CCC: Lovelis Lake

Back in April we finally got to read what the entire Historic marker at Missouri Lake said about the CCC Camp that Far Guy’s Dad was at in the 1930’s.

He used to talk about his time in the CCCs.  He planted Pine trees near the walk to the Headwaters.  They made roads and cleared trails.  He was at the Lake Itasca Camp and Lovelis Lake Camp and the Camp on the Hanna Ore Trail.  We know where the camp is on the Hanna Ore Trail very near the lake we call Bottomless Lake.  The foundation can still be seen.  We are now searching for the one that was near Lovelis Lake.

Here is that Historical Marker.

Hopefully you can read the marker if you wish!  The important parts are : The Lovelis Lake Camp (S-57) was located about one mile north and slightly east of this marker.  Today all that remains of the camp itself are concrete foundations and a lone stone chimney.

Far Guy spent some time on Google Earth.  Finding Lovelis Lake was a Challenge…finally we found it under Lovelace Lake.  Someone was an idiot.

We took off to scout it out.

This is Lovelis Lake.  Far Guy walked around in the brush and picked up some Deer Ticks…the tiny fast little buggers.  We were hoping that we could see the lone chimney that the historic marker mentioned.  No luck.  We drove around just looking on different trails.

We finally saw three people working on a campsite, two knew nothing of the area and the other guy said it might be down at the T in the road.  We searched with no luck and finally headed toward home.

On our way out we saw smoke, someone was having a campfire…but this was his sign.  We didn’t venture any further.  We decided that he was probably serious about being left alone..who knows who lives back there in the woods.   I will ask around.

My inclination now is to search for a better map of the location of Lovelis Lake Camp..or find some Hunters that know the area well.  No doubt someone with hunting experience in this area knows right where it is.

In the meantime we have done all we can do. 

Arago Historical Marker

Recently we had a chance to stop by the Arago corner and take a photo of the historical marker there.

Arago

In 1843,the explorer Joseph N. Nicollet named a nearby lake Arago in honor of Dominique Francois Arago, a celebrated French astronomer.  Fifty years later, the name was given to the township surrounding this area.  At the turn of the century the Fairview Hotel and Arago Post Office stood in this vicinity.  Settlers here worked in the logging camps, operated sawmills grew crops and were relatively self sufficient.  After Itasca State Park was established in 1891 a stagecoach made regular trips from Park Rapids to the Itasca Post Office, stopping to rest and change horses at Arago and the place became a stopover for travelers.

US highway 71 in this area coincides with the Jefferson Highway, dedicated in 1919.  The collection of roads and trails meandered through the land area known as “The Louisiana Purchase,” acquired when Thomas Jefferson was President.  The visionaries of 1915 who committed to building this 2,300 mile highway included a delegation from Winnipeg, Manitoba, who convinced the Americans to make their city the northern origin of the Pine To Palm Highway.  The other end and ultimate destination was New Orleans, Louisiana.

******

I think this marker is maintained by The Scenic Byways Association, there are maps of the Jefferson Highway, information and a place for comment cards.

While I was the curator at the Historical Museum there was a program about this highway.  They are having a huge “to do” in Park Rapids this spring all about the Jefferson Highway.

The Jefferson Highway is also called The Pine to Palm or the Blue Road.   It’s counterpart is the east and west Red Road or The Lincoln Highway which spans from Time’s Square in New York City to Lincoln Park in San Francisco.  The Red Road was dedicated in 1913.

Some of the Jefferson Highway enthusiasts are painting JH on a white field with blue bands on power poles.  Others just did their own thing like this small wooden sign at the Arago Cemetery which is just south of the historical marker.

We like to stop at all the historical markers we come across, sometimes we don’t have time to stop, but we always enjoy a bit of history when we do.

Minnesota Woman

I am always intrigued by “Historical Markers.”  I have a hard time driving by them, I am always curious what they say..are you?

Chance wanted to get out of the car..it was a good excuse to stop.
He had a good walk, smelling all the strange smells…doing what dogs do best.
AND I got to read about Minnesota Woman and so can you! :)

Minnesota woman – the skeleton of a girl about fifteen years of age was discovered at this point in 1931 by a highway repair crew.  Although the skeleton has not been dated exactly, based on the site geology scientists believe it to be perhaps 10,000 years old.  This would make Minnesota woman one of America’s oldest human skeletons.
Two artifacts – a dagger of elk horn and a conch shell were discovered with the bones.  Archaeologists believe that the girl drowned in Glacial Lake Pelican, which adjoined Glacial Lake Agassiz, a huge body of water that covered much of northwestern Minnesota at the end of the last ice age.

Curiosity: Round Lake Historical Marker

Do you stop to read Historical Markers?  Usually I can get Far Guy to stop, " Chance might need to be walked! "  I am always curious about Historical Markers, I like to stop and read them.   Imagine my surprise when I read this one, this is about twenty miles from our home.   

Makes "What's for dinner?"  a big unanswered question.  Maybe it is the other white/dark meat. 

Who would have thunk it, not me.  Some of the Chippewa were cannibals..but apparently it is just as taboo in their culture as ours.  No I have not have my head stuck in the sand, I am sure this never came up in History Class.  I do not recall this bit of information.  I learned not to say "I do not know"  from a Social Studies Teacher who I absolutely adored, because he actually taught you something IF you listened.  His name was Harold Collins.   His answer to an  "I do not know" response was " That is INCORRECT, you knew at one point because I told you, you simply do not recall."   He was a short , slight little man, with slicked back hair, and he had eyes in the back of his head, not really but it seemed like it, not much got by him in his classroom.   He always wore a suit and usually a white shirt and a tie, and his shoes were always shined.  He had energy and taught with  his own style, continually questioning and trying to excite his students.  He died a number of years ago..I do not recall how long ago.  He was one of the only teachers I would have given you more than two cents for in our local school system, probably because he was actually teaching.   

Round Lake, I will never look at it quite the same again.   It was a nice day yesterday, the sun was out for a bit.  Having the sun come out is now an ocassion here in Minnesota, as October has been very wet, cold and dreary:)