- Trip start, Duluth stopover, and the International Wolf Center
- Duluth Round 2
- North Shore of Minnesota
- Isle Royale National Park
- Bayfield, Apostle Islands, and Hayward, WI
- Waterfalls, the Porkies and Bond Falls
- Pictured Rocks and the Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum
- Mackinac Island
- Dunes, friends, and the end of the trip
After spending a very enjoyable time in Minnesota, it was time to head east to explore the southern side of Lake Superior. This brought us to Bayfield, WI, the gateway to the Apostle Islands National Seashore. Bayfield is actually Wisconsin’s smallest city, with a year-round population of only 487 people. It is also the Berry Capital of the State, although by the time we arrived, most of the berry season was over. But it’s location on Lake Superior and the abundant resources on the Apostle Islands that really gave Bayfield its jumpstart. With the opening of the “Soo” locks in Sault Ste. Marie in 1855, large ship traffic could go to and fro on Lake Superior. As such, Bayfield saw itself as a potential great inland harbor city that could rival Chicago as a port terminal for Midwest grain and lumber. In addition, lumbering, fishing, and quarrying were already being underway in the Apostle Islands. As a consequence, a lot of investment poured into Bayfield and many beautiful summer homes and civic buildings were built in the hills around the bay. While the “big dream” never fully materialized, Bayfield was seen increasingly as a tourist destination. Today, many of those stately old homes have been converted to inns that have been restored to their Victorian glory. We stayed at one of these inns (The Old Rittenhouse Inn) and were amazed at all the fine detail there was in the restoration. We also wandered around the small town that has several restaurants, shops, and museums.
But the real reason we came to Bayfield was the Apostle Islands National Seashore. There are 22 islands that make up the archipelago that have been shaped over billions of years — most recently by the ice, wind, and waves of Lake Superior. As a result, the shores of these islands have formed into exposed sandstone cliffs, sea caves, sea stacks, and surprising sandy beaches. In addition to it’s natural beauty, the proximity of the islands to the major shipping channels across the lake made the Apostle Islands a desirable area for commercial fishing, lumber production, and the quarrying of sandstone. We took a boat tour to go through the islands and, while many of these industries died off as late as 1970, Congress’ designation of 33,350 acres within the islands as wilderness area, has resulted in a return of the forests and scant evidence of previous mining operations. We also got to see some of the seven lighthouses, built from the 1850s to the 1890s to guide ships through and around the islands. Today, a few residents still live in the Apostle Islands that are part of the National Lakeshore but, more and more, the islands are seasonably inhabited by researchers and volunteers since the islands provide such a wonderful laboratory.
While we were in the area, we took the opportunity to visit our new in-laws (from our son’s and their daughter’s wedding a month earlier) in Hayward, WI, about a 1.5 hour drive from Bayfield. I had never heard of Hayward, but it grew up as a major logging and sawmill area, helped by the local Namekagon River that could help gather the logs for the mill. While much of the logging capacity was gone by the 1920s, Hayward re-invented itself as a tourist destination for water sports, fishing, cross-country skiing, etc. In fact, today they host the world-renowned American Birkebeiner cross country ski race and the annual Lumberjack World Championships. The are also known as the Musky (Muskellunge) Capital of the US. Accordingly, they have the Freshwater Fishing Hall of Fame with, of course, another giant fish sculpture that I can have fun with. Shirley and Dennis were very gracious and not only took us on the tour of their town, but also hosted us for lunch on the Round Lake with some friends of theirs. It was great to see where Shirley had grown up and where she and Dennis had lived as newlyweds. A lot of history there!
But time was moving on and it was time to leave Wisconsin and head for Michigan (in retrospect Wisconsin got short shrift on this trip. We’ll have to make up for it on another trip).
This entry was posted in National Park/Monument, Travel, United States, Wisconsin
I am a traveler and sometimes clay sculptor, following a long career working in consulting. My work allowed me to travel the world extensively and I was hooked. Today, I travel with my wife/best friend to explore new places, meet new people, and learn new things.
