supported through a Culture and Tourism grant from Iron Range Resources & Rehabilitation, as well a Legacy grant from the Minnesota Historical Society. Email Danae Beaudette or call her at 218-735-3022 for more information.
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