Kettle Falls Historic District
Encyclopedia
The Kettle Falls Historic District encompasses a portage
site on the United States-Canadian border in Voyageurs National Park
, Minnesota. Kettle Falls is a drainage channel between Namakan Lake and Rainy Lake
on the United States side of the border on the eastern end of the Kabetogama peninsula. A stone and concrete dam was built at the site between 1910 and 1914 by the Minnesota and Ontario Power Company. Two buildings associated with the construction of the dam remain, including the dam keeper's cabin. Another seventeen other buildings, including the Kettle Falls Hotel
, comprise the remainder of the district. The hotel is separately listed on the National Register of Historic Places
. The district preserves the portage, the dam and the Kettle Falls Hotel's historic context.
The portage, known at first as the Portage de Chaudière or the Portage Neuf, was frequented by fur traders (voyageurs) at first, following an established trail that later became the trace of the U.S.-Canadian border. An 1890s gold rush brought miners through the area. It was later used by fishermen and lumbermen, with commercial fish camps operating 1913-1920. Illegal liquor was smuggled over the border from Canada starting about 1910 In the 1930s lumbering operations were the chief activity. The dam is about 20 feet (6.1 m) high, with four sluiceways, divided into a section called the American Dam and another on the Canadian channel called the International Dam. It featured fishways, which were never considered very effective.
The district was placed on the National Register of Historic Places on July 17, 1978.
Portage
Portage or portaging refers to the practice of carrying watercraft or cargo over land to avoid river obstacles, or between two bodies of water. A place where this carrying occurs is also called a portage; a person doing the carrying is called a porter.The English word portage is derived from the...
site on the United States-Canadian border in Voyageurs National Park
Voyageurs National Park
Voyageurs National Park is a United States National Park in northern Minnesota near the town of International Falls. It was established in 1975. The park's name commemorates the voyageurs, French-Canadian fur traders who were the first European settlers to frequently travel through the area...
, Minnesota. Kettle Falls is a drainage channel between Namakan Lake and Rainy Lake
Rainy Lake
Rainy Lake is a relatively large freshwater lake that straddles the border between the United States and Canada. The Rainy River issues from the west side of the lake and is harnessed to make hydroelectricity for US and Canadian locations. The U.S...
on the United States side of the border on the eastern end of the Kabetogama peninsula. A stone and concrete dam was built at the site between 1910 and 1914 by the Minnesota and Ontario Power Company. Two buildings associated with the construction of the dam remain, including the dam keeper's cabin. Another seventeen other buildings, including the Kettle Falls Hotel
Kettle Falls Hotel
The Kettle Falls Hotel is a hotel that was built beginning in 1910 in what is now Voyageurs National Park on the Kabetogama Peninsula, at the juncture of Namakan and Rainy Lakes. The hotel was built to replace temporary lodgings, accommodating dam workers, loggers and tourists, and was finally...
, comprise the remainder of the district. The hotel is separately listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
. The district preserves the portage, the dam and the Kettle Falls Hotel's historic context.
The portage, known at first as the Portage de Chaudière or the Portage Neuf, was frequented by fur traders (voyageurs) at first, following an established trail that later became the trace of the U.S.-Canadian border. An 1890s gold rush brought miners through the area. It was later used by fishermen and lumbermen, with commercial fish camps operating 1913-1920. Illegal liquor was smuggled over the border from Canada starting about 1910 In the 1930s lumbering operations were the chief activity. The dam is about 20 feet (6.1 m) high, with four sluiceways, divided into a section called the American Dam and another on the Canadian channel called the International Dam. It featured fishways, which were never considered very effective.
The district was placed on the National Register of Historic Places on July 17, 1978.
External links
- Kettle Falls at Voyageurs National Park
- A Brief History of the Kettle Falls Area