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Jim Marshall
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An old segment of highway is getting a new, useful life
By James R. Marshall
Almost since the glaciers began to melt and fill Lake Superior some 12,000 years ago or so, visitors and explorers have been attracted to the shores of Lake Superior now contained within Minnesota. A demanding segment of the lake’s perimeter, ancient trails were blazed here, but while the cold beauty of the shoreline intrigued early travelers, the hills, cliffs and rivers largely denied them access.
For hundreds, perhaps thousands, of years the main travel along the shore took place on the water. (Even Split Rock Lighthouse, finished in 1909, predates the highway, completed in 1924.) And yet, this area was traveled. In journals, past explorers describe periodic visits. Many visitors and residents used whatever means of travel worked best. A local man, John Beargrease, is famed for mail delivery up this route by boat and by dog sled.
All that changed, of course, with development of Highway 61. Today the expanded highway, which shifted from circling around Silver Creek Cliff to tunneling through it, is a well-trafficked route, especially in summer. Designated by the federal government as a scenic All-American Road (1 of only 15 in the country), Highway 61 offers stunning views for travelers.
Yet for those of us who love a self-propelled, two-wheeled version of transportation, the prospect of biking on this sometimes busy corridor has been daunting.
It is quite a privilege to explain that this is changing in an incredible way. Thanks to the persistence of a group of concerned Cook County resort owners joining forces with other interested parties, a paved route for bicyclists, in-line skaters, joggers and walkers is evolving. First organized as the North Shore Touring Trail Association, the group changed its name in 1999 to the Gitchi-Gami Trail Association. In close cooperation with Minnesota’s departments of Natural Resources and Transportation and with the Arrowhead Regional Development Commission and the Area Transportation Partnership, the association is developing an 86-mile non-motorized trail from Two Harbors to Grand Marais, Minnesota.
Already, 13.6 miles of the 10-foot-wide blacktopped trail are open. About 8.4 miles spread out in both directions from Split Rock Lighthouse State Park, the Tofte area has 2.5 miles, 1.5 miles are completed west of Grand Marais and 1.2 miles are near Gooseberry Falls State Park.
This summer and fall another 7 miles of trail should be under construction near Silver Creek Cliff, Temperance River State Park and Gooseberry Falls State Park. Some of the new segments are tied to highway improvements to assure the most efficient use of funds.
The trail provides a myriad of new views of the lake and a chance to explore more remote sections following the old highway route.
The current president of the Gitchi-Gami Trail Association is a familiar friend to long-term readers of this magazine and of visitors to the Minnesota shore. Lee Radzak, now in his 21st year as “keeper” of Split Rock Lighthouse, tracks progress on the trail. A fun fellow to admire, Lee does a remarkable job in everything he does. (Just look at how Split Rock Lighthouse has been maintained and developed.)
He helps to organize what has now become an annual tradition: The Gitchi-Gami Trail Ride. Part celebration of the trail, part fund-raiser, this year’s ride will be Saturday, August 21.
Unlike past years, where the ride has followed the completed portions of the Gitchi-Gami trail, this year bikers will meet at the William Kelley High School in Silver Bay. A 54-mile ride will travel round-trip along the new Forest Highway 11 from the shore to historic Toimi School. A shorter, 18-mile trip will travel Forest Highway 11 to the first rest stop and back.
Expect to see U.S. Rep. Jim Oberstar leading the pack of the North Shore Bike Ride. This national bicycling proponent is a strong friend to the Gitchi-Gami State Trail. Information on the ride can be found at www.ggta.org or contact the Split Rock Lighthouse (218-226-6372).
Anyone who likes to get out along the shore (especially my fellow bicyclists) should add a trip along the Gitchi-Gami State Trail to your summer plans.
There is already plenty to see and enjoy.
A selection of Jim Marshall’s columns of lake lore and his inland sea voyages has been published as Lake Superior Journal: Views from the Bridge by Lake Superior Port Cities Inc.