Photo above: Historic painting Voyageurs at Dawn by Francis Anne Hopkins, courtesy Library and Archives Canada. Right: Voyageurs of today on a canoe trip through the lakes of Voyageurs National Park. Photo courtesy National Park Service.

Voyageurs National Park Then

Europeans Come - In 1688, French explorer Jacues de Noyon spent a winter on the Rainy River, followed by other fur traders who treked west to provide furs to the demanding trade in Montreal. They met the Cree, Monsoni, and Assiniboin during those days, but they would leave during the next century, leaving the area for the fur traders and the Ojibwe, who would become their guides, as well as providers of food and pelts. Much of the trade was conducted in birch bark canoes.

Kettle Falls Hotel. The falls have been used by Native Americans to fish for sturgeon and the hotel a staple of the area since 1910, built with the money of madam Nellie Bly for lumber baron Ed Rose. Today, the hotel is open from May 1 to November 1. It's fifteen miles from the nearest road, so, once again, you'll be boating in, or flying in.

Rainy Lake Gold Rush - It was July 1893 and a local prospector was camping near the Black Bay Narrows, finding gold in quartz, what would become known as the "Little American" discovery. By March of the next year, Rainy Lake City had been born, with several hundred residents plying the gold trade and ancillery services. But it wouldn't last. Tapped out by 1898 and the town a ghost town only three years later.

Photo above: Kettle Falls Hotel. Source: National Park Service. Photo below: Snowshoe prints through the winter white. Source: National Park Service.

Voyageurs National Park Now

Over the years, the area of what is now Voyageurs National Park had been an oasis of outdoors recreation, with many private cabins and resorts dotting the landscape. In 1975, the park was born, and over time, will retain about fifty of the structures built as historic buildings, while removing others depending on the agreements made with the owners. While the visitors see much of the value of Voyageurs in the recreation, the park focuses its history with boat tours, canoe trips, and hikes that tell visitors of the stories of those French-Canadian trappers, American miners, the Ojibwe, and more.

The three visitor centers are the place to start your journey here, and a phone call prior, if you want to camp, is necessary, due to the Print before You Come Permit rules.

It's a land switching between seasons, from water to white, with a variety of landscapes and history. It straddles the border between the United States and Canada. There are Indian camps to visit and stories to be told of tough trappers who withstood the elements to make their trade. Today, you can wander through the woods on a hike (fifty miles of trails), canoe or boat by yourself on on a ranger tour. There are four major lakes; Rainy Lake, Kabetogama Lake, Namakan Lake, and Sand Point Lake. Camping here is a treat, although it takes a bit to get used to the procedure. And to look up into the night sky on a day when the Northern Lights are arcing into the atmosphere, well, it's just pretty special. Plus there's a historic hotel built by ladies of the night money, ... but you'll have to boat or fly there, too. And if your desire is to engage in winter white activities, it's a great place to snowmobile, snowshoe, or ice fish. Just remember to dress warm; it's cold here.