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Must See in Baudette: Lake of the Woods Historical Society

 May 26th, 2017 by OutdoorsFIRST 

Modified May 26th, 2017 at 12:00 AM

I have to admit, I don’t run to the thought of a history lesson. With that being said, I had the greatest afternoon learning many very interesting stories and visiting with Marlys Hirst of the Lake of the Woods Historical Society. Marlys is the Curator and Executive Director of this treasure trove of historical exhibits and items located in east Baudette across from the Lake of the Woods County offices. (www.LakeoftheWoodsHistoricalSociety.com)

The LOW Historical Society opens each year in Mid May and is open to the public. Inside you will find fascinating items from past generations. The experience for this non history connoisseur was delightful and I will be back.

The logging industry was and is a big part of the area. A variety of saws, tools and sharpeners are displayed. Old time two person hand saws and chain saws that used to rip through massive trees in the area makes one think about the size of the trees our ancestors harvested.  It doesn’t seem like it was an easy life compared to modern times.

Lake of the Woods County was known for it’s logging industry during the early 1900’s. In 1910, a big forest fire decimated much of the area and took over 30 lives. Similar to other forest fires, the disaster took place over dry, harvested land which was vulnerable to fires.

The historical society has a number of old time displays including an old bar from a tavern in the area and a nickelodeon that you can actually still deposit 5 cents into and be entertained.

The next time you come up to Lake of the Woods, plan on taking some time and checking out the Lake of the Woods Historical Society across from the county building in east Baudette, you will not be disappointed.

To learn more about Lake of the Woods, check out the Lake of the Woods Tourism website.

To find a guide, charter boat or lodging, check out our lodging page.

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