If you’re driving up Highway 61, just northeast of Silver Bay you’ll see an expansive visitors’ center welcoming guests to Tettegouche State Park. Tettegouche is a fantastic place to experience fall on the North Shore, with its overlooks at Shovel Point, rocky cliffs and inland bluffs acting as a natural stage for trees in their fall radiance, and miles of trails.
The land Tettegouche State Park is on has traded hands since 1898, when the Alger-Smith Lumber Company began cutting the forests of Northeastern Minnesota. A logging camp was set up on a lake the loggers called Nipisiquit, an Algonquin name from New Brunswick, Canada, from where the loggers hailed. They took the Algonquin names for New Brunswick landmarks and bestowed them upon lakes in Tettegouche.
In 1910, the Alger-Smith Lumber Company sold the camp and the surrounding land to the Tettegouche Club, a group of Duluth businessmen who used the area as a fishing camp and retreat. One of the club members, Clement Quinn, bought the land from the others in 1921 and acted as protector of the land until 1971, when Quinn sold Tettegouche to the deLaittres family. Several years later, the deLaittres family began negotiations for preservation of Tettegouche as a state park. The Nature Conservancy and other concerned individuals and groups played a vital role in this process. On June 29, 1979, Tettegouche became a state park. Today, you can experience the 9,346 acres of Tettegouche State Park in all its rugged glory.
On October 20th, the Falcons, Live! program will return to Tettegouche, giving attendees the opportunity to see a peregrine falcon up close. 60 years ago, there were nearly no peregrine falcons, but today there are almost 350 nesting pairs in the Upper Midwest. The program will be held from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m.
Artist Rachel Coyne will be having a reception at Tettegouche on November 3rd from 7 to 8:30 p.m. Refreshments will be provided.
To stay updated on upcoming events at Tettegouche and other Minnesota state parks, check the Minnesota State Parks and Trails Event Calendar regularly: https://www.dnr.state.mn.us/state_parks/events.html?location=spk00269.
For an update on the best viewing for fall colors at Tettegouche visit Fall Color Finder Park Details | Minnesota DNR (state.mn.us) According to the website, the “maple trees are mostly leafless”, “but the birch and aspen are taking up the slack.” With MEA weekend upon us, you’ll want to be sure to take advantage of the extra time to enjoy fall!
