Bemidji – a Destination of Legend and Loreby Marilyn LoeserWith its lyrical name and wilderness setting, Bemidji offers relaxation and the natural wonders of the Minnesota North Woods.  Before white settlers arrived in the area, about 50 Leech Lake American Indians lived along the south shore of a lake they called Bemidjigumaug, meaning 'river or route flowing crosswise.’ The Mississippi crosses Lake Bemidji and flows north before turning south.
 Most white inhabitants began arriving in the 1880s. Many had lumber company ties or wanted to homestead in the area. The white pioneers honored the Indian elder Shaynowishkung for his kindness. He was known as 'Chief Bemidji' by those he provided food and shelter to while they were building their homestead cabins.
On May 20, 1896, the Village of Bemidji was incorporated, followed by the extension of a rail line to accommodate the growing lumber trade. Rail service brought loggers, lumberjacks and speculators. Grand lakefront homes sprang up along the lake followed by fine hotels. Historic accommodations Just as the city reveals its history to visitors, so do many of the resorts lining Bemidji Lake including Ruttger's Birchmont Lodge.
Established in 1898, the hotel was purchased in 1936 by brothers Max and Alex Rutters. Since then, generations of Ruttgers have been welcoming guests to Minnesota’s north woods. Guests can choose from lakefront rooms, suites, town homes and cabins with 1 to 4 bedrooms, all spread out along a wide sandy beach.  My family and I chose a cabin; three bedrooms, two bathrooms and house-sized kitchen, dining room and living room — a great space with a perfect view of the lake’s sparkling sapphire waters.
 Although there’s a lot to do in the area, you could honestly arrive at the lodge and never leave. Fishing, lake swimming, sailing, canoeing and kayaking; a highly rated restaurant and lounge; and an indoor pool, exercise rooms and sauna all await guests. {
Supervised children’s recreation programs are also offered during the summer months. In the fall and winter seasons, Ruttger's keeps several rooms, cabins and villas open along with the pool, exercise rooms and sauna. Ruttger's guests have direct access to snowmobile trails from the resort. Touring the areaIn addition to outdoor recreation — including bird watching, horseback riding and hiking — Bemidji also offers wineries, art galleries and historic attractions all within the city limits or very close by.  Our first stops were the Bemidji Area Chamber of Commerce Visitor Center, and the Paul Bunyan and Babe statues — the giant lumberjack and his blue ox, made popular in 19th-century oral history.
It was during the planning of the 1937 Paul Bunyan Carnival that Cyril Dickinson, of the Dickinson Construction Company, was asked to build a statue of Paul Bunyan. The mayor of Bemidji at the time was the model of the lumberjack — scaled three-to-one. The same year, the Bemidji Rotary Club was asked to build a statue of Babe.  A nearby logging camp owned a large pair of oxen and the largest was used as a model for the statue. Babe was also constructed on a scale of three-to-one. {place Paul and Bab photo here}
Unlike Paul, Babe was mounted on a one and a half ton truck and used in parades and shows to promote Bemidji as a tourist destination. After traveling thousands of miles around the country, the damage to the statue was so great it was placed permanently beside the statue of Paul Bunyan. The National Parks Service recognized the statues as an official cultural resource worthy of preservation, adding them to the National Register of Historic Places in 1988. The Beltrami County History Center is another place to visit especially if you are interested in local history as well as railroad history and architectural design. Housed in the restored 1912 Great Northern Depot, located at 130 Minnesota Ave. SW, the center is home to the Beltrami County Historical Society. The James J. Hill railroad depot is a one story, hipped roof, brick and limestone structure with arched windows and wide eaves influenced by the Arts and Crafts era of architectural design. The depot was also placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1988. Itasca State Park You can drive, hike, bike or take a two-hour guided boat tour, but no matter how you see Itasca State Park, you’re in for a real treat. Surrounded by forests and pristine waterways, you won’t go home disappointed.
Established in 1891, Itasca is Minnesota’s oldest state park. Today, the park totals more than 32,000 acres and includes more than 100 lakes.  And it is in this park where the mighty Mississippi River begins its 2,552-mile journey to the Gulf of Mexico.
In 1832 explorer Henry Rowe Schoolcraft, lead by Ozawindib, his Ojibwe guide, traveled to Lake Itasca, the source of the river. Debates over the river’s true source continued until Jacob Brower’s survey revealed that the entire Itasca basin was the source of the Mississippi River, but the waters were not united as a river until they flowed out of Lake Itasca. From the Mississippi Headwaters’ visitor’s center, it’s only a short walk along a curving path and you’re at the headwaters.  There’s a festival atmosphere in the middle of the wilderness as guests young, old and in between walk across the river by stepping on boulders or walking on a narrow wooden bridge.
We continued our exploration of the park by following Wilderness Drive — past ancient stands of pine, ponds and lakes where beaver dams, cranes and loons make their homes. If you opt for the boat tour, Coborn's Lake Itasca Tours offers a two hour cruise that follows the same route taken by Ozawindib in 1832 when he guided Henry Rowe Schoolcraft to the Headwaters of the Mississippi River. If you go:Northern Minnesota is a treasure trove of natural beauty and legend. For more information on Itasca State Park, check the website http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/state_parks/itasca/narrative.html. For more information on Bemidji, check the websites http://www.visitbemidji.com/index.html or http://www.bemidji.org/. For Ruttger's Birchmont Lodge check the website www.ruttger.com. | 