Forest History Center, 2609 County Road 76, Grand Rapids, Minnesota
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Forest History Center | |
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Address: | 2609 County Road 76 |
City/locality- State/province | Grand Rapids, Minnesota |
County- State/province: | Itasca County, Minnesota |
State/province: | Minnesota |
Country: | United States |
Historic Function: | Forest/woods |
(47.257466° N, 93.51128° WLatitude: 47°15′26.878″N
Longitude: 93°30′40.608″W)
Contents |
Site History
This turn-of-the-century logging camp in Grand Rapids, Minnesota explores the past, present and future of the northern forests of Minnesota through costumed characters and museum exhibits. Visitors can board the moored river "wanigan," a floating cook shack, take a seat on the porch of a 1930s Minnesota Forest Service patrolman's cabin, climb a 100-foot fire tower or hike along the site's self-guided trails.
The site is filled with living-history characters who acquaint visitors with life in a 1900 logging camp. The camp cook and cook's assistants (called cookees), the company clerk, bullcook (camp janitor), saw filer, lumberjacks, barn boss (who cares for the draft horses), the blacksmith and "wood butcher" (carpenter), perform the duties of actual logging camp workers. Visitors can ask questions and can often assist them in their work.
The Forest History Center opened to the public in 1978. More than 5,000 square feet of new exhibits and a renovated visitor center, completed in 2004, look at ecology and conservation, forest products, fire, timber harvesting, population growth, the future of the forest and how visitors can impact decisions about how forests are managed and cared for.
At learning stations along a half-mile of renovated trails, visitors can see forest management techniques put into practice and take part in decision-making opportunities about forest management.
Memories and stories
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