Beaver Bay Minnesota Tourist Information
On June 24, 1856, the sidewheel steamer Illinois arrived in Beaver Bay with 25 passengers of German and Swiss descent, their household goods, livestock and farm implements. The people and their gear were loaded in lifeboats and brought to shore while the animals were put over the side and made to swim to the beach. Among the passengers were Henry, Albert, and August Wieland and their families, the Gilomans, the Tischers, the Zimmermans and the Schaffs. Mr. and Mrs. Clark and family were the only residents to greet the new arrivals. The families made their homes and farms along the river as far north as Lax Lake.
Two sawmills were built and the lumber produced was shipped to Duluth, Upper Michigan, and Thunder Bay. In 1869, the Wielands installed 30-inch burrstones in one mill and ground grain. They also had a small tannery where leather millbelts as well as leather for boots and shoes were tanned.
During the Panic of 1857, numerous settlements on the North Shore were abandoned, with the exception of Beaver Bay, which remained the only permanent settlement between Grand Portage and Duluth.
The first Lake County government was organized in August 1866. Beaver Bay remained the county seat until 1886 when it was moved to Two Harbors by a petition of only 24 signatures. The first school district was organized on August 28, 1865, a year before either the township or county government was organized. The first school, built in 1876, was destroyed by fire and rebuilt in 1878. This school was then replaced by another one-room building in 1892. The last school, built in 1928, now serves as the municipal building.
New industry began in the 1890's with the coming of Scandinavian fishing families. Commercial fishing was big along the North Shore until the late 1960's, when regulations became stiffer and the fish population was depleted by sea lampreys. Although there was some farming done, the land was not nearly as productive as Thomas Clark predicted. Logging was important until the end of the century and there were several logging camps in the area. The last load of logs was shipped out of Beaver Bay in 1910.
When Highway 61 was completed in 1924, the Beaver Bay Lodge, with tourist rooms, cabins, and meals, the Log Cabin Lunch (later to become Lorntson's-Berrymans-Beaver Bay Inn), and the Trading Post, with dining room and two garages marked the beginning of the tourist industry in Beaver Bay. The city has changed in appearance over the years and few buildings remain as they once were. The Beaver Bay Lodge, Spruce Point Diner, Ernie Hanson home, and Les Strand's Sawmill were destroyed by fire. Within a one block area are the sites of an old grist mill, an Indian burial mound with the grave of Chief John Beargrease, and a children's playground. Beaver Bay's location at the mouth of the Beaver River provides an ideal setting for its nationally-known "Spring Smelt Fry." Trout and salmon fishing is excellent right under the bridge. (Parts of the above narrative are from the book: Tall Trees & Deep Waters, A History of East Lake County.)
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