Walking in Breckenridge

On Monday morning I drove from Fergus Falls to Breckenridge MN for a walk. The last time I had been here was a couple months after the very tragic 1997 flood. The drive was through the rural, very flat countryside. Crops are just about ready for harvesting. I saw corn, soybeans, sugar beets, and sunflowers.

The drive was only about 30 minutes, but it took me about that same amount of time to find the start site of the walk. Both Google Maps and Mapquest took to the same place south of town, a place that was full of small industrial warehouses. I knew the start place was listed as being across the street from a Dairy Queen, but it wasn't there either. As I drove along this street I drove across a bridge and found myself in Wahpeton, North Dakota. I pulled into a parking lot and got out my phone and searched for the gas station that was the start site. Thankfully Google found it and even provided a map! When I finally got there I asked the store clerk if perhaps the 1020 address needed to have north added to it, but he told me the exact address that was on the web site for this walk was accurate. And I was number 50 something this year for this walk, so others had obviously found the right place. Don't know why the mapping services took me the wrong address. When I walked back I noticed, too, a sign on the Dairy Queen building across the street from the start site saying the Dairy Queen was now downtown. That's why the Dairy Queen address didn't work either.

And now another digression. The place names here are very interesting. Breckenridge is named after John Breckinridge (note the different spelling) who was Vice-President of the United States in a term just before the start of the Civil War.  When the Civil War started he became a colonel in the Confederate Army, and ended up being the Secretary of State for the Confederate government during the last few months of the Civil War.


Breckenridge is the county seat of Wilkin County. And that name has a connection too with the Civil War. The first name of this county was Toombs and history is silent on why this name was first chosen. Toombs was a leading disunionist and became the first Secretary of State for the Confederate government. The people in the county were so opposed to having the county named after him that they petitioned the Minnesota Legislature to change the name to Andy Johnson County, named after the Vice-President who succeeded to the presidency following Lincoln's assassination. The county residents then became so displeased with Johnson's performance that they again petitioned the Legislature for another name change and selected Wilkin, a Union Army colonel. Wilkin, born in Georgia, had spent most of his adult life in Minnesota and died in a battle in Mississippi.

Yes, we have contentious politics these days, but obviously it is not the first time that politics have been contentious!

I walked first through a residential area. Then the walk took me towards the Otter Tail River, the same river that I walked beside doing the Fergus Falls walk.

In Breckenridge the residential area that I had just walked through is separated from the river by a levee.

 When there is no danger from a flood, one may walk through this area. Look carefully though and it can be seen that a piece of barrier can be slotted in to fill this opening. Nearby I saw construction equipment working on stabilizing the river shore. Stabilizing the shore line with rocks is a great help during a flood. A small amount of water can seep through the soil underneath, and the rocks keep the shore from eroding.

On the other side of the levee I found simply a flood plain.

The walk continued on to an area called Welles Park.

Notice the flags blowing almost straight out in the wind. Wind is normal here. This area is just on the eastern edge of what I call the prairie wind area.

When I walked over the grass to read the above monument I noticed the soil was spongy and bouncy. There is a quite high water table here. I thought Welles was not generous, there was simply nothing other than a park that could be done with this land. Nothing could be built here!

I followed a gravel road for a bit and then went across a pedistrian bridge for the Bois de Sioux River. This river begins out of Lake Traverse which lies a bit to the south in Traverse County (a bit about that in a blog post with a later.) To understand about the flood situation one needs to know a bit of geology and geography. Look at the Minnesota map and notice the bump on the western border.

 That is the point of a continental divide. Water on the south side of bump gathers in Big Stone Lake and then flows into the Minnesota River and then into the Mississippi River. Water on the north side gathers in Lake Traverse and then flows into the Bois de Sioux River where it joins with the Otter Tail River to form the Red River of the North.

Above is the confluence of the two rivers. The Otter Tail comes from the right while the Bois de Sioux comes the left. Bois de Sioux reflects that the river flows through a forested area south of Breckenridge. The Red River carries that name because of how the calm water reflects the summer sunsets. This is the same river that I walked beside in Moorhead. See June posts for this blog if you are interested in that view of the Red River.

At an exhibit at the confluence I found this sculpture depicting the joining of the two rivers. Sorry, no artist's name is displayed for this work.

The river is both a blessing and a curse. The curse is the spring floods. The Red River flows north to Lake Winnipeg and then to Hudson Bay. Spring in North America comes from the south. Snow melt gathers in a river and tries to flow north -- into a river that may still be frozen or clogged with ice jams. The nearby land is very flat and so the water spreads out over miles or may go rushing down a tributary to a town 20 miles away!

The blessing was more obvious in the 19th century. Once the railroad reached Breckenridge it became possible to ship goods between the Mississippi River ports and destinations well into Canada.

After enjoying this display I headed on Minnesota Avenue through the downtown area of Breckenridge, part of the street I had driven on, fruitlessly looking for the walk start point. I turn left onto 5th Street and came upon this pleasant scene.

This wayside resting place is named in honor of Angelique Bourcier Martin, a Dakota-French woman. She owned the land upon which the present day Breckenridge sits, selling the land patents to Welles, the same mentioned above for Welles Park.

I enjoyed seeing this sign in a store window.

 Cowboys and Cowgirls are the names for the high school sports team in this town.

I turned right to walk past the Wilkin County Historical Museum and came upon a monument for a hotel fire.

This fire in the Stratford Hotel, in 1979, killed 17 people. Click here to see a copy of a newspaper article about this fire.

The historical society is not open on Monday so a visit was impossible. I did enjoy the murals on the outside of the building.

Here is one remembering the time of the paddle boat steamers.

And below is one that shows a tractor powered by steam.

On a visit in this area at another time I learned about the Bonanza Farms of the 1870s. Click here to learn more.

More walking took me to helicopter.

This Cobra helicopter from the time of the Viet Nam war is part of a veteran's monument. This one is unusual in that it includes the Merchant Marines as one branch of the U.S. military.

Then I walked towards this object. The triangle shape made me think it had something to do with American Indian culture, but I certainly was wrong.

It is a Sierpinski Tetrahedron, Sierpinski being a Polish mathematician. The explanatory material near the site explained the geometry classes at the high school had made of these structures for several years out of paper. In fact, click here for directions about how to do that. Alas, in about one week the tape holding the structure would loose its punch and the structure would collapse. Then one group of students got the idea of making the structure out of metal. Through a cooperation with a shop welding class this structure was made.

After admiring this I walked again over the Otter Tail River looking very calm on this early autumn day.

Then it was just a short walk to my car and I was off to lunch. I drove then to Wheaton, but that's a story for a different blog post.

What's a Rest Stop?

This blog, much to my amazement, has readers from 100 countries in addition to the United States and Puerto Rico. This particular post is for those who live elsewhere. What I'm writing about should be familiar to most of those living in the United States.

In my traveling around I've made reference to stopping at rest stops. I realized yesterday as I was doing that again that rest stops may be a bit unique to the United States. For much the same purposes, for example, we stop at gas stations in Central Europe. I remember the first time someone suggested to me to stop at a gas station for the toilet in Central Europe. I shuddered, for in the United States, many gas stations would not have facilities anyone would wish to use -- but yes, there are others that make available very clean facilities.

So here's a rest stop:

A rest stop always has a small building with toilet facilities and drinking water. One may find a map display or perhaps also tourist brochures for the more immediate area. Wi-Fi is also becoming available at many rest stops.

This particular one has signs announcing that helicopters might be in the area, working on installing an electrical line. The sign cautioned drivers to keep their eyes on the road, not the helicopters.

It had one sign quite unusual:

This sign gives information about an invasive species, asking people to keep their eyes open for that. On the sign is a 800 (that means toll free) phone number to call if one sees this beetle.

As one approaches a rest stop, there are signs that separate auto and truck traffic. The two vehicles require different parking sizes so sorting them out helps. Also the rest stop provides a place for a long distance truck driver to do that -- rest.

This particular one yesterday had quite a collection of trucks.

 Rest for families too. This rest stop had a playground and picnic tables. And across the auto parking lot in a grassy area was an area for walking for dogs.
 
In some states even more happens at rest stops. In Iowa most rest stops are also a history display. The one near Sioux City, IA, for example, is all about the Lewis and Clark Expedition, since the group camped near the site of the rest stop. When traveling with my children once in Mississippi we found a rest stop that served Coca Cola for free. In hot weather, that was a good treat!

The heading on this blog says sometimes things will be mundane -- so perhaps rest stops fit that description. But I know rest stops may be a bit unique. I remember taking a Russian visitor with me to Duluth. When we stopped at a rest stop she said, "Oh, this is marvelous. In Russia we have to pee along the road."

Walking in Fergus Falls

This morning I left home around 9 AM for Fergus Falls to do some walks. It was hard to pack because the weather had changed so much. Instead of 90 degrees, the temperature was around 60 (16C). What do I wear in this weather?

I stopped at Alexandria for lunch around 12:00. About 10 miles out of Fergus Falls I stopped for a couple of minutes at a rest stop. I though the countryside so beautiful in that area that I just had to try to take a picture.

 I arrived in Fergus Falls shortly thereafter. I've been to this city many times during the time I worked for the Minnesota Department of Health. It serves as a  regional center for state government, but my previous trips were primarily to the district office or to a hotel conference center for presenting a workshop and then a fast trip back to the Twin Cities.

Fergus Falls is the county seat of Otter Tail County. Today I learned that the name Otter Tail came from the American Indians -- primarily Chippewa in this area -- who thought an island in the river looked liked an otter.

Fergus Falls, itself, was named by a Scottish trapper, Joe Whitford. He named the falls in the river after his employer, Fergus. Whitford was killed during the U.S. -Dakota war. His vacant land claim was purchased by George B. Wright, and that's how Fergus Falls really got started. Many dams were built on the river here to power mills for flour, wool, and lumber.

The walk went through a light industrial area and then the route turned to Veteran's Memorial Park and the River Trail.

On a quiet Sunday afternoon it was very quiet in the park -- just me and birds.

It was pleasant walking along the river. Then the route turned towards the business district.

I walked along the shops, all buttoned up and quiet on a Sunday afternoon. Finally I got to Broadway Street and turned right to Summit. On Summit I faced a long hill -- down. And predictably what does down must go up.

In a bit I turned back towards the business district and walk down to the City Hall.

Then it was back to the River Trail.

The route directed me to follow it the end and then go up steps to the George B. Wright Park.

Then back on the trail in the other direction to the dam.

Yes, there is a fence between the camera and the video. The power of the river was so overwhelming I didn't even want to try to get the camera lens between one of the holes in the fence.

After this it was just a short walk back to the car. A nice walk.

Walking in Duluth

This year I walked in snow in April, in cool weather with rain for much of May and in excessive heat during late August. It's been an ugly year for doing things outdoors.

Wednesday in Duluth turned out to be perfect! The temperature was in the low 70s with wonderful sunshine and a nice breeze coming off the lake.

This walk began in Leif Erikson Park on London Road in Duluth. The route was easy -- simply follow the lake shore trail to the Lift Bridge and walk back. No need to figure how which Y in the trail is the right Y for turning left. (See post about walking in Two Harbors for more references to that!)

Leif Erickson Park is the home of the Duluth Rose Garden. It is really beautiful.

This fountain is one of the dominant features. Information in the park explained this fountain was originally on a downtown street where in the late 19th century it served as a watering station for horses!

Everywhere one looks there are beautiful flowers. And the cool, damp air along Lake Superior has protected these flowers from the hot summer.

 

The park also has a gazebo that is popular for weddings. 

 In fact, a sign at the parking lot for the park listed all the events taking place in the gazebo this week.

On the lake side I could see a ship waiting to enter the harbor. 

 As I continued down the trail I found a Veteran's Monument. 

The monument is made like a bunker on a shore. The outcroppings on the top represent each of the five branches of military service in the United States. Windows inside face the rising sun, representing the "cycle of life." They also frame some interesting views. 

This window frames the residential area along London Road while the one below shows the Lift Bridge. 

Near this monument was another monument remembering a unit of 227 Marines from Duluth that served in the Korean conflict. 

The photograph on the left of the monument shows the unit marching through Duluth as they left for Korea. Of this group of 227 men, nine lost their lives in Korea, one was a prisoner of war for 33 months, and 80% of them experienced war injuries. 

Soon I could see the towers from the Fitger's complex. 

 Fitger's is a renovated 19th century brewery that now includes a hotel, shops, and a modern brewery. 

Along a wall I found a length of mosaics. 

This portion of the wall remembers a boat that sunk in the Duluth harbor. I really appreciated this wall when I was doing the return trip, for from the distance one sees an attractive wall rather than a stark urban object. 

Soon I was in the Canal Park area. I was interested in coffee and was glad to see a Caribou Coffee. I lingered  a bit too long for when I walked out of the shop I heard the alarm from the Lift Bridge signifying a boat would be moving through the ship canal. 

Look above the stair well and see the ship funnels. Even running I would have been too late to see the ship up close.

I continued down the street and came upon a fountain that I really like. 

This work is called the Fountain of the Wind and was constructed by the artist, Douglas Freeman.

Here are two of the interesting features of the fountain. 

Nearby is an interesting brick wall. 

This wall is the work of the artist, Donna Dobberfuhl. 

I continued to the Lake Superior Maritime Visitor Center. The digital display showed me the next ship through the ship canal would be in 5-7 hours, so I didn't have good luck in seeing a ship up close as it passes through the canal. Both the one I just missed and the one expected where coming to load coal for power plants down the Great Lakes. Coal comes by train from North Dakota and Montana and then is sent by ship for the rest of its travel to the eastern states.

But this Center is right beside the Lift Bridge so I took a picture to share. 

When a boat needs to pass through the ship canal warning sirens sound and then the road platform moves to the top, allowing ships to pass beneath it. 

Even though school is now in session the lake front was full of people. 

Walking back I got a good view of a ruin in the lake water. 

The explanatory material here explained this was an area for the loading and unloading of sand and gravel during the late 19th century. I learned that a structure built into the lake for loading and unloading cargo is called a crib. Thus far, I thought I crib was a place for babies to sleep or a place to store cob corn so it could dry. But each of these things have slats, that is probably will each have the same name. 

In the picture above and the one below, one can see many rocks on the lake shore.  This is not nature.

 Highway I-35 goes through Duluth below grade or through tunnels. All the rock from this excavation was put on the lake shore to make the lake walk area.

As I continued back to the rose garden and the place I let my car, I found a sign about a buoy.

The spot in the lake is a red buoy that marks a crib and breakwater under the water, something obviously a ship doesn't what to hit. It is the first or last, depending on how you count, of a 2, 342 mile (3,769 kilometers) trail of buoys between the Duluth Harbor and the Atlantic Ocean. And I learned the right word is nun, not buoy.

This was a great walk and a beautiful day. We are so lucky to have Duluth as part of Minnesota.

The Birth of 3M

Two Harbors is the place where 3M was founded. Don't know 3M -- bet you will recognize some of these products.

The story is that a group of business men went together to make a company to mine corundum. They purchased land believed to have corundum and built a processing plant. Only when all of this was done and the product shipped to the first buyer did they get a geologist report pointing out the mine was producing a different mineral, totally unuseful.

This story is told in the building in Two Harbors in which the company first had its office. I went to visit here later in the afternoon after completing a 10 K walk in Two Harbors, reported in a previous post.

 This building is now a historic site and operated as a small museum.

I learned what saved the company was the invention of Wetordry sandpaper.

Above is a roll of this paper, used to polish the finishes on cars. A nearby sign said 3M has protected the patent/copyright on this sandpaper for 75 years.

The ceiling above in this room is decorated with pieces of various sandpapers made by 3M.

In the museum I learned of two products that surprised me.

The boots worn by the astronaut on the moon were made by 3M.

Another product is stickers to put on butterflies to track their migration.

I placed my first finger by the stickers in order to give those who see this picture a reference for how small are these stickers.

In another room in the building there is a display about 3M international presence. A large sign lists the various countries in which 3M does business and the date it began in each country. With my interest in Central Europe I looked for those countries.

An interesting place to visit -- and I'd never thought about why the street by 3M in Saint Paul was called McKnight. Turns out McKnight was president of 3M for many years.