If I Were Going...: Midwest Adventure: Voyageurs National Park #2

Check! Another National Park

On our final day in Voyagers National Park, we went back to Rainy Lake to take the National Park Service boat tour. We took the Grand Tour, which covered some history and some nature. The 2.5-hour trip was only $15 each.

Boat tour

The boat leaves from the Rainy Lake Visitor Center dock. Even though the park seemed very uncrowded, the tour was sold out while we were there. So, I would recommend booking in advance. I chose this tour rather than the one that went to the historic hotel at Kettle Falls. I wish we could have seen the old hotel (just for some variety), but am glad we didn't book that tour because the ranger at Ash Lake (where that tour departs) told us that one of the boats had broken down and he had to inform all the people who had planned on the trip that they couldn't go. I found it a bit surprising that the boat hadn't been fixed yet because that part of Minnesota is BIG on boating. BIG! I seems that lots of parts and repairpersons would be available. He told us the boat breaks down all the time.

Learning about the Park

The rangers who conducted our tour said they had been doing it all summer, but seemed a bit confused about their roles. I think they had just changed up who did what. But, after a somewhat confusing boarding and safety talk, we were off. Then, everything went more smoothly.

A quick stop

Our first stop was Little American Island, the one place that we got off the boat for a very brief walk. Little American was the site of gold discovery in 1893. In the spring of 1894, development of the mine and of the nearby Rainy Lake City began. Rainy Lake City was incorporated in March and, by summer, had several hundred people, a school house, bank, general store, hotels, restaurants, a newspaper, hardware store, butcher shop and several saloons (we passed the site of the town later, but did not get off the boat there). With the development of the Little American Mine, other prospectors entered into the search, developing mines on nearby Dryweed Island, Big American Island and Bushyhead Island.

Ranger talk

The gold was embedded in a vein of white quartz that runs through many of the small islands in Rainy Lake. According to the ranger, the gold was very difficult to extract and wasn't particularly plentiful, so, when gold was discovered in the Yukon, the Minnesota gold camps were quickly abandoned. The rush was a bust by 1898. The town of Rainy Lake City was gone by 1901.

However, the island bears lots of scars from the mining, including caves where the quartz vein was removed ...

Mining scar

... pits (this one inhabited by a Green Frog) ...

An old mining pit is now a cozy home

... and abandoned equipment ...

The land is reclaiming the old equipment

But, the island also has some natural beauty ...

Gorgeous

After visiting Little American, we reboarded the boat and headed on, passing lake grasses and wild rice.

Wild rice

Next, we passed by Harry Oveson's Fish Camp, an intact commercial fishing camp. There are still several structures, including Oveson's house, an ice house and a fish processing building.

Large fishing operations began on the Rainy River in 1892. By the early 1900s, seven or eight fishing companies operated in the area, most further south on Crane Lake. The main production was caviar, taken from the eggs of lake sturgeon. Because of exceptionally long distances to market and a lack of refrigeration, all the large operations were gone by the 1930s

Family fishing replaced the large operations. By 1910, there were 48 family businesses that sold their catches at local auctions at Kettle Falls. By 1923, commercial fishing was banned on Kabetogama Lake. By 1942 only 10 licensed family operations were active. Overson's, which operated in the 1950s, is the best preserved.

An old fish camp

The boat tour was the final part of out visit to Voyageurs -- my 53rd National Park. The main takeaway for the visit was that when NPS says something is water-based, believe it. Had we not booked a fishing guide, rented a boat and taken a boat tour, we would not have gotten any sense of the park.

For someone who likes to fish and who enjoys a more laid back vacation, I think a houseboat might be a good option. But, that's a seven-day commitment. For us, the three days were perfect.