Historical Sites at Lake of the Woods

fort st. charles sign

 

Whether visiting to the north country in winter or summer, you’ll find a number of Historical Sites at Lake of the Woods. Let’s visit some of them now.

  1. Lake of the Woods County Museum in Baudette is a bridge to the past. It has exhibits on geology, natural history, native cultures, the Great Forest Fire of 1910, commercial fishing in the past, logging, agriculture and pharamaceutical industries.
    Cairn of Peace
    Cairn of Peace
    World Ploughing 2019

    The new exhibit coming in the spring of 2020 will be the Cairn of Peace from the World Ploughing Competition which was held the fall of 2019 in Lake of the Woods County where 28 countries joined in from around the world. The museum is open seasonally or by appointment

  2. The Baudette Depot – Once abandoned in the 1980s, is now completely renovated as of 2011. The Depot of 1923 is one of Historical Sight at Baudette Depot Baudette’s favorite connections to the Canadian Railway and start to the city of Baudette. The depot sits on land leased from CN (the Canadian National Railways) at the very end of Main Ave. Head in for a private tour or attend one of the many festivities and art shows this beautiful location holds.
  3. Fort St. Charles – is the site of the original fortress and fur-trading post erected in 1732, by the French-Canadian voyageurs. The fort is on Magnusson’s Island and is open to the public. This island is accessible by boat during open water Historical Site of Fort St Charles on Magnussen Island months and snowmobile during the winter months. There is no charge to visit this site
  4. Faunce Tower Lookout – is a 100 foot stairway tower erected by the Civilian Conservations Corps in 1935. It replace an
    Faunce Tower Historical Site at Lake of the Woods
    Faunce Tower

    older tower located 3 miles to the south of the original along Faunce Forest Road. It also marks the lost village of Faunce.  Faunce campground is located at this site which stands roughly 12 miles south of Williams on Co Rd 2.

  5. Norris Camp – is today’s headquarters of the Red Lake Wildlife Management Area. The history of Norris Camp began in 1933 with President Roosevelt’s CCC program and it became the impetus for creating Norris Camp. Today you can travel to Faunce Tower and Norris Camp view the beauty of the Beltrami Forest with native pines lining the drive. Bicycle enthusiasts would especially enjoy this ride.
  6. Painted Rock Island – is located on Lake of the Woods. Earliest Settlers and those passing through have left their mark on the north side of that Rock. These pictographs are extimated to be over 900 years old. This can be viewed from a boat in the channel between Painted Rock Island and Split Rock Island adjacent to the NW Angle just into Ontario.

 

Historical Sites at Lake of the Woods also includes Native history found on both sides of this international border. Come and enjoy the beauty of Lake of the Woods area by traveling through its rich history.

Click here to access the Lake of the Woods Tourism website.

Click here for a list of lodging and ice fishing packages on Lake of the Woods.

Honey Fried Walleye

honey fried walleye

Ingredients

  • 1 large egg
  • 1 teaspoon honey
  • 1 cup coarsely crushed saltines (about 22 crackers)
  • 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon pepper
  • 4 to 6 walleye fillets (about 1-1/2 pounds)
  • Canola oil
  • Additional honey

Directions

  • In a shallow bowl, beat egg and honey. In another bowl, combine the cracker crumbs, flour, salt and pepper. Dip fillets into egg mixture, then coat with crumb mixture.
  • In a large skillet, heat 1/4 in. of oil; fry fish over medium-high heat for 3-4 minutes on each side or until fish just begins to flake easily with a fork. Drizzle with honey.

Fishing Report 1/20/2020

Pike Zipple Bay Resort

On the south end…  Ice conditions on LOW are excellent.  Resorts reporting 24-30″ of ice most places being fished.  Good numbers of walleyes and saugers being caught.  Lots of sorting through fish to get eaters and occasional trophy walleye.   Most anglers fishing 27′ – 36′ with some ice roads 10+ miles.  Resort houses continue to move constantly following the fish.  Both jigging line and deadstick with a live minnow producing based on mood of walleyes.  Gold, glow, pink and white good colors.  Electronics will increase results.  Adapt to the mood of fish.  Switch jigging cadence until they bite.  Watch for suspended walleyes.  Jigging spoons with rattles and vibrating lures having good results.

On the Rainy River…   The river is frozen over with some snowmobile traffic on marked trail.  Current has dropped some and river is starting to build ice.  Extra caution is always needed on the river.  Thin ice around the International Bridge in Baudette.  Work through resort if ice fishing the river as ice thickness varies.

Up at the NW Angle…  Great ice fishing continues with a healthy mix of walleyes, saugers, jumbo perch, pike and eelpout.  Resorts shifting houses to stay productive.  Snowmobile trails from south end to Angle groomed and in good shape.  Stay on trails as there are ice chunks on lake.  Fish houses on the ice through March 31st, walleyes and saugers open through April 14.  A complete list of lodging and ice fishing options available at www.LakeoftheWoodsMN.com/Lodging

How to Get to Lake of the Woods

Get to Lake of the Woods

When looking for a vacation experience, travel to the area of Minnesota to where the largest fresh water lake next to the Great Lakes in the contiguous United States is.  It is the northern-most spot in the United States. We also have the privilege of being  located on the border of Canada and the United States with a border crossing right in town. That town we’re mentioning is Baudette, MN.  It’s one of the finest destinations you could ever visit, but how do you get to Lake of the Woods?

Traveling north to the top of Minnesota brings you to Lake of the Woods

Most people travel to this area by automobile with good roads and scenery that is beautiful.  As you travel north in the state of Minnesota, you will be crossing a large portion of land that is the biggest bog area in Travel through Beltrami State Forest while heading to Lake of the Woods the contiguous United States also. There you will not find billboards galore, but instead you will find great natural forest areas with giant pines and cedars and fields of peat moss.

Let’s look at distances to get to Lake of the Woods. We are 126 miles from Winnipeg, MN, Canada; 211 miles from Duluth, MN; 232 miles from Fargo, ND; 308 miles from Minneapolis/St. Paul, MN; 476 miles from Sioux Falls, SD; 608 miles from Milwaukee, WI; and 680 miles from Chicago, IL.  Driving these distances are great adventures but also take time. When traveling to the Northwest Angle, be sure to have proper documentation such as northernmost point in the contiguous United States passport, passport card or enhanced driver’s license.

We are fortunate in this area to have access to Commercial airports in close proximity of Baudette.  International Falls Airport is 70 miles East of Baudette and has daily flights to and from MSP using Delta airlines. Rental car companies are available there. For more info call 218.283.4461 or at www.internationalfallsairport.com. Bemidji is 102 miles south of

Photo by Iwan Shimko on Unsplash

Baudette and also has daily flights to and from MSP using Delta Airlines at Bemidji Regional Airport. For more info here call 218.444.2638 or www.bemidjiairport.org. Rental cars available. Grand Forks International  Airport is 178 miles to the west of Baudette and also has flights using Delta and Allegiant Airlines. Information can be obtained at 701.795.6981 or at www.glkairport.com.

Before you arrive, be sure you have obtained lodging using our webpage at www.lakeofthewoodsmn.com/lodging.  Make your travel plans now to explore this great area.

Click here for Lodging info around Lake of the Woods.

 

Insta Pot Pot Roast

Pot Roast Receipe

Ingredients

Beef:

  • 3-5 lb beef chuck roast*
  • 1 tbsp kosher salt
  • 1 tbsp fresh cracked black pepper
  • 1 tbsp garlic powder
  • 1 tbsp onion powder

Broth mixture:

  • 1 cup red wine
  • 3 cups beef stock
  • 6 oz tomato paste
  • 1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
  • 6 cloves of garlic pressed
  • 3 springs thyme
  • 2 bay leaves

**Vegetables:

  • 3 long ribs of celery
  • 1 lb carrots
  • 1 yellow onion
  • 5 lb baby gold potatoes

Thickening (optional):

  • 2 1/2 tbsp cornstarch
  • 2 tbsp cold beef stock

Instructions

Beef: Combine seasoning in a small mixing bowl. Season the beef chunks generously on all the sides and leave the remaining of the seasoning for the broth mixture. (Depending on the side of meat, you will probably use 1/2 to 3/4 of the seasoning.) Preheat Instant Pot on “saute” setting and drizzle oil over the bottom and some up the sides. Sear the beef halves until golden-brown on all the sides.

Cooking Pot Roast:

  1. Combine all the ingredients for the broth mix in a mixing bowl and whisk together until smooth.
  2. Take the beef out of the Instant Pot.
  3. Pour the broth mixture into the pot slowly while scraping the bottom of the pot with a wooden spoon.
  4. Let the broth mixture heat through and return beef to the pot.
  5. Close the lid of the Instant Pot and make sure it is latched. Turn the valve to “seal” and set the pot to cook on high pressure for 70-75 minutes. (Make sure to consult your pressure cooker manual for exact control specifications of your appliance.)
  6. Let it naturally release for 10 minutes and then carefully quick release the pressure. *Add vegetables into the pot, close the lid and make sure it’s latched and valve is turned to “seal.” Set to cook on high pressure for 6-8 minutes, depending on the size of baby potatoes.

 

Thicken Gravy:

  1. If you want to thicken the broth and make gravy: take cooked meat and vegetables out of the pot right away. Turn on “saute” setting and stir cornstarch mixture together with hot broth in the Instant Pot until it thickens.

 

 

Fishing Report 1/13/2020

Sunset Lodge Walleye

Ice Conditions-Excellent.

On the south end…  Ice conditions on LOW are excellent.  Some great walleyes and saugers caught this week.  Fishing was up and down with cold fronts, -31 air temps, etc.  Plenty of fish for fish frys, some trophy walleyes, big sturgeon, some jumbo perch, an occasional pike, crappie or tulibee and plenty of sauger in the mix.  Most anglers fishing 25 – 30′ if on structure, 30′ – 36′ over mud.  Resort houses continue to follow fish and are moving constantly.   Best colors gold, pink, glow red and UV glow colors.  Both jigging line and deadstick with a live minnow producing based on mood of walleyes.  Electronics very helpful.  Watch for suspended walleyes.  Rattles and noise effective.

On the Rainy River…   The river is frozen over with some snowmobile traffic on marked trail.  Current has dropped some, but still strong.  Extra caution is always needed on the river.  Thin ice near International Bridge in Baudette and thinner ice on stretches of the river.  Work through resort if ice fishing for safety.

Up at the NW Angle…  Good fishing continues with a mix of walleyes, saugers, jumbo perch, pike and eelpout.  Cold fronts can affect bite from day to day, adjust to mood of fish.  Downsize if finicky, keep minnow active on deadstick.  Snowmobile trails from south end to Angle groomed and in good shape.  Stay on trails as there are ice chunks on lake.  Fish houses on LOW on the ice through March.  A complete list of lodging and ice fishing options available at www.LakeoftheWoodsMN.com/Lodging

The Igloo Bar-an Ice Fishing Favorite

Igloo Bar Lake of the Woods

The Igloo Bar-an Ice Fishing Favorite on Lake of the Woods is placed and in full swing with the season. Ice fishing, snowmobiling and other winter activities keep the area in buzzing activity.  Most are ice anglers and snowmobilers looking to celebrate, escape the house, and have some fun during a season some would rather not deal with winter.  In these parts, winter is celebrated and welcomed.  Ice fishing is an absolute culture on Lake of the Woods.  Anglers from all ability levels and all walks of life come up to partake in some of the best ice fishing in the world. The Igloo Bar-an Ice Fishing Favorite

Visitors to the Lake of the Woods area who come to ice fish arrive with many different expectations.  Whether you are a hard core angler, appreciate the social part of ice fishing or possibly somewhere in the middle, there is one spot that catches most anglers attention, the Igloo Bar.  Expectations when entering this famous structure on the ice are usually about having fun and now is the time!

With over 1,000 square feet, you can imagine this structure demands some thick ice, 15″ or more to be exact.  The Igloo Bar-an Ice Fishing Favorite is located on the frozen Lake of the Woods out in front of Zippel Bay.  It is transported out in two pieces and bolted together.  It is loaded with big screen TV’s, electric lights, running water, a bar, limited hot food menu, and heated portapoddies that look like little igloos.  The restrooms on the ice are heated for those who enjoy the little extras in life!  I asked Nick Painovich who owns Zippel Bay Resort along with his wife Deanna about the heated portapoddies.  “Some of the ladies were giving me a hard time about the cold toilet seats so I heated them.  Then, all of the guys started using the ladies restroom so I had to heat them both!”

I had mentioned to Painovich that things get pretty festive when someone catches a fish in the bar.  “You should see what happens when someone loses one,” he said with a smile.

The Igloo Bar-an Ice Fishing Favorite There is a barrel with burning wood on the ice for those who enjoy a little heat while stepping out of the bar for some fresh air. It’s unlike anything else most have experienced.  For many, it is the perfect storm of enjoying the Minnesota winter.  Ice fishing in a bar, what else you one ask for?

All are welcome!  Regardless of what resort, hotel or sleeper fish house you stay at while up at Lake of the Woods, the Igloo Bar is open to the public.  There is an ice road well marked, plowed and maintained coming from Zippel Bay Resort if you are coming via truck or car.  If by snowmobile, a “spur” of the trail goes right to the bar from the Zippel Bay State Park trail as well as the trail on the lake.

The atmosphere is fun and festive and you are welcome to join in.

 

Eelpout-Poor Man’s Lobster

poor mans lobster

By Paul A. Smith of the Journal Sentinel

 

Eelpout is a fish known by many names. To those who have eaten the fish, however, there is only one description: delicious.

The fish, related to cod and haddock, is also known as “poor man’s lobster.”

Here’s a simple recipe for eelpout (burbot) that results in fine dining.

 

Ingredients: One liter of Sprite or 7-Up soda (not diet); eelpout; melted butter.

Directions:

  1. Fillet the fish, focusing on getting two long, bone-free sections of backstrap.
  2. Remove the skin from the muscle.
  3. Cut each fillet into 1- to 2-inch cubes.
  4. Boil a liter of Sprite or 7-Up.
  5. Drop eelpout cubes into boiling soda.
  6. Remove cubes when they float and turn white, about 2 or 3 minutes.
  7. Dip pieces of cooked fish in melted butter.
  8. Enjoy a native bounty.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KQ8vsPPB58U

Fishing Report 1-7-2020

walleye lake of the woods

On the south end…  Lots of ice fishing happening on the big lake this week.  Overall, good reports with a mix of saugers and walleyes.  Some very small fish, lots of eaters, some huge fish.  Most common depths 28-31 feet of water.  Best colors gold, pink, glow red and UV glow colors.  Use combo jigging line and deadstick with a live minnow.  Electronics very helpful.  Watch for suspended walleyes.  Rattles and noise within lures can be effective.

On the Rainy River…   The river is frozen over but little traffic overall.  We encourage working through a resort on river if ice fishing.  Current has dropped some, but still strong.  Extra caution is always needed on the river, most sticking to lake so far.  The snowmobile trail on the river was marked this week for snowmobiles, nothing heavier.  Stay on trail, still areas of thinner ice on parts of the river.

Up at the NW Angle…  Fishing remains excellent with a mix of walleyes, saugers, jumbo perch, pike and eelpout.  Snowmobile trails from south end to Angle are being groomed and in good shape.  Stay on trails as current is high and there are still some areas needing more inches of ice.  Fish houses on LOW on the ice through March.  A complete list of lodging and ice fishing options available at www.LakeoftheWoodsMN.com/Lodging