Interpretive Kiosks along Paul Bunyan Scenic Byway

Click on the kiosk sites below to see photos, location and tour information. All interpretive kiosk stories are written in the 'voice' of the legendary logger, Paul Bunyan, this scenic byway's namesake.
CSAH 1, Pine River (near the dam, swimming area and Kater Park) Panel excerpt: "Here’s a story that’ll quack you up! Ever wonder why, when somebody yells “Duck!” you crouch down and cover your head, instead of looking up in the air to see a duck flying by? Well I’ll tell ya why. ..."
CSAH 1, Timothy Township (south east of junction CSAH 1 & Old Grade Road) Panel excerpt: "So who the heck was Timothy? Timothy Town Hall over there has a pretty interesting past, including just who this Timothy guy was that they named it after..."
CSAH 1, Old Grade Road (in the front yard at Ideal Township Fire Station west of Co. Rd 134) Panel excerpt: "Ole the Blacksmith’s best trick ever. How in tarnation do you make 25 miles of railroad with just 1,000 feet of track? That’s a tough one... but Ole figured it out!..."
CSAH 66, Ojibwe-Dakota battle site (lakeside of parking lot near front entrance to Moonlite Bay Family Restaurant) Panel excerpt: "Me and Ike the Pike. This is a great spot to fish. And it was right here that I once caught the most cantankerous fish in the North Country— Ike the Pike...."
CSAH 66, USACE Campground & Park, Crosslake (near park entrance/parking lot) Panel excerpt: "Yup, this is a pretty popular place! Has been for about 15,000 years. Back then, this land was brand new, and folks just had to come and explore it. Paleo-indian bands camped right here. Their stone tools and bowls were hewn of rock from what’s now Illinois, so they were comin’ North. ...."
CSAH 16, Ideal Township Park (park's parking lot) Panel excerpt: "Smack dab in the middle! Here we are, right in the center of the Byway, where it all started... and where we got the term “Smack Dab.”
CSAH 16, Veterans Memorial Walking Trail (turn onto Pine Cone Road back to trail parking lot) Panel excerpt: "It was a savage fire... but it wasn’t Art’s fault. Back in May of ‘58— that would be 1958— forest ranger Art found himself in a pretty precarious position. ... He was 100 feet above the ground, swaying back and forth in a bone-buffeting southeasterly, clinging for dear life...”
CSAH 16, Gateway Gazebo - with two interpretive stories the Scenic Byway Information Gazebo is located on the north side of CSAH 16 at the junction with HWY 371 (located on lawn boulevard at the south end of parking lot at the A-Pine Restaurant). Panels' excerpts: "Well hello there, Shorty. Nice of you to stop by. Hope you’re havin’ a good time up here in my old stompin’ grounds. ...” "Just passin’ through? Well believe me, you’re not the first. Not even close. Ever since the glaciers receded, thousands of years ago, this very spot has welcomed travelers to come explore this land. ..."
CSAH 11, Where the Scenic Byway Meets the Trail - Pequot Lakes Chamber of Commerce (upright kiosk located east side of the Paul Bunyan State Trail just south of the Chamber bldg) Panel excerpt: "You picked a pretty good place to stop. Today, this is where the Paul Bunyan Trail meets the Paul Bunyan Scenic Byway. But it’s been a popular spot for a long time. Since way before Babe and I even got here, this has been a crossroads for travelers. ...”
CSAH 11, Historic Fire Tower (look for the fire tower entrance road on north side of CSAH 11, kiosk at trailhead near parking lot) Panel excerpt: "Now there’s a bright idea! You see that big fire tower over there? Well, there’s a pretty good story behind how it got there. Every lumberjack worth his chewin’ tobacky knows that winter is the best time to ...”
CSAH 11, Rice Lake/Lowell Wildlife Management Area (Kiosk located east side of Nickel Road at junction with CSAH 11. Another interpretive panel and walking trail located near shore of Rice Lake) Panel excerpt: "Wild rice flapjacks are pretty darn yummy. I can eat about 500 of ’em, but I’m tryin’ to cut down. Belt’s gettin’ a little tight these days. Remember the story about my giant flapjack griddle and the guys that used to grease it by tying bacon to their boots and skating around? Well this is one of the places we used to set that big iron griddle,...”
CSAH 11, Breezy Point City Park (north side of parking lot just off CSAH 11.) Panel excerpt: "We almost called it “Elmer Point!” Most folks think this place is called Breezy Point because of the wind coming off the lake. Well that’s not entirely true. Here’s the story. Way back when, I had one of my loggin’ camps right here. Babe and I had to go up to the Iron Range to get some ore for Ole the Blacksmith, so I told my seven giant axmen to go scout for some more big trees while I was gone. ...”