Historical Sites at Lake of the Woods

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
   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 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 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

   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.