Gunflint Trail Archives • words and images

Lodgings I have known: Clearwater Historic Lodge

Posted on February 13, 2020 by dlschirfMarch 12, 2023

It’s high time I wrote about some of the places I’ve stayed — not the chains, but bed and breakfasts, inns, and other local places.

Steeped in history, August 5, 6, and 7, 2014

Like Rippon-Kinsella House in Springfield, Illinois, Clearwater Historic Lodge is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Located off the Gunflint Trail west of Grand Marais, Minnesota, Clearwater Historic Lodge overlooks the lake and palisades, although I remember a healthy stand of conifers filtering the view. It’s also a great spot for getting outfitted for a Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness adventure.

Arrival at Clearwater Lake Lodge — August 5, 2014

At Clearwater Historic Lodge, I thoroughly enjoyed: a lengthy thunderstorm that started after we had carried most of our things in, watching small shapes (likely bats) flit around in the inky darkness, the view of the lake through the trees from the back porch, the view of the lake from the imaginatively named Suite A, a brief canoe outing and the view of the distant palisades before black flies ate my ankles, the gift shop, and the comfortable main room.

With places to go and things to see, I didn’t have nearly enough time at the lodge.

At breakfast I found out one of the employees was a descendant of the original owners. I think she said she had never been in a canoe. I couldn’t imagine.

A stay at Clearwater Historic Lodge forces you to give up your constant attraction to the online world. Daytime’s slow satellite connection is limited (and a guest had inadvertently used up the monthly allotment on videos). In the wee hours, access was unlimited, but the cloud cover and/or the trees, which I loved, seemed to make it erratic. You can almost get away from it all and focus on the Gunflint Trail experience you can’t have anywhere else.

Below is part of the Clearwater Historic Lodge entry for the National Register of Historic Places, aka places I hate to leave . . .

The oldest surviving guesthouse on the Gunflint Trail, Clearwater Lodge is historically significant for its pioneering, and continuing, contribution to the Cook County tourist industry.

In 1893, the Cook County Board of Commissioners finished the last stretch of road linking Grand Marais to Gun Flint, a mining community about 45 miles north on the Canadian border. Although the completion of the “Gunflint Trail” was primarily a testimony to the political power of the county’s mining interests, the road was also a boon to homesteaders who settled the area during the early 1900s.2 Among these early residents were Charles (“Charlie”), and Petra Boostrom, who, in 1916, purchased 80 acres of land on the western shore of Clearwater Lake, just east of the Superior National Forest. There the Boostroms erected a small log cabin. Over the next ten years, Charlie earned a reputation as one of the area’s foremost trappers and hunters.

During the 1920s, an increasing number of tourists discovered the woods and lakes of Cook County, and Charlie found an increasing part of his livelihood as a guide for sport hvinting and fishing parties. To capitalize on the emerging tourist trade, he and Petra constructed Clearwater Lodge in 1925-1926. Completion of the building coincided with the construction of an automobile road connecting the new resort to the Gunflint Trail. Over the next two decades the Gunflint Trail developed into a major vacation spot, and Clearwater Lodge earned a statewide reputation for its hospitality. After the Boostroms retired from the tourist business in 1945, Clearwater Lodge went through several changes in ownership until, in 1964, it became the property of Jack (“Jocko”) Nelson and his wife Lee. The Nelsons renamed the resort “Jocko’s Clearwater Lodge.” Although Jack Nelson died in 1978, his widow continues to operate the lodge as a summer resort.

Clearwater Lake before the storm? — Weird storm lighting

Toward the Clearwater Lake Lodge gift shop — Entrance by gift shop

Clearwater Lake Lodge, Suite A — Cozy room

Palisades from canoe level on Clearwater Lake — Palisades from canoe eye level

Moon at Clearwater Lake — Moon over Minnesota

Morning view from Clearwater Lake Lodge porch — Morning on the back porch

Main room at Clearwater Lake Lodge — Main room

Clearwater Lake Lodge — I’m a lumberjack, and I’m okay . . .

Leaving Clearwater Lake Lodge — Hated to leave . . .

Clearwater Historic Lodge, Grand Marais, Grand Portage

Posted on August 7, 2014 by dlschirfMarch 12, 2023

Day 7: On which I observe how full one can pack a canoe, find an out-of-the-way general store, photograph wildflowers, find a moose, eat at Naniboujou, and revisit Minnesota’s highest waterfall

August 7, 2014:

After breakfast I watched a couple pack a canoe and marveled at how much they managed to get into it. Clearly they were going a lot farther than the palisades. Finally they set out, with the female person in the back, although they didn’t get far. They must have decided to head back and switch places, but before they did that, the canoe started to spin. And spin. And spin. Just like an amusement park ride. Kevlar must be great for portages and for nausea. I wondered how experienced they were.

Reluctantly we left Clearwater Historic Lodge with the idea of seeing a wildflower sanctuary J. had found on a list of attractions. Naturally, we had difficulty finding it, and were almost in Grand Marais before discovering we needed to backtrack, not to mention find facilities. A few miles off the Gunflint Trail, we discovered Devil Track General Store, with essentials scattered on half-bare shelves. I felt like I had stepped many years and many miles back in time, to a place like Mayberry after the interstate had bypassed it and it had been forgotten by the strange inhabitants of the stranger steel and glass towers that have creeped over more of the landscape of the modern world. Cue the Twilight Zone music.

We did find the Devil Track Wildflower Sanctuary, which is along the relatively short Devil Track River. The trail is grown over and close, and for some reason I opted not to go very far down it. Instead, I spent a good hour or so photographing flowers around the gravel parking area, where they grew abundantly. During this trip, I think I spent as much time photographing flowers as I did waterfalls, rivers, and lakes.

Next we set out for Grand Marais, where the marvelous Java Moose café awaited with good coffee, ice cream, WiFi, and a lovely view of Lake Superior. This is yet another place where I could have stayed forever, people and shore watching. Alas, after an hour or so, it was time to move on to our luncheon destination — Naniboujou Lodge and Restaurant, built in the 1920s as a club with a giant rock fireplace. There had been no room at the inn, so the plan was to have lunch there. At this time of day the dining room was sparsely populated, although a group did appear. Afterward, while J. perused the gift shop, I went behind the lodge and took photos of a particularly serene Lake Superior.

There had been room at Grand Portage Lodge and Casino, so that was our next destination. Last year, we’d driven there late at night in driving, blinding rain. Now it was a sunny late afternoon, perfect weather for a relaxing drive along a road that had seemed more terrifying a year earlier in the darkness and rain.

After checking in, we went to Grand Portage State Park, home to Minnesota’s highest waterfall (imaginatively named High Falls). The park belongs to the Grand Portage Band of Lake Superior Chippewa, and they lease it back for a nominal fee so all of us can enjoy this marvel. Last year High Falls had been such a torrent that even on the steps to the platform we were soaked by the spray and deafened by the roar. In comparison this evening’s High Falls was a mere trickle, with no spray and more of the underlying rock exposed. I noticed the lack of spray, but didn’t think much of it until I compared my 2013 and 2014 photos. Then I realized Cross River had also been running much more lightly this year than last, when it had been almost terrifyingly high as it rushed toward Highway 61.

After a couple of stops to admire Lake Superior, we returned to the Lodge and finally made it into the pool that we’d missed out on last year. Ahhh. Tomorrow was going to be an early morning.

Clearwater Historic Lodge, Moose Viewing Platform, Bearskin Lodge, Laurentian Divide Overlook, Chik-Wauk Museum, Trail’s End Café, Gunflint Trail Lodge

Posted on August 6, 2014 by dlschirfMarch 12, 2023

Day 6: On which I do not view moose at the moose viewing platform but do enjoy a serious ice cream cookie, lift the load of a voyageur, and reach the end of the trail

August 6, 2014

Chik-Wauk Museum and Nature Center, Trail’s End Café

14 photos

After a hearty breakfast prepared and served by the daughter of one of the original owners of Clearwater Historic Lodge and deciding to delay a visit to Honeymoon Bluff until sunset (if time and my energy allowed), we backtracked toward Grand Marais to find the promised moose viewing platform. We couldn’t remember how close it was to the Grand Marais beginning of the trail, and, if I recall correctly, we stopped short of it and drove back and forth a few times without finding it again. Not only are Minnesota moose elusive, but so is the moose viewing platform. Finally, we spotted the sign we’d seen so clearly the night before.

The trail was easy, and the mosquitoes were strangely intermittent — they weren’t always more abundant in the shady parts, as I would have expected. On the way we saw many wildflowers and mushrooms. Northern Minnesota is a macro photographer’s fantasy — for as long as you can tolerate standing still among the biting insects.

At last we made it to the moose viewing platform, which we shared with a family. Based on previous visits and what they’d been told, they didn’t expect to see any moose, but like us they seemed to have that spirit of, “Keep trying just in case!” By this time, it was past 11 a.m., and any moose in the area had probably finished breakfast hours earlier before any of us had woken up — that is, if there are any moose in the area. In Ely, we’d read that the Minnesota moose population has been decimated due to a surge in winter ticks.

Of course, I needed a visit to the facilities — any facilities. There are no rest stops on the Gunflint Trail. We found Bearskin Lodge and Resort, lured in by the promise of ice cream sandwiches. We found a pleasant owner and great gift shop in addition to the facilities. The ice cream sandwiches proved to be generous slabs of ice cream tucked between two giant chocolate chip cookies. Eating them gave us an excuse to hang out on the deck overlooking Bearskin Lake and watch the hummingbirds. Undoubtedly, in just a few moments we negated any health benefits provided by the morning’s moose viewing walk.

After tearing ourselves away from this comfortable spot, we stopped at a Laurentian Divide overlook, where J. recognized someone he’d seen earlier in the trip. It’s a small world . . .

As we headed west, we noticed acre after acre of scorched forest, with thousands of spiky, blackened skeletons of trees seeming to reach for the blue heavens. I learned later that 75,000 acres and numerous structures burned during what is called the Ham Lake Fire, which started when a camper started a paper and trash fire on a windy day that quickly got out of control. Doesn’t anyone listen to Smokey Bear? (Beyond the fire, the story is tragic, with the camper ultimately committing suicide.)

Close to the end of the trail is the Chik-Wauk Museum and Nature Center, which is focused on the history of the voyageurs. I managed to heft two voyageur packs using my back (after figuring out what was wrong about my first couple of attempts), but couldn’t have supported them for more than a nanosecond or carried them. Not surprisingly, many voyageurs lived short lives, and many are believed to have died from hernias. With the heavy loads, mosquitoes, long hours spent rowing and carrying everything over portages, and primitive conditions, this would not have been the life for me. It sounds more like hard labor punishment.

Behind the Chik-Wauk Museum I found a very short trail that lead to a little scenic overlook and a quick photo opportunity.

J. wanted to make sure he made it to the end of the Gunflint Trail, where we found Way of the Wilderness Canoe Outfitters and, more important, Trail’s End Café (by now we were both hungry). I expected to find the usual décor related to canoeing, kayaking, fishing, snowshoeing, etc. The last thing I expected to see was the array of Chicago sports memorabilia everywhere. We learned that the elderly owner (who returned with supplies before we left) had come here from Chicago decades earlier. He’d kept up with Chicago sports — there was as much or more memorabilia at Trail’s End as at a Chicago sports bar. For a moment, it felt like there was no escaping the city.

Having reached the end of the line, we backtracked and came upon a woman walking next to the road and looking into the trees. She said she’d spotted a baby black bear, but by the time we’d gotten situated there was nothing to see. We gave her a ride to the museum area. I never figured out where she was headed or how she was going to get there.

Eastward bound, once again I needed to use the facilities. This time, we stopped at Gunflint Lodge, which is a big, busy place at dinner and has wonderful views.

By this time, I was pretty sure I couldn’t handle the walk to Honeymoon Bluff, as much as I wanted to see it at sunset. J. proposed getting a canoe at Clearwater Historic Lodge. I fought the idea for a long time, partly because it’s difficult and embarrassing for me to get into and out of a canoe, and partly because I can’t swim (and he’s not a strong swimmer). The more I thought about it, however, the sillier it seemed not to do the one thing that folks go to the Boundary Waters for, even if we did it in a very limited way (my idea was to go a hundred yards out at most). J. rented the canoe and got the permit (as though we were going that far!) after asking me which kind to rent — Kevlar or aluminum. “What’s the difference?” I don’t remember all he said, but I do recall that “Kevlar is more likely to spin.” I decided two novices in a canoe prone to spinning ≠ a good idea. Aluminum it was, and off we went.

I spent most of the time telling him it was time to turn around and go back (as I sat in the rocking canoe wondering how deep the lake was), while he ignored me and demonstrated his memory of how to maneuver the canoe, including how to reverse when I let him hit a snag. I think he wanted to go as far as the palisades across from Clearwater Historic Lodge, but we had started after 7:30 p.m., so it was a little late in the day to go that far. As sunset drew closer, what made us agree to go back were the bites of the black flies, which felt like little razors extracting little bits of flesh in as painful a way as possible. Predictably, when we pulled up to the dock, I had to crawl/fall out in a predictably undignified manner. Yes, I would have made a fine voyageur, unable to lift, carry, swim, or withstand a few six-legged pests. At least I can row!

We sat on the back deck for a while, watching elusive shadows swoop unevenly back and forth, not making nearly enough of a dent in the resident mosquito population. Still, I cheered for their efforts.

Tofte, Cross River Falls, Schroeder, Temperance River State Park, Bluefin Bay, Cut Face Creek Rest Stop, Grand Marais, Gunflint Trail, Clearwater Historic Lodge

Posted on August 5, 2014 by dlschirfMarch 12, 2023

Day 5: On which I go from the thunder of waterfalls to the thunder of the sky on the Gunflint Trail

August 5, 2014

After a long soak in the spa, we stopped at the Cross River to take photos and walk down the steps on the eastern side. This was the first time I’d seen the Cross River in daylight — last year we’d stopped here twice at dusk. I’d realize later that it wasn’t only the sunlight that made it look different — this year the water was running at a fraction of last year’s volume. On the previous trip, the flood of water rushing under the road had seemed terrifying; now it was a serene scenic spot.

In the dark, Cross River had seemed a little desolate, but on this day we made quick visits to the Schroeder Baking Company and the Cross River Heritage Center, both within walking distance across and down the highway a bit.

Our next stop was Temperance River State Park, another first in daylight. On this quintessential summer day, teenagers were jumping feet first into the water, while the rest of us took the more-or-less easy walk to the gorge. Temperance River is gorgeous, although in the sunshine the waterfall visible from the first part of the trail shed some of its twilight wildness and mystery.

We spent most of a more relaxing day here, not in a hurry to get to the next stop. After walking part of the trail and taking many photos from many strategic vantage points along the gorge and of the abundant wildflowers, we set off in search of dinner, which wasn’t hard to find at Bluefin Grille at Bluefin Bay — although once we got there, it took a long time to navigate to the restaurant from the hotel parking lot.

Bluefin Bay is on the Superior shore, and our view overlooked a lone kayak, pulled up onto the beach. Within a half hour or so, however it was joined by more than a half dozen. It looked like a class led by a woman who got her kayak situated, then helped most of the rest get theirs up onto the now more crowded beach.

The hour was early — around 5 p.m. — the restaurant sparsely populated, and our server chatty, so we grilled her for her local knowledge. She said Highway 61 was being widened to put in much-needed culverts, which I had noticed in the daylight hours. It sounded like the folks with homes along the highway were in favor of the project, but the construction-related traffic jams were terrible, especially around Grand Marais. You could be stopped at a red light for a half hour. She mentioned one area where you can bypass the work by taking a side road that’s marked as though there may be no outlet or no reason to go down it. “Just ignore that,” she said.

She was very familiar with the Gunflint Trail and, given the time of day we were to drive down it, she told us we were likely to see moose and to be very careful to avoid hitting one. As we left Bluefin, I became certain we were going to run into a moose, or a moose was going to run into us, which set my stress hormones into action well ahead of time.

The traffic wasn’t horrendous, and I remember only making a stop at the Cut Face Creek rest area, which had a clear view of serene Superior in the early evening light.

After all that, the drive down the Gunflint Trail was uneventful, without a moose in sight. The closest we came was a sign, noted in memory, indicating a trail to a “Moose Viewing Area.” We would have liked to have seen one or a few moose — at a safe distance from the road, of course. Although cars with more confident drivers (probably local) zoomed past on occasion, it was clear we were headed away from town.

We overshot the turnoff onto Clearwater Road, which meant driving a mile or two extra to find a place to turn the car around. Clearwater Road is a gravelly, twisty road off the Trail, and it was well after 8 p.m. and getting dark when we arrived at Clearwater Historic Lodge.

As we were unloading everything for a two-day stay (no quick task), I noticed it getting unusually dark. Big drops started to fall. We found all or most of the guests migrating from the common area to the back porch to watch a powerful thunderstorm accompanied by a downpour that seemed to get heavier by the minute. Soon the cooling temperature and the blowing rain drove most of the spectators back indoors, where they’d been chatting, reading, and playing games earlier. It was like life before the Internet distracted us from face-to-face interactions. Soon most dispersed to their rooms, while the storm continued to rage over the lake and environs until about 11 p.m. or so. The perfectly timed storm (because we’d gotten everything out of the car before it hit full force) was an amazing welcome to the Gunflint Trail and Clearwater Historic Lodge.

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