Introduction
The Physical Geography Background
The landscapes through which we will travel have been transformed over billions of years. We will pass from the geologically youngest part of the state through the oldest Minnesotan landforms. Our journey will cross the continental divide and traverse watersheds that provide water to three global water bodies. Perhaps a few of us will dip our hands into the largest body of fresh water in the world, and we will all cross over the longest river system in the nation several times. Our path travels through many types of glacial landforms, including rolling hills, sand plains, and fresh water lakes. We will see prairie grasses, the hard wood of oak and maple, cut-over lands, open meadows, many wetlands, and second-growth reminders of the virgin pine forests that once covered much of the northeastern portion of the route. The three iron ranges of Minnesota, which gave up their contents to help build a nation and win two world wars, all lie along the route. That said, despite the seemingly prominent role of “nature” along the greater part of the route, humans have played a large role in creating the vast majority of the landscapes that we will see. Much of the land along the route has been heavily altered for survival and comfort, as well as for play.

The Human Geography Background
Experts estimate that the first humans to live in the land through which we will travel arrived around 7,000 B.C.E. Europeans did not settle in the area until the 1850s, although whites explored the area in the mid-1600s. The fur trade penetrated the region throughout the 1700s, dominated by the French early on, but later transitioning to control by the Hudson’s Bay Company of Britain. Through over-exploitation, the fur trade waned by the early 1800s and was discontinued by the mid-1800s.

The next major period of human activity and settlement in the region was spurred by the lumber industry. The first sawmill of the region was built in 1855 at the site of Duluth, and many others followed in quick succession. Minnesota’s lumber industry was the leading producer in the nation by the turn of the century, reaching its peak by the first decade of the 20th century.

Throughout the time of the lumbermen, settlers also turned to farming, although on a much smaller scale than occurred in the southern and western regions of the state. Potatoes, oats, and hay were the major crops, predominantly in the southwest of the region.

The mining era brought even more activity and development to the region. The Vermilion Range was the initial step in the area’s great iron industry, but ores from the Mesabi Range formed the base of the American steel industry for decades. Minnesota’s third iron range is the Cuyuna, about 100 miles west of Duluth. The first shipment of iron ore from the Vermilion Range was made by rail in 1884, and mining on the Mesabi began in 1891. More than 25 Iron Range communities owe their existence to the mines, which employed thousands in the mining and transportation of the ore.

The Urban Geography Background
Geography Professor Dr. John R. Borchert of the University of Minnesota developed a widely known era-based model for identifying evolution in the urban landscape. In this model, he identifies four key historical epochs of transportation technology. These epochs and their characteristics can help organize and provide context for the information found in the city descriptions in this guide:

1) Sail and Wagon Era – This period ran from the late 1700s to 1830. Travel on land was slow, so most settlements were associated with water transportation.
2) Steamboat – Iron Horse Era – This period ran from 1830 to 1870, and was the result of transferring machinery developed in the mining industry to both water and land transportation. During this period, steamboats made upstream travel efficient, and railroads were tributaries of ports. Cities developed in places where businessmen could take advantage of new resources.
3) Long-haul Railroad Era – This period ran from 1870 to 1920, and was a product of dramatically improved land transportation. During this period, steam and electricity were applied to the manufacturing process, which enabled factory owners to establish plants away from water power sites. As a result, many new manufacturing towns developed.
4) Auto/Air/Amenity Era – Our current era began in the 1920s, characterized by ease of movement in any direction. The advent of this epoch freed urbanization from the network of railroad lines.

The narrative begins north of St. Paul. City descriptions are modeled after those of the regional guides written by the Federal Writer’s Project of the Works Progress Administration during the early- to mid- 20th century; much of the historical information contained in this guide is taken from the 1938 and 1941 WPA Guides to Minnesota and the Arrowhead Country. The first leg of our path generally follows what was the government road from Hastings to Superior.

Landscape Change in East-Central Minnesota
Produced by the Minnesota Alliance for Geographic Education (MAGE), July 2005.

Compiled by Tom Egan, Brent Hecht, Laura Kigin, Laura Smith, Ph.D., and Jen Wichmann.

All photos courtesy of the Minnesota Historical Society. Exception: Part I, Photo 24 and Part II ,Photo 14 (L. Smith).
Route maps produced by Brent Hecht and Birgit Mühlenhaus.

Note: In July of 2005 twenty-three Minnesota teachers followed the route detailed in "Landscape Change in East-Central Minnesota". To see photos from their journey of the highlighted towns, click on the links below:

Part I
Town of White Bear Lake
Bald Eagle Lake
Town of Forest Lake
Town of Wyoming
Town of North Branch
Town of Harris
Town of Rush City
Town of Pine City
Town of Hinckley
Kettle River
Town of Sandstone
Town of Askov
Town of Finlayson
Town of Moose Lake
Town of Barnum
Town of Carlton
St. Louis River
Fond du Lac Indian Reservation
Town of Cloquet
Town of Esko
Jay Cooke State Park
Lake Superior
Duluth Harbour
Town of Duluth

Part II
Town of Cotton
Town of Eveleth
Town of Virginia
Town of Mountain Iron
Town of Kinney
Town of Buhl
Town of Chisholm
Laurentian Highland Divide
Town of Hibbing

Part III
Town of Keewatin
Town of Nashwauk
Town of Calumet
Town of Marble
Town of Taconite
Town of Bovey
Town of Coleraine
Town of Grand Rapids
Town of Hill City
Village of Waukenabo
Lake Waukenabo
Mississippi River
Town of Aitkin
Town of Deerwood
Town of Crosby
Town of Ironton
Cross Lake
Town of Breezy Point
Town of Pequot Lakes
Town of Nisswa
Town of Brainerd
Fort Ripley
Lake Mille Lacs
Mille Lacs Kathio State Park
Town of Onamia
Rum River
Town of Milaca
Town of Princeton
Town of Elk River
Town of Anoka