Chippewa National Forest - Misplaced Pages

(Redirected from Lost 40) National Forest in Minnesota, United States

Chippewa National Forest


Location	Itasca / Cass / Beltrami counties, Minnesota, United States
Nearest city	Cass Lake, MN
Coordinates	47°20′26″N 94°12′24″W / 47.34056°N 94.20667°W / 47.34056; -94.20667
Area	666,623 acres (2,697.73 km)
Established	1908
Governing body	U.S. Forest Service
Website	Chippewa National Forest

Location of the Chippewa National Forest

Chippewa National Forest is a National Forest located in north central Minnesota, United States, in the counties of Itasca, Cass and Beltrami. Forest headquarters are located in Cass Lake, Minnesota. There are local ranger district offices in Blackduck, Deer River and Walker.

History

The Forest was established as the Minnesota Forest Reserve on 27 June 1902, with the passage of the Morris Act. While this act mainly addressed the disposition of unallotted lands on Ojibwe Indian reservations in Minnesota, 200,000 acres (810 km) of the Chippewas of the Mississippi, Cass Lake, Leech Lake, and Winnibigoshish Indian reservations were designated as a Forest Reserve.

Led by Maria Sanford and Florence Bramhall of the Federation of Minnesota Women's Clubs, conservation activism beginning in 1900 brought the forest and potential threats to wide public attention. The Reserve was re-established as the Minnesota National Forest on 23 May 1908. In 1928, the forest was renamed in honor of the Chippewa tribe of Native Americans from whose land the forest was created. Subsequent boundary expansions and land purchases increased the area of the forest to its present size.

The Lost Forty

The Forest contains an area known as the 'Lost Forty. This area, which has a total of 144 acres (0.58 km), was accidentally mapped as part of Coddington Lake when the original maps of the region were laid out in 1882. As a result of the mapping error, the Lost Forty was never logged. It contains some of the state's oldest forests, with trees over 350 years old. Today, less than two percent of Minnesota's total forested land is such old growth forest.

Historic and cultural sites

The historic Forest Supervisor's Office, built in 1936 – still in use today.

There are over 3000 archeological and historic sites located within the forest, two that are most notable and open to the public are:

Camp Rabideau a Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) camp is one of the best-preserved of the nation's many CCC camps.
The Chippewa National Forest Historic Supervisor's Office, constructed by the Civilian Conservation Corps and Works Project Administration.

Geography

The forest covers 667,094 acres (2,699.63 km). Water is abundant, with over 1,300 lakes, 923 miles (1,485 km) of rivers and streams and 400,000 acres (1,600 km) of wetlands. The Forest has more lakes and wetlands than any other National Forest in the nation, boasting approximately 13% of all surface water within the entire National Forest system. Inside the forest the Cut Foot Sioux Trail runs along the Laurentian Divide.

Three of the top ten largest lakes in size within the State of Minnesota are located within the forest, these are Cass Lake, Leech Lake and Lake Winnibigoshish. Approximately 44% of the Forest's land is within the Leech Lake Indian Reservation.

Fauna and flora

Aspen, birch, pine, balsam fir, and maple blanket the forest. Old growth forest such as the Lost Forty section of the CNF is valuable for wildlife, including bald eagle, several species of hawk and woodpecker, red squirrel, weasel, and numerous other species. In the 1960s, the bald eagle population in the forest was only 12 nesting pairs. Since then the population has rebounded. The bald eagle population of the Chippewa National Forest is one of the highest densities in the lower 48 states at 150 nesting pairs.

Recreation

The Forest contains 21 developed campgrounds, 41 miles of paved bike trails, 43 miles of unpaved bike trails, 160 miles of hiking trails, 298 miles of non-motorized trails, 380 miles of snowmobile trails, 68 dispersed camping locations, 20 miles of horse trails, 83 boat accesses.

A highlight of the Forest's trail system is the 60-plus mile segment of the North Country National Scenic Trail that parallels State Highways 34 and 200 and features backpacking campsites along its route. Find an interactive map of the Trail's route at the North Country Trail Association's website.

Visitor Centers

The Forest operates three visitor centers in the forest, they are:

Cut Foot Sioux Visitor Center – near Deer River, open Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day weekend.
Edge of the Wilderness Discovery Center – near Marcell, open year-round.
Norway Beach Visitor Center – near Cass Lake, open Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day weekend.

Scenic Byways

Many roadways, including U.S. and State Highways and county roads, intersect the forest for easy access to the forest. Within the Forest are five scenic byways for scenic drives for visitors that intersect through the forest.

Great River Road, follows the Mississippi River within the Forest
Edge of the Wilderness National Scenic Byway
Avenue of the Pines National Forest Scenic Byway
Lake Country Scenic Byway
Lady Slipper Scenic Byway, named for the Minnesota State Flower Pink-and-white Lady's-slipper, which can be found in the Forest.

References

"Land Areas of the National Forest System" (PDF). U.S. Forest Service. January 2012. Retrieved 20 June 2012.
32 Stat., 400
Brady, Tim (November 2004). "The Real Story of Chippewa National Forest". Minnesota DNR Conservation Volunteer magazine. Archived from the original on 22 November 2022. Retrieved 26 March 2022.
35 Stat., 268
"Lost forty history", Forest Service, Retrieved 2 September 2015
"Chippewa National Forest - About Us - Forest Facts". www.fs.fed.us. Retrieved 18 July 2006.
"Chippewa National Forest - About the Forest". Fs.usda.gov. Retrieved 17 September 2022.
"Chippewa National Forest- Recreational Activities". www.fs.fed.us. Retrieved 18 July 2006.
"The Conservation Fund". www.conservationfund.org. Retrieved 18 July 2006.
"Chippewa National Forest - Recreation". Fs.usda.gov. Retrieved 16 September 2022.
"Chippewa National Forest - Outdoor Learning: Visitor Centers". Fs.usda.gov. Retrieved 16 September 2022.
"Chippewa National Forest - Scenic Driving". Fs.usda.gov. Retrieved 16 September 2022.

External links

Official website
History of the Forest "The Real Story of Chippewa National Forest" by Tim Brady in November–December 2004 issue of Minnesota Conservation Volunteer
Online Map of the forest
Print maps of the forest
Brochure on "Lost 40" – USFS

Protected areas of Minnesota

National

Parks	Voyageurs
Monuments	Grand Portage Pipestone
Rivers	Mississippi National River and Recreation Area Saint Croix National Scenic Riverway
Scenic Trails	North Country Trail
Wildlife Refuges	Agassiz Big Stone Crane Meadows Glacial Ridge Hamden Slough Mille Lacs Minnesota Valley Northern Tallgrass Prairie Rice Lake Rydell Sherburne Tamarac Upper Mississippi River
Wetland Management Districts	Big Stone Detroit Lakes Fergus Falls Litchfield Minnesota Valley Morris Windom
Forests	Chippewa Superior
Natural Landmarks	Ancient River Warren Channel Cedar Creek Ecosystem Science Reserve Itasca Natural Area Keeley Creek Natural Area Lac la Croix Research Natural Area Lake Agassiz Peatlands Natural Area Pine Point Research Natural Area Upper Red Lake Peatland
Wilderness	Agassiz Boundary Waters Canoe Area Tamarac

State

Parks	Afton Banning Bear Head Lake Beaver Creek Valley Big Stone Lake Blue Mounds Buffalo River Camden Carley Cascade River Charles A. Lindbergh Crow Wing Father Hennepin Flandrau Forestville Mystery Cave Fort Ridgely Fort Snelling Franz Jevne Frontenac George H. Crosby Manitou Glacial Lakes Glendalough Gooseberry Falls Grand Portage Great River Bluffs Hayes Lake Hill-Annex Mine Interstate Itasca Jay Cooke John A. Latsch Judge C. R. Magney Kilen Woods Lac qui Parle Lake Bemidji Lake Bronson Lake Carlos Lake Louise Lake Maria Lake Shetek Lake Vermilion-Soudan Underground Mine Maplewood McCarthy Beach Mille Lacs Kathio Minneopa Monson Lake Moose Lake Myre-Big Island Nerstrand-Big Woods Old Mill Rice Lake Saint Croix Sakatah Lake Savanna Portage Scenic Schoolcraft Sibley Split Rock Creek Split Rock Lighthouse Temperance River Tettegouche Upper Sioux Agency Whitewater Wild River William O'Brien Zippel Bay
Recreation Areas	Big Bog Cuyuna Country Garden Island Greenleaf Lake Iron Range Off-Highway Vehicle La Salle Lake Minnesota Valley Red River Saint Croix Islands
Waysides	Caribou Falls Devils Track Falls Flood Bay Inspiration Peak Joseph R. Brown Kodonce River Ray Berglund St. Croix Boom Site Sam Brown Memorial
Forests	Badoura Battleground Bear Island Beltrami Island Big Fork Birch Lakes Blackduck Bowstring Buena Vista Burntside Centennial Chengwatana Cloquet Valley Crow Wing D.A.R. Emily Finland Fond du Lac Foot Hills General C. C. Andrews George Washington Golden Anniversary Grand Portage Hill River Huntersville Insula Lake Jeanette Kabetogama Koochiching Lake Isabella Lake of the Woods Land o'Lakes Lost River Lyons Mississippi Headwaters Nemadji Northwest Angle Pat Bayle Paul Bunyan Pillsbury Pine Island Red Lake Remer Richard J. Dorer Memorial Hardwood Rum River Saint Croix Sand Dunes Savanna Smokey Bear Smoky Hills Snake River Solana Sturgeon River Two Inlets Waukenabo Wealthwood Welsh Lake White Earth Whiteface River
Scientific and Natural Areas	List of scientific and natural areas

Local

Parks	County and regional parks Three Rivers Park District

Other

Minnesota Historical Society	Alexander Ramsey House Birch Coulee Battlefield Charles A. Lindbergh House Comstock House Folsom House Forest History Center Forestville Fort Renville Fort Ridgely Fort Snelling Grand Mound Harkin's General Store James J. Hill House Jeffers Petroglyphs Lac qui Parle Mission Lower Sioux Agency Marine Mill Mill City Museum Mille Lacs Indian Museum Minnehaha Depot Minnesota History Center Minnesota State Capitol Morrison Mounds Oliver Kelley Farm Sibley Historic Site Snake River Trading Post Split Rock Lighthouse Stumne Mounds Traverse des Sioux Upper Sioux Agency W. W. Mayo House
Nature centers	List of nature centers
Hiking	List of hiking trails

Minnesota Department of Natural Resources

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List of national forests of the United States
Allegheny Angeles Angelina Apache–Sitgreaves Apalachicola Arapaho Ashley Beaverhead–Deerlodge Bienville Bighorn Bitterroot Black Hills Boise Bridger–Teton Caribou–Targhee Carson Chattahoochee–Oconee Chequamegon–Nicolet Cherokee Chippewa Choctawhatchee Chugach Cibola Clearwater Cleveland Coconino Coeur d'Alene Colville Conecuh Coronado Croatan Custer Daniel Boone Davy Crockett De Soto Delta Deschutes Dixie El Yunque Eldorado Finger Lakes Fishlake Flathead Francis Marion Fremont–Winema Gallatin George Washington and Jefferson Gifford Pinchot Gila Grand Mesa Green Mountain Gunnison Helena Hiawatha Holly Springs Homochitto Hoosier Humboldt–Toiyabe Huron–Manistee Idaho Panhandle Inyo Kaibab Kaniksu Kisatchie Klamath Kootenai Lake Tahoe Basin Lassen Lewis and Clark Lincoln Lolo Los Padres Malheur Manti–La Sal Mark Twain Medicine Bow–Routt Mendocino Modoc Monongahela Mount Baker–Snoqualmie Mount Hood Nantahala Nebraska Nez Perce Ocala Ochoco Okanogan–Wenatchee Olympic Osceola Ottawa Ouachita Ozark–St. Francis Payette Pike Pisgah Plumas Prescott Rio Grande Rogue River–Siskiyou Roosevelt Sabine Salmon–Challis Sam Houston Samuel R. McKelvie San Bernardino San Isabel San Juan Santa Fe Sawtooth Sequoia Shasta–Trinity Shawnee Shoshone Sierra Siuslaw Six Rivers St. Joe Stanislaus Sumter Superior Tahoe Talladega Tombigbee Tongass Tonto Tuskegee Uinta Umatilla Umpqua Uncompahgre Uwharrie Wallowa–Whitman Wasatch–Cache Wayne Wenatchee White Mountain White River Willamette William B. Bankhead
List of former national forests of the United States

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