Father Baraga’s Cross in Schroeder will be moved a short distance after it was discovered it was on private property and not on land owned by the Catholic Diocese of Duluth. The trail will also be moved and straightened out and made wheelchair accessible. The work will begin at the end of June and take about one week to complete.
In 1846 Father Baraga, a Slovenian priest, and his Ojibwa guide set off by rowboat from LaPointe, Wisconsin to Grand Portage to help with an outbreak of smallpox. But a terrible storm arose and they were blown pell-mell across the lake until they skittered over a sandbar into the quiet mouth of Cross River. In praise for their safety they erected a small wooden cross at the site, then continued on with their mission of mercy. The wooden cross was later replaced with one of granite.
The “Snowshoe Priest,” as he was called, became the first bishop of upper Michigan. Father Baraga died in 1868. He is buried in the Romanesque cathedral of Marquette, and is today on the path to sainthood in the Catholic Church.
Every year thousands of tourists and locals hike down a meandering path to visit the Baraga Cross Memorial. Sometimes flowers are left as a testimonial. It is a well-loved landmark situated on the rugged shores of Lake Superior and has been thought to be on property owned by the Catholic Diocese of Duluth.
But it turns out the path and the cross itself are on land owned by Skip and Linda Lamb. The Lambs, who own and operate Lamb’s Campground, haven’t minded, but the Catholic Diocese of Duluth, in an effort to avoid potential liability, has approved funding to upgrade and maintain its property, known as the Baraga Cross Memorial, and to move the cross.
Jim Norvell and Skip Lamb went before the Schroeder Town Board on May 10 and asked the board to support the move. The board approved the idea unanimously.
Under the new plan, the cross will be moved 6-8 feet and the trail will be shifted to the east several yards and straightened out. The work will be done by Edwin E. Thoreson Inc. of Grand Marais.
“We will build a brand new 20-foot wide pathway,” said Greg Gastecki, Thoreson’s engineer who attended the meeting with Father Seamus Walsh of St. John’s Catholic Church in Grand Marais.
Approximately 400-450 cubic yards of crushed granite will be laid down, leveled, and compacted so that it will be wheelchair accessible, added Gastecki. Boulders 4-6 feet in circumference will be added to the east side of the path.
“We will also lay down some topsoil for natural plantings. These should be low-tono maintenance plants. No one is going to have time to take care of them once they are in,” Gastecki said.
Schroeder Clerk Carol Tveekrem said that maybe the Schroeder flower club might want to help with this project, and several other names of businesses connected to nurseries were bandied about.
Erosion issues which now threaten the memorial site will also be addressed, and under discussion—but not yet decided—is whether or not to cover the picnic table, or add another picnic table and cover that one also.
“Our budget is tight, but now is the time to change anything you might want to change,” said Gastecki, addressing the question posed by Supervisor Bill McKeever.
Because of the cross’s placement near the Cross River, some riprapping will be laid down to protect it from erosion, Gastecki said.
Work will begin at the end of June and take about one week to complete.
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