"The year of the two winters the snow was so deep Paul had to dig down to the trees to continue logging operations. It got so cold that the boiling coffee froze so fast it was still hot when frozen. When the men spoke, their words froze in mid-air and when it thawed in the spring there was a terrible chatter for weeks."

Paul L. Bunyan

Historical Nugget:
Pine River owes much of its history to the pine, particularly the white pine.

The pine forests stretching across the state from the shores of the "big sea water" to the plains of the "American desert" contained thousands of square miles of the finest virgin timber east of the Pacific Northwest.

Found near the center of this mammoth forest preserve, located in the giant forest-fertile crescent formed by the headwaters of the Mississippi River and flowing through what many termed "the richest stand of timber in the Old Northwest," is a river memorialized by early explorers as "The Pine."

And at the place where its two major tributaries, the South Fork and Norway Brook, merge to form this majestic stream a peppery Scottsman founded a trading post in 1873, then a ranch followed by a hotel. Later came a railroad, then a town - and finally a prosperous city.

Within two years after the Northern Pacific Railway had bridged the Mississippi River at "The Crossing" (now Brainerd), George Angus Barclay established the first permanent trading post on the Pine River. From this site grew the village, which eventually took the name of the river and became "Pine River."
 - from "Logsleds to Snowmobiles"

Historical Places:

• CROSSLAKE •

Crosslake Area Historical Society
35404 Cty Rd 3, Crosslake
218-692-5400
On Facebook
Historic Log Village: Each building in the log village features a "stop-and-listen" system in which you push a button to listen to a recording about the specific site.
Click here to begin a Virtual Tour of the Historic Log Village. Plan a Visit
Hours: Saturdays and Sundays 11:00 am - 4:00 pm (Memorial Day through Labor Day) and for special events.

Northern MN Railroad Heritage Museum
"Home of the Northern Trackers"
36184 County Road 66, Crosslake, MN 56442
218-692-1900
Hours: Saturday: 10 am - 2 pm
Group tours available by appointment 218-692-1900
No Admission fees - donations and memberships appreciated!
On Facebook
A ''work in process'' historical railroad museum. Library and train models replicating logging and mining industries in the early 1900's.

• JENKINS •

City of Jenkins website - History
Jenkins resident - Glen Leverington's story
Jenkins resident - Earl (Mike) Schultze's story
Early Settlements in Jenkins
Early Transportation in Jenkins
Early Livelihood in Jenkins

• PEQUOT LAKES •

Pequot Lakes Area Historical Society
The Cole Memorial Building was built in 1937 by the W.P.A.  The Historical Society museum is located in the basement of the Cole Memorial Building and it represents the Depression and World War II era.
Hours: Our Digital Collection is available online anytime at our website. Otherwise, we are open Saturdays Noon – 4 p.m. (from Memorial Day weekend to Labor Day weekend), and also by request at (218) 568-2199.
On Facebook
Membership Fees:$15/family & $10/single. 

• PINE RIVER •

City of Pine River website - History