Day 2, September 22, Touring Around Bemidji

The fun begins! It was a chilly 8C this morning
We loaded up onto a coach bus and were off by 8:15
Our first stop was at the Bemidji Woolen Mill which has been in business for 98 years. A young employee gave us a tour of the facility, explaining the process of how the raw wool arrives from the sheep farmers and is turned into beautiful fabrics.

This is the carding machine that is over 100 years old

There are a lot of various sewing machines, which were idle, since it is Saturday.

Next stop was at the Great Northern Depot.
The Great Northern Depot is the last depot built by Empire Builder James J. Hill. It was built in 1912 as a passenger and shipping depot for the Great Northern Railroad in Bemidji, Minnesota. It went on the National Register of Historic Places in 1988. A collaboration between state and local government, community groups, and private individuals restored the Great Northern Depot in 2001 and opened it as the Beltrami County History Center, operated by the Beltrami County Historical Society. It now serves as a history museum and archives, open to the public year round. It features multiple history exhibit galleries, a unique gift shop, and a research room and archives.
The building is a one-story hipped roof, brick and limestone structure with arched windows and wide eaves influenced by the Arts and Crafts Era of architectural design. The interior features a restored telegraph office, terrazzo marble floors, and restored woodwork.

We look so small!

Then it was off to the requisite Visitor Centre, where a Docent explained the history of Bemidji and introduced us to Paul Bunyan and Babe, the Blue Ox.Overly broad-shouldered and boxy, the 18-foot-tall, 7.5-ton Paul was built of steel and concrete in January 1937
As some stories go, the idea of building a giant statue of the town’s lumberjack son was conceived over sharing a pint (or two). 737 man hours, and 2.5 tons later, a national tourism legend was proudly born. After more than 50 years of towering Lake Bemidji, the statues were officially honored by the National Parks Service as a cultural resource worthy of preservation, adding them to the National Register of Historic Places. Today, the statues of Paul Bunyan and Babe the Blue Ox are recognized as the second most photographed roadside attraction in the nation.
Built in 1937, Paul Bunyan and his Blue Ox Babe stand along the shore of Lake Bemidji near the Tourist Information Center. True to their Bemidji roots, this larger than life duo were known to work hard and play harder!

The Fireplace of States began in the 1920’s when a local resort owner named Harry E. Roese  began collecting stones from around the state to be used for a giant fireplace at his resort on Lake Bemidji. As his stockpile of stones grew, he went on to write hundreds of letters to state governors and officials, Canadian provincial governors, high ranking officials at our nation’s state parks, and even the President of the US, soliciting stones to be used in the fireplace’s construction. After the collection was amassed, he caught the attention of the US Federal Works Progress Administration.  The chief goal of the WPA was to put people to work during the Great Depression, often building roads, structures, water towers, etc.

Wading in the Headwaters

Back on the bus for the drive to Itasca State Park which houses the headwaters of the Mississippi River.At Itasca State Park, the mighty Mississippi River begins its 2,552-mile journey to the Gulf of Mexico.Come relax aboard the “Chester Charles II” on beautiful Lake Itasca, the source of the mighty Mississippi River.

Marker signifying the Headwaters

Next we were treated to a cruise on Lake Itasca aboard the Chester Charles 11, where we were given a box lunch to eat on board. We saw bald eagles soaring and wild rice growing along the shore.

The tour follows the same route taken by Ozawindib in 1832 when he guided Henry Rowe Schoolcraft to the Headwaters of the Mississippi River where they recorded the source of the greatest river in the United States as it begins its flow 2,552 miles to the Gulf of Mexico.

The day concluded with an interesting talk by a local archaeologist who enlightened us on the fascinating history of the area.