MINNEAPOLIS, MN (August 27, 2025)— Author Arnold R. Alanen will present his new book, The Scenic Route: Building Minnesota’s North Shore (University of Minnesota Press, May 20, 2025), at two events on Saturday, September 20: Zenith Bookstore in Duluth at 11:00 AM and Split Rock Lighthouse in Two Harbors at 2:00 PM. The book explores the history of the built environment along Minnesota’s iconic North Shore.
The section of Minnesota Highway 61 that parallels Lake Superior’s North Shore is well-known for its outstanding natural and scenic features and is considered one of the Midwest’s most popular driving experiences. The Scenic Route is a field guide to the cultural landscape of the North Shore Scenic Drive and a journey deep into its evolution from ancient wilderness to All-American Road. Alanen explores the built environment—from cabins and resorts to parks, logging operations, lighthouses, and beyond— and shares stories from the people who shaped the cultural heritage along Minnesota’s North Shore.
David Salmela, architect, praised the book, “The Scenic Route is a remarkable, detailed history of Minnesota’s North Shore of Lake Superior. From the southerly end in Duluth to the northernmost tip in Grand Portage at the Canadian border, Arnold R. Alanen compiles past and present information mile by mile in such an interesting way. Anyone who has lived near, visited, or is interested in this unique stretch of shoreline will really enjoy this book.
Arnold R. Alanen, born, raised, and educated in Minnesota, is professor emeritus of planning and landscape architecture at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. He is author of Morgan Park: Duluth, U.S. Steel, and the Forging of a Company Town (Minnesota, 2007) and Finns in Minnesota; coauthor of Main Street Ready-Made: The New Deal Community of Greendale, Wisconsin; and coeditor of Preserving Cultural Landscapes in America.
