Minnesota's North Shore has long been alluring to those seeking natural beauty, but in The Scenic Route: Building Minnesota's North Short by Arnold R. Alanen, the author ventures through the history of the area's built environment.
"I've always had a fascination, ever since I was a kid, with what went on in terms of the buildings, the structures, the other elements of the landscape that were changed or modified by human action," says Alanen. From pre-colonial, to industrial, to a focus on tourism, the infrastructure of the North Shore has gone through changes.
Some of those changes include the actual roadway. Highway 61 now goes through Silver Creek Cliff Tunnel; years earlier, the perilous way skirted around the end of the cliff, and prior to that, the only road diverted inland to circumvent the cliff altogether. Closer to the Canadian border, the roadway also went inland to a locally-built, international crossing known as Outlaw Bridge. "I think that Outlaw Bridge story is such a fascinating one," says Alanen.
Going into the future, the shore will continue to change. "As it becomes even more of a treasure to people who are searching for the sorts of features that it does provide, the cost of land and property is just going to increase," says Alanen. "I'm afraid there will be more gentrification going on." The author also notes that, in spite of this, there were measures taken almost a century back to ensure accessibility of the shore for everyone with the designation of a variety of State Parks.
The Scenic Route can be found at various bookstores in Northeastern Minnesota as well as on the University of Minnesota Press website.
Minnesota Reads is produced at The North 103.3 with funding provided in part by the Minnesota Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund.
