. The park was first proposed in April 1891 by the
Minnesota Legislature in a resolution requesting that the president create a national park in the state. It wasn't until nearly eighty years later that federal legislation authorizing the creation of the park was signed into law by President
Richard Nixon on January 8, 1971. Established in 1975, this is Minnesota's only national park. Voyageurs National Park has been occupied by humans for nearly 10,000 years. During the
Paleo-Indian Period, people entered this area as the waters from
glacial Lake Agassiz receded. Then during the
Archaic Period (8,000 B.C. - 100 B.C.) nomadic people moved with the animals they hunted and with the ripening grains. Fishing grew into a major source of food during this time. The Woodland Period (100 A.D.- 900 A.D.) saw an increase in the use of the wild rice. Beginning around this time, they used ceramics to create small, side-notched triangular projectile points. European exploration began about 1688. French explorer
Jacques de Noyon wintered along the
Rainy River. But it was the demand for beaver pelts that brought the
fur traders. As competition in the east depleted the beaver, the
voyageurs expanded their range into the northwest territories of North America. Here along the modern border of the United States and Canada, the
Cree, Monsoni, and
Assiniboine tribes were first Native American contacts. By the mid-18th century these people had abandoned the Rainy Lake area, to the
Ojibwe. By 1780 the Ojibwe were the primary residents on the border. They filled key roles as suppliers of food, furs, and canoes. Logging came to the northwoods as the stands of
white pine in
Michigan,
Wisconsin and central
Minnesota were harvested. Beginning in the 1880s and 1890s, logging grew until there were two major logging companies. The International Logging Company in
Koochiching County used sawmills at International Falls and Fort Frances until 1937. It was the constant need for water that caused the dams to be constructed at International Falls, Kettle Falls, and Squirrel Falls in the early 1900s. The Virginia and Rainy Lake Lumber Company harvested trees to the east in
Saint Louis County. They rafted logs down river to Hoist Bay until 1929. Hoist Bay is named for the machinery used to hoist floating logs out of the lake. Trains then took them to sawmills in
Virginia, Minnesota. The logging has altered the composition of the forest. Where white and red pine once dominated the forest, they are a minor part. Few stands of large, mature trees exist in the park. In the summer of 1893 George Davis, funded by Charles Moore, discovered gold on Rainy Lake. Davis was on a small island near Black Bay Narrows. Here, he found a gold-bearing quartz vein. The "Little American" discovery gave rise to the island's modern name, Little American Island. With confirmation of the discovery, Charles Moore hired Jeff Hildreth, a miner from the
Black Hills to obtain title to the island. In the spring of 1894, development of the mine and of the nearby Rainy Lake City began. Rainy Lake City was incorporated on March 17, 1894. By summer the city was a community of several hundred people. It had a school house, bank, general store, hotels, restaurants, a newspaper, hardware store, butcher shop, and several saloons. With the development of the Little American Mine, other prospectors entered into the search. Mining remains which can still be seen (13 sites in all within the park boundaries When the park was established in 1975, there were over 60 resorts around the park. Within the park, there were 12 resorts, 97 leased cabin sites, and over 120 privately owned recreational homes. Many sold their land and buildings to the park. Some people chose to sell their property and leave immediately, while others chose to sell their property, but maintain use for either a lifetime tenancy or a 25-year use and occupancy reservation. As these properties are vacated, the park will remove many structures to restore natural conditions. Twenty properties, containing over 50 structures, will be retained and managed by the National Park Service because of their historic significance. Large fishing operations began on the Rainy River in 1892. By the 1890s and early 1900s, seven or eight fishing companies operated in the area. Most were on Crane Lake. The main production was caviar, taken from the eggs of
lake sturgeon. Most fell by the wayside as long distances and a lack of refrigeration affected the industry. By the 1930s all the large operations were gone. Family fishing replaced the large operations. By 1910 there were around 48 family businesses. The catch was sold at local auctions held at Kettle Falls. By 1923, commercial fishing was banned on Kabetogama Lake. By 1942 only 10 licensed family operations were active. Old fishing camps and net-tarring sites still exist in the park. The best preserved is the Oveson Fish Camp (c. 1950s). ==Geography==