Visit the Lake of the Woods Historical Society Museum in Baudette
I have to admit, my initial thoughts of Lake of the Woods are walleyes, not a history museum. I have to admit, each and every time I have the chance to visit, I am entertained and educated. The museum is set up with a variety of displays showing what it was like in the past. There is a rich history around Lake of the Woods and the different settings within the museum do a wonderful job of showing how life used to be in these parts. The Lake of the Woods Historical Society is located in east Baudette across from the Lake of the Woods County offices. (www.LakeoftheWoodsHistoricalSociety.com)
The LOW Historical Society opens each year in Mid May and is open to the public. Inside you will find fascinating items from past generations. The experience for this non history connoisseur was delightful and I will be back.
For the outdoors minded person, everything from old fishing rods, tackle, motors, and big mounted fish. There is lots of history of the Lake of the Woods fishery. Pictures of monster sturgeon over 150 lbs. The mount of the walleye the Willie Walleye statue is modeled after. Pictures of fishermen in small boats pulling in massive nets from the days gone by. History of harvesting liver oil from eelpout that was many times more effective than normal oil. Very interesting.
The logging industry was and is a big part of the area. A variety of saws, tools and sharpeners are displayed. Old time two person hand saws and chain saws that used to rip through massive trees in the area makes one think about the size of the trees our ancestors harvested. It doesn’t seem like it was an easy life compared to modern times.
Lake of the Woods County was known for it’s logging industry during the early 1900’s. In 1910, a big forest fire decimated much of the area and took over 30 lives. Similar to other forest fires, the disaster took place over dry, harvested land which was vulnerable to fires.
The historical society has a number of old time displays including an old bar from a tavern in the area and a nickelodeon that you can actually still deposit 5 cents into and be entertained.
The next time you come up to Lake of the Woods, plan on taking some time and checking out the Lake of the Woods Historical Society across from the county building in east Baudette, you will not be disappointed.
To learn more about Lake of the Woods, check out the Lake of the Woods Tourism website.
To find a resort, guide, fish house, or charter boat, check out our lodging page.
