Bike WA to VT, Write History: Cass Lake, Minnesota

Monday, March 7, 2016

Cass Lake, Minnesota

1,686 miles

March 7 – In a dramatic contrast to the 90%+ Norwegian Lutheran territory I’d been travelling through, the town of Cass Lake is 67.9% Native American and 6.6% from two or more races. (24.3% White, 0.3% African American, 0.8% Asian, 0.1% from other races) Cass Lake, with 770 people, is located within the boundaries of the Leech Lake Indian Reservation. It is the headquarters location of Minnesota Chippewa Tribe and Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe, as well as the Chippewa National Forest. Students can choose to attend either the Cass Lake–Bena public schools or the Bureau of Indian Affairs-funded Bug-O-Nay-Ge-Shig School in nearby Bena. Leech Lake Tribal College, a two-year tribal college, is also located approximately 3 miles northwest of town.

Forest Supervisor's log building

In 1933, following passage of the Emergency Conservation Work Act and establishment of the Civilian Conservation Corps, Cass Lake was the headquarters for the Chippewa Sub-District, responsible for management of over a dozen work camps. Among the CCC projects completed in Cass Lake were the monumental log-construction Forest Supervisor's Office (1936) and establishment of the Lydick Nursery (1934), which produced millions of seedlings for reforestation work.

After a century of clear-cut logging and then agricultural use, Minnesota is working to reestablish its forests. The Today, the reforestation of Minnesota is actively promoted by the Department of Natural Resources, commercial seed companies, and volunteers.