History
The Gunflint Trail has always hosted a collection of independent businesses. When the road was first being built from Grand Marais to Saganaga Lake in the early 20th century, it took a strong, self-sufficient personality to successfully start and operate a business on one of the remote lakes along the 57-mile Gunflint Trail. Sure, the fishing was wonderful, but many of the amenities of life were missing in those early years. For some early Gunflint Trail resort owners, telephones, electricity, indoor plumbing, plowed roads, and fire protection did not follow them up the Trail until decades after they’d started their business.
As a result, those early Gunflint Trail business owners’ success depended on good planning and certain ingenuity. They knew running out of milk in the winter meant a several hour trip down an unplowed gravel road to town, so they planned accordingly and made the most of their available resources. They built their cabins and lodges from logs in the woods and made repairs from a seeming jumble of spare parts.
Out of necessity, neighbors learned to help and rely on each other. Spare parts, a ride to town, or a loaf of bread became the currency of friendships. Long winter nights made dinner and a friendly game of cards with your neighbor all the more welcome.
No matter how close the friendships were, each person had their own ideas about how a business should be run. Some felt that cutting prices to the bone brought people in. Others wowed their guests with high-quality boats and motors. Indoor plumbing started to appear in the 1950s at some places, but others saw no need for it.
This same independence of mind continues today. No blanket description could possibly describe the businesses on the Trail. The owners’ personalities make each place unique.
Follow the Gunflint Trail to Saganaga Lake where Chik-Wauk Museum and Nature Center awaits your visit.
Chik-Wauk Museum presents the cultural history of the Gunflint Trail. Interpretive and interactive displays present the area’s cultural history from its prehistoric beginnings to the development of today’s unique, rural community. Pet a beaver or see if you’re as strong as a Voyageur. View evidence of the Sudbury meteorite which crashed to Earth 1.6 billion years ago. Learn to identify area wildflowers, trees, shrubs, birds, fish and mammals. A collection of pictures, videos and other historic material allows you to immerse yourself in the lives of Gunflint Trail pioneers. Young visitors can embark on a Chik-Wauk Museum scavenger hunt.
Take a journey through time. Experience the cultural and natural history of the Gunflint Trail at Chik-Wauk Museum and Nature Center.
ChikWauk Museum
