Environment | Page 26

Bridge over the Kettle River

High bridge over the Kettle River near Sandstone before September 1, 1894, and before the trees in the area were cut down by a logging company, which left highly flammable debris (slash) to serve as fire fuel. Photograph Collection, Hinckley Fire Museum, Hinckley.

Oxen pulling logs near Hinckley

Oxen pulling a sled of white pine logs near Hinckley in Pine County, 1885.

Great Hinckley Fire, 1894

On September 3, 1894, a headline of the Minneapolis Tribune screamed, “A Cyclone of Wind and Fire: Northern Minnesota and Wisconsin Bathed in a Sea of Flame and Hundreds of Human Lives are Sacrificed to the Insatiable Greed of the Red Demon as He Stalks through the Pine Forest on His Mission of Death.” In just four hours on September 1, the red demon destroyed an estimated 480 square miles, resulting in massive destruction and over 418 deaths. The fire zone lay within Pine County, which was named for its majestic white pine forests.

Gunflint Lodge

Gunflint Lodge on the Gunflint Trail in Northern Minnesota. Photograph by Tony Webster, July 22, 2017. CC-BY SA 2.0.

Gunflint Trail Scenic Byway road sign

A sign assembly at the start of the Gunflint Trail indicating the Scenic Byway, county road designation, and speed limit. Photograph by Wikimedia Commons user Molandfreak, January 25, 2016. GNU free documentation license 1.2.

Map of Gunflint Trail/Cook County Road 12

Map of the Gunflint Trail, also known as Cook County Road 12, across northeastern Minnesota. The trail starts in Grand Marais and extends for 57 miles to Saganaga Lake. The map was created by Wikimedia Commons user Fredddie [sic] on July 28, 2015. GNU free documentation license 1.2.