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35-655: Pigeon River may refer to: Rivers Pigeon River (Minnesota–Ontario) , between Minnesota, United States, and Ontario, Canada Pigeon River (Manitoba) , a tributary of Lake Winnipeg, Canada One of four rivers named the Pigeon River (Michigan) in Michigan, United States Pigeon River (Tennessee – North Carolina) , United States Pigeon River (Mississippi River tributary) , Minnesota, United States Places Pigeon River, Minnesota , United States Pigeon River,

70-469: A deep gorge through the shale and greywacke of the Rove Formation. The U.S. Geological Survey estimated that 3,200 US gallons (12,000 L) of water flow over High Falls every second. On sunny days rainbows are often visible in the falls' mist. In winter ice can form on the falls 10 to 20 feet (3 to 6 m) thick, but water continues to flow underneath. A mixed hardwood forest covers most of

105-468: A later event formed northwest-to-southeast trending dikes . Together they are known as the Logan Intrusions after Canadian geologist William Edmond Logan . From 2 million years ago to 10,000 years ago a series of glacial periods repeatedly covered the region with ice, scouring the bedrock and scooping out a great basin. The hard diabase intrusions were more resistant to the ice and survived as

140-728: A lower elevation than Mountain Lake. South Lake is separated only by a narrow isthmus from North Lake in the Rainy River watershed . This isthmus is a part of the Northern (or Laurentian ) Continental divide , and is crossed by the Height of Land Portage . The fur-trading Voyageurs and coureurs des bois crossed this divide and travelled north and west downstream on the Rainy River and Winnipeg River to Lake Winnipeg , and thence to fur-producing areas of

175-525: A network of ridges. At the end of the last glacial period the basin filled with meltwater, forming Glacial Lake Minong , Lake Superior's precursor. Freed from the weight of the glaciers, the surrounding land gradually rose. This post-glacial rebound plus draining of the lake caused the shoreline to recede, first exposing the ridges of the park as islands, then leaving the entire area above water. The stages of shoreline recession are revealed by lake terraces composed of beach gravels. The sharp drop from

210-525: A rural community in Neebing , Ontario, Canada Pigeon River 13A, a reserve of the Berens River First Nation , Manitoba, Canada See also [ edit ] Pigeon Creek (disambiguation) Little Pigeon River (disambiguation) Pigeon (disambiguation) [REDACTED] Topics referred to by the same term This disambiguation page lists articles about distinct geographical locations with

245-538: A state and an Indian tribe, and the only Minnesota state park not owned by the state. Since the land was within the Grand Portage Indian Reservation, the state park bill was drafted with several provisions establishing a novel collaboration. Legislation establishing the park passed unanimously in both houses of the Minnesota Legislature in 1989. The Parks and Trails Council sold the land to

280-529: Is a state park at the northeastern tip of the U.S. state of Minnesota , on the Canada–United States border . It contains a 120-foot (37 m) waterfall , the tallest in the state (though it is on the border with Canada and thus partially in Ontario ), on the Pigeon River . The High Falls and other waterfalls and rapids upstream necessitated a historically important portage on a fur trade route between

315-608: Is also the only Minnesota state park not owned by the state. During the Paleoproterozoic era from 2.2 to 1.9 billion years ago, mud and muddy sand accumulated on the bed of a shallow sea. These sediments compacted into layers of shale and graywacke . Dubbed the Rove Formation , they are among the oldest unmetamorphosed sedimentary rock on earth. 1.1 billion years ago the North American Plate began to crack in

350-711: The Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness for 31.2 miles (50.2 km) until it drains into Lake Superior . The Pigeon is one of the larger rivers on Superior's North Shore . The Pigeon River originates from a chain of lakes along the US-Canada border, the highest of which, and furthest west, is Mountain Lake. Among the Pigeon's tributaries is the Arrow River of Ontario, which rises in South Lake, west of and at

385-453: The Great Lakes and inland Canada. This 8.5-mile (13.7 km) path as well as the sites of historic forts at either end are preserved in nearby Grand Portage National Monument . The state park, held by the surrounding Grand Portage Indian Reservation and leased to the state of Minnesota for $ 1 a year, is the only U.S. state park jointly managed by a state and a Native American band. It

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420-514: The Kaministiquia River in British territory. The region was extensively logged for white and red pine in the early part of the 20th century. An "outlaw" bridge across the river was built by residents of Thunder Bay , Ontario, and opened on August 18, 1917, to permit access to Minnesota. The Canadian road leading to the customs and immigration facilities at the bridge was initially known as

455-418: The U.S. Forest Service to help create Superior National Forest and the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness , agreed to sell 178 acres (72 ha) and donate a further 129 acres (52 ha). The Parks and Trails Council raised Johnson's asking price of $ 250,000 through contributions from individuals and foundations and completed the sale in 1988. The park is the only one in the country co-managed by

490-511: The "Scott Highway" after lumberman William Scott, and was designated as King's Highway 61 in 1937. Later the Pigeon River Bridge was built downstream and the "outlaw bridge" was removed. The river's English name is a translation of the 18th century French name Rivière aux Tourtres or Tourtes derived after the passenger pigeon which was once prolific in this region. Grand Portage State Park Grand Portage State Park

525-565: The 1890s the Alger, Smith and Company began logging on both sides of the border. In 1899 a series of sluices, dams, and flumes were built to float the logs safely around the waterfalls and gorges; remains of the wooden timber slide around the High Falls are still visible on the Canadian side. The Pigeon River Lumber Company began operations in 1900 and within a few years the two companies had stripped

560-586: The 19th century, the river was a primary water route for fur traders , and even earlier, for Native Americans , leading to the Lake of the Woods and thence to western Canada and Hudson Bay . The Montreal -based North West Company had a post at the community of Grand Portage on the shore of Lake Superior until 1801 when difficulties with the U.S. government following the adoption of the Jay Treaty obliged it to relocate to

595-655: The Canadian northwest. Below South Fowl Lake, the Pigeon River alternates between navigable waters and cascades or waterfalls. As the river nears Lake Superior, the gradient increases, culminating in a spectacular gorge including two notable waterfalls: High Falls, at 120 feet (37 m) the highest waterfall in Minnesota, and Middle Falls. This gorge is included within both Grand Portage State Park in Cook County, Minnesota, and Pigeon River Provincial Park (9.49 km ) across

630-542: The Grand Portage Band. The state park is located at the northern terminus of scenic Minnesota Highway 61 . The park's seasonal visitor center was replaced in September 2010 with a 5,800-square-foot (540 m ) combination visitor center, state travel information center, and highway rest area . It is staffed by Grand Portage Band members and contains exhibits interpreting Ojibwe life. The new facility complements

665-762: The Grand Portage and along routes in the interior, the future Grand Portage State Park remained largely undeveloped. The region was claimed by the French, then passed to the British following the French and Indian War under the 1763 Treaty of Paris . Following the independence of the United States the Arrowhead Region of Minnesota was disputed with British Canada. In 1842 the Webster–Ashburton Treaty finally settled

700-607: The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) for $ 316,000, an amount well under its appraised value. The DNR then began the complicated process of transferring the land to the Bureau of Indian Affairs , which would hold it in trust for the Grand Portage Band of Chippewa, who in turn would lease the park back to the DNR for $ 1 a year. Grand Portage State Park finally opened to the public in September 1994. It took so long to finalize

735-403: The Pigeon River as the international border. When the U.S. began negotiating the 1854 Treaty of La Pointe with the region's Ojibwe, hard-bargaining Grand Portage band leaders such as Adikoons secured a reservation within their traditional territory instead of being displaced west. The future state park was originally part of the reservation, but became tax-forfeit and was bought by whites. In

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770-596: The Webster-Ashburton Treaty. In winter all of the trails are open for snowshoeing. Grand Portage State Park is developed for day-use only. The closest camping is in Ontario's adjacent Pigeon River Provincial Park or in the unincorporated community of Grand Portage, Minnesota . The park emphasizes interpretation of Ojibwe cultural heritage, as a counterpoint to fur trade and natural history interpretation at nearby parks. Many park employees have been members of

805-673: The area, expanding as middlemen in the fur trade with the French. The Pigeon River, an otherwise useful route from the Great Lakes to inland Canada, was impassable over its last 22 miles (35 km) due to the waterfalls and rapids. To avoid this stretch early native inhabitants developed a footpath known as Kitchi Onigaming in the Ojibwe language , a name translated by French commercial explorers as Grand Portage , or "the Great Carrying Place." While busy outposts sprang up at either end of

840-652: The border in Thunder Bay District , Ontario. Its lower course also forms the northern boundary of the Grand Portage Indian Reservation . A 9-mile (14 km) portage , known as Grand Portage and used for hundreds of years by canoe travelers, bypasses these lower waterfalls and reaches Lake Superior a few miles from the mouth of the river. This historic area is protected as a part of the Grand Portage National Monument . Up to

875-424: The end of a gentle 0.5-mile (0.8 km) paved trail and boardwalk. Three wooden decks provide different angles to view the falls. A further 3.5 miles (5.6 km) of hiking trail leads to the 30-foot (9 m) Middle Falls and provides distant views of Lake Superior and Isle Royale from hilltops. A 0.2-mile (0.3 km) path leads from the park office through the picnic area to a historic marker commemorating

910-573: The land deal that another entire Minnesota state park, Glendalough , had been authorized, developed, and dedicated in the meantime. As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States , the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources temporarily closed Grand Portage State Park on April 10, 2020 at the request of the Grand Portage Band of Lake Superior Chippewa . The High Falls is at

945-569: The land of salable timber and moved away, leaving the area afflicted with unemployment, forest fires, and poor hunting. In the early twentieth century a remote fishing resort was located within the future park. In the 1930s plans were made to route Highway 61 across the Pigeon River at the High Falls, but conservation groups like the Izaak Walton League opposed the plan and the bridge and border crossing were ultimately built farther downstream in 1966. The land adjoining High and Middle Falls

980-521: The large travel center in Gooseberry Falls State Park , bookending the eight state parks along Minnesota's North Shore. Grand Portage State Park follows two miles (3.2 km) of the Pigeon River, which marks the Canada – United States border. The U.S. Customs border checkpoint is visible from the park entrance and in fact sits within the park's authorized boundaries. In September 2008

1015-440: The middle, and lava flowed out of this Midcontinent Rift System creating the distinctive basalt of Lake Superior 's North Shore (and Interstate Park to the south). In what is now Grand Portage State Park, upwelling magma did not reach the surface but intruded into fractures in the Rove Formation, cooling more slowly into diabase rather than basalt. One set of intrusions formed northeast-to-southwest trending sills while

1050-415: The occasional coyote and timber wolf . Waterfowl and raptors such as osprey frequent the Pigeon River, which also attracts walleye , northern pike , and rainbow smelt for their spring spawning . At the beginning of historical times Grand Portage and the Pigeon River lay along the border between Dakota land to the south and Cree to the north. By the early eighteenth century Ojibwe arrived in

1085-411: The park's rugged terrain defeated a rare illegal border crossing . Two Eastern Europeans were dropped off by a paid accomplice on the Canadian side of the border and waded across the Pigeon River near Middle Falls. They were supposed to hike through the park and rejoin their accomplice—who drove around through the checkpoint—in the parking lot. Instead the rough terrain exhausted them and they fled from

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1120-655: The park, chiefly paper birch and quaking aspen with occasional white spruce , eastern white pine , balsam fir , northern white cedar , poplar, and black ash . A more boreal forest appears on ridges and slopes, with black spruce joining the previously listed conifers intermixed with additional birch and aspen. Bottomlands near the river support black and green ash as well as white cedar, white spruce, and yellow birch . Mammalian species of this park include white-tailed deer , moose , Canadian lynx , black bear , red fox , porcupine , pine marten , river otter , beaver , snowshoe hare , skunk , and red squirrel with

1155-538: The same name. If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article. Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Pigeon_River&oldid=1155088831 " Category : Place name disambiguation pages Hidden categories: Short description is different from Wikidata All article disambiguation pages All disambiguation pages Pigeon River (Minnesota%E2%80%93Ontario) The Pigeon River flows in an easterly direction out of

1190-527: The surrounding land to the lake produces the numerous waterfalls for which the North Shore is famous. The Pigeon River cut its course through soft sediments and glacial till . However it intersected two erosion-resistant dikes which created the High Falls and farther upstream the Middle Falls, which cascades 10 feet (3 m) then drops a further 20 feet (6 m). Below the High Falls the river has carved

1225-457: Was purchased as a possible commercial property by Lloyd K. Johnson, a white attorney and land speculator from Duluth , who held onto it for decades. In 1985 a park advocacy group, the Minnesota Parks and Trails Council, suggested complementing Ontario's Pigeon River Provincial Park with a Minnesota state park. Johnson, who in the 1930s and 40s had sold hundreds of thousands of acres to

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