2010 Minnesota Governor's Fishing Opener
Voyageurs is proud to have hosted the first Minnesota Governor’s Fishing Opener to be held entirely within the park. The event was held on Kabetogama Lake, May 14–15, 2010. For more information about Voyageurs National park, scroll through or click on the quicklinks below.
Kabetogama—What Does It Mean? Some people say that Kabetogama means “rough waters.” However, Ga-bi´-to gum-ag´ za´-gai-i-gun is an Ojibwe Indian name that translates as, “the lake that lies parallel or double with another lake,” meaning Kabetogama lies parallel to Rainy Lake. French fur traders referred to Kabetogama Lake as “Travere” or “Travers” which translates as “abreast or alongside.” Kabetogama has been spelled a variety of ways through the years including Kahpetogamak and Capetogama. Read more about Voyageurs National Park place names (PDF). 
Ojibwe women at Hoist Boy Who Was Chief Wooden Frog? How did the campground and the islands on the western end of Kabetogama Lake get the name Wooden Frog? From about 1736 to 1941, four bands of the Bois Forte Ojibwe Indians made their homes in what is now Voyageurs National Park. Bois Forte is French for “strong wood,” or in the language of the Ojibwe, Sug-waun-dug-ah-win-e-wug, which translates as “men of the tick fir woods,” referring to the dense forests of northern Minnesota. The John Woodenfrog family lived on what became known as Chief Wooden Frog’s Islands on Kabetogama Lake until about 1930. The islands are named for either John Woodenfrog or his father Jim Woodenfrog, or Me tigo mah kah keence, which translates as Tree Frog or Wood Frog. The Woodenfrogs were some of the last of the Ojibwe Indians to leave the area as children were being forced to attend school on the reservation established at Nett Lake. Today, many descendents of families who once lived in the park now live on the Bois Forte Reservation at Nett Lake or in communities surrounding the park. Read more about the Bois Forte Ojibwe. 
Kabetogama Ranger Station in the 1950s Kabetogama Ranger Station Historic District Men from the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) constructed the ranger station complex at Kabetogama for the Minnesota Forest Service between 1933 and 1941 under the Emergency Work Act signed by President Roosevelt in 1933. Read more about the history of the CCC. The Civilian Conservation Corps worked with Minnesota Forest Service personnel planting trees, removing cut and burned slash from logging, fighting forest fires, conducting wildlife surveys, constructing public campgrounds, cleaning up the lakeshore, building permanent structures for administrative use, and other projects endorsed by the national program. A brief history of the Minnesota CCC. Work relief projects for Kabetogama State Forest were completed by the men of Company 724 who were stationed at Camp S-81 at Gappa’s Landing on Kabetogama Lake. Local Enlisted Men (LEMs) supervised and instructed enrollees in carpentry, forestry, survey and masonry techniques. In addition to the Kabetogama Ranger Station, the men from Camp S-81 constructed Woodenfrog Campground and were instrumental in fighting the 1936 fire on the Kabetogama Peninsula. Download the CCC History of Camp S-81 (PDF) for more information. The Kabetogama Ranger Station, associated buildings, and landscape are on the National Register of Historic Places. The district is significant because it exemplifies the ideals and goals of federal relief construction and the important role that the Minnesota Forest Service played in national conservation programs. Download the Kabetogama Ranger Station Cultural Landscape Inventory Report (PDF). 
The Story of I.W. Stevens For photos and excerpts from I. W. Stevens' journal, read "Tales from Namakan Lake." For an overview of the historic context surrounding the era of recreational cabin building in the Voyageurs region, download the research report (PDF). A brief summary of Stevens' life in present-day Voyageurs (PDF) is also available. 
“Show Place of Lake Kabetogama” The Ellsworth Rock Gardens have been known as the “Show Place of Lake Kabetogama” since the 1940s. Jack Ellsworth, the garden’s creator and a self-taught artist, used natural elements of the native northern Minnesota landscape as his artistic media, creating an original and distinctive art environment on the north shore of Kabetogama Lake. Over a period of roughly twenty years, Ellsworth, a carpenter from Chicago, used art and engineering to create a complex, terraced garden on a prominent rock outcrop. Ellsworth constructed 62 terraced flower beds on the outcrop, which he filled with more than 13,000 lilies and other flower varieties. He then accented his garden landscape with over 200 abstract rock sculptures that have been compared to the work of modern sculptors like Noguchi and Brancusi. The uniqueness and magnitude of Mr. Ellsworth’s creation and the garden’s importance as a recreational destination since the 1940s establish its significance. The gardens are eligible for the National Register for Historic Places and are the most popular day use destination in Voyageurs National Park. Read more in-depth information on the Ellsworth Rock Gardens page. 
Not a Sneeze on the Border! Many centuries ago, Kettle Falls was a main artery of the travel route along the wilderness border region. Native peoples gathered, hunted, and speared sturgeon at the falls, voyageurs paddled and portaged through the area carrying their goods and furs, and prospectors traveled to the picturesque stopping place on their way to the Rainy Lake gold mines. Around the time construction of the dams at Kettle Falls began in 1910, the Kettle Falls Hotel was built. The stonecutters and masons who built the dams were early patrons of the hotel, followed by lumberjacks, commercial fisherman, trappers, and traders. When the logging era came to an end and commercial fishing declined, tourism became the major industry and sports fishermen and families came to Kettle Falls. In advertisements from the 1930s, the Kettle Falls Hotel was a “Hay Fever Victims Sanctuary” where sufferers found relief due to the purity of sun-washed pine scented air and there was “not a sneeze on the border”. Located on the Minnesota – Canadian boundary at the eastern edge of the Kabetogama Peninsula, the historic hotel is still a destination of fishing enthusiasts and families and the air is still pine scented and pure. Download A Brief History of Kettle Falls (PDF) for more information. To learn more about the historic interior of the Kettle Falls Hotel, download the Historic Furnishings Report (PDF). 
A Demand for Hats The waterways of Voyageurs National Park include one of the most important segments of a 3,000-mile fur trade route of the late 18th and early 19th centuries. The driving force behind the fur trade was a demand for hats—beaver hats desired by fashionable Europeans. When beaver could no longer be found in Europe, the demand shifted to North America. As the fur trade expanded westward, it relied on the voyageurs, or French-Canadian canoemen, to muscle trade goods and furs between Montreal and the Canadian northwest. Voyageur is a French word for “traveler.” As a rule, the voyageurs are of French extraction, descendants of the trappers and traders of the old fur-companies, though by long intermarriage the blood of four nationalities mingles in their veins. Their grandfathers have been French-Canadians, their grandmothers Crow, English, and Cree, and Ojibwe. Read more by H.M. Robinson, "A Voyage with the Voyageurs," published in 1878. The lakes of Voyageurs National Park became a strategic relay and supply point along the fur trade route. The route of the voyageurs shaped the international boundary and the legacy of the voyageurs inspired the naming of this national park. 
The Talking Rocks of Voyageurs The rocks of Voyageurs National park tell amazing stories that stretch across time. The rocks tell of continent building and movement, mountain raising, ice ages, and soil formation. One of the reasons Voyageurs National Park was established was because of the amazing geological features. In 1975, Voyageurs National Park was established “to preserve, for the inspiration and enjoyment of future generations, the outstanding scenery, geological conditions, and the waterway system which constituted part of the historic route of the Voyageurs who contributed significantly to the opening of the northwestern United States.” The rocks of Voyageurs National Park are dated to be about half as old as the planet. Nowhere else in North American parks can you see and touch extensive exposures of rocks this old. The rocks of Voyageurs were formed in the Precambrian Era and are part of the Canadian Shield. They are older than the schist found in the bottom of the Grand Canyon. Voyageurs National Park tells the story of volcanic eruptions and shifting faults, and stories of gold and mica mining. We think you will also be amazed at the small amount of soil that supports the vast amount of life in this national park. 
Amazing Flora and Fauna Have you ever walked through a forest mixed with golden colored tamarack or under a canopy of aspens and maples displaying an amazing array of red, gold, and yellow leaves? Have you ever followed the smell of pine scents as you walk along rock covered ridges all while a fox scurries by and you spot signs of wolves along a trail? That is just some of what lies within Voyageurs National Park. The park lies in a transition zone between the boreal forests to the north and deciduous forests to the south. Nearly 700 species of plants have been identified within the park. Boreal forest species are most abundant, occupying about 70% of the park. Quaking aspen dominates with other species including birch, pines, spruces and balsam fir. Within this abundant diversity of the northern forest, wildlife abounds. Many characteristic of the north woods are found here including moose, white-tailed deer, gray wolves, fox, coyotes, lynx, bobcats, black bears, ravens, and common loons. A host of other animals can be found such as bald eagles, beavers, river otters, red squirrels, and small rodents. Voyageurs also hosts more than 240 bird species that either live in or migrate through the park. Meet some of the inhabitants of Voyageurs National Park's boreal forest. 
Prehistoric Fish, Oh My! Voyageurs is home to one of the world’s oldest fish species- the Lake Sturgeon. Lake Sturgeon can live to be more than 100 years old and do look prehistoric. At first glance one may not believe the size of these fish but it is true they can grow to be more than 150 pounds! The Ojibwe fished for sturgeon, years before Kettle Falls was built, as a staple in their food supply. Over the years sturgeon have become a favorite of people as caviar. Today, the population of Lake Sturgeon in the park is stable, but threats to this living fossil persist. A recent study was initiated by the National Park Service and partner agencies to study Lake Sturgeon in the Namakan Reservoir on both sides of the U.S.-Canada border. Movements and spawning behavior of sturgeon are being monitoring with state-of-the-art technology to aid in conservation of this amazing animal. Read more about sturgeon research. 
Visitor Destinations What is there to see or do in Voyageurs National Park? If you are looking to explore beyond fishing, swimming, or hiking look closely and you may just find a variety of special visitor destinations waiting for your exploration. In 2002 Voyageurs National Park wrote its General Management Plan which included the development of 15-20 visitor destinations. These destinations can be reached only by boat and provide visitors with another opportunity to learn about the park and its significance. The park has identified 15 locations to date that will eventually be provided with picnic facilities and interpretive exhibits. Many of these destinations are historic structures that are being preserved by the National Park Service and are in various stages of development. Download the Visitor Destinations brochure (PDF) to learn more. Check out all the things to see and do while visiting Voyageurs National Park:
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Did You Know?
Each fall more than 450 students visit Voyageurs National Park's Rainy Lake Visitor Center.