Beltrami County remembers 100 years of history

I first started at the Bemidji (Minn.) Pioneer as an intern in the summer of 1996. That would begin six years as a news reporter, sports reporter and copy editor for a small, six-day-per-week daily newspaper in northern Minnesota. I wrote a large range of stories from multiple beats, to features to sports, my favorite being the coverage of the Red Lake Reservation High School basketball team named the Warriors. Here is a collection of my stories from my time at the Pioneer.

June 8, 1997

By Devlyn Brooks

Staff Writer

This weekend brings the first of several celebrations marking Beltrami County's centennial. Activities such as a wagon train, an ice cream social and an historical exhibit in the Courthouse were slated for Saturday and today, celebrating 100 years of progress in the county.

However, even thought it has a storied history dating back to the early 1800s, only 11 sites in the county have been designated as significant enough to be named to the National Register of Historic Places.

The National Register is the nation's official list of properties deemed worthy of preservation, according to Minnesota Historical Society information. It is maintained by the National Park Service and administered in Minnesota by the state Historic Preservation Office.

The National Register recognizes properties that have local, state or national significance, and they may be listed on the register because of their association with significant people or events, because of their architectural or engineering significance or because they contain important information about local history or pre-history.

Here are the Beltrami County properties listed on the National Register:

Nymore Bridge

This concrete bridge across the Mississippi River was constructed in 1916. It was placed on the National Register in June 1989 as one of the earliest examples of a steel-reinforced concrete bridge, according to Beltrami County Historical Society information.

The bridge is located south of Pamida and on Old Midway Drive.

Great Northern Depot

The depot was the last to be built by renowned railroad architect James J. Hill, chairman of the Great Northern Railroad, and it was completed in 1913. It was placed on the National Register in May 1988 because it was the last early 20th century railroad building in Bemidji left in its original condition, according to BCHS information.

The depot was influenced by the "Arts and Crafts" era of architectural design. The one-story, hipped-roof building is constructed of brick and limestone, with arched windows and wide eaves.

It is located at the southern end of Minnesota Avenue.

Beltrami County Courthouse

The Courthouse, completed in 1902, was placed on the National Register in May 1988. It is a classical end-pavilion building with a central tower surmounted by a dome with a sculpted figure of "Lady Justice" on top, according to BCHS information. It is the oldest National Register site in the county.

In 1901, the land where the current Courthouse sits was donated to the county by the Bemidji Townsite and Improvement Association. Brick and other building supplies were brought into Bemidji by train. Fifty thousand dollars in bonds were issued to begin construction.

It is located at 619 Beltrami Ave. N.W.

Buena Vista Archeological Historic District

The site of an 1823 Northwest Fur trading post and the abandoned townsite of Buena Vista, it was a bustling, turn-of-the-century town that nearly edged out Bemidji to be the county seat. At one time there were three hotels, several stores, a blacksmith shop, a boatworks, stables and homes in the community. It was placed on the National Register in November.

It is located 15 miles north of Bemidji on County Highway 15.

Paul Bunyan and Babe the Blue Ox Statues

The statues of Paul Bunyan and Babe were both built in 1937 in connection with a January Winter Carnival, and were placed on the National Register in October 1988. The 18-foot Paul weighs 2 1/2 tons and stands above five tons of concrete footings. Babe was originally built to be mobile, and for two years he was trucked in parades throughout Minnesota before returning in 1939 to be cemented down beside Paul. The two figures remain permanent symbols of Bemidji and its most colorful era of logging and lumberjacks.

The statues are located at the corner of Third Street and Bemidji Avenue at the waterfront.

Debs School

The Debs School was completed in 1916 and was placed on the National Register in June 1988. The District No. 132 schoolhouse was a fancy, two-story structure built by two brothers from Leonard, according to current owner Dave Fessel. The original building housed several classrooms, a dining room and a boiler room, and at one time nearly 200 students attended the school.

The school was shut down in the early 1970s when the district was consolidated with the Bemidji School District. The building is now a lodge, and was renovated by its current owner.

Debs is located on County Highway 5 about 25 miles northwest of Bemidji.

Bemidji Carnegie Library

The city took responsibility of the library in 1909 and secured the original library site at 426 Bemidji Ave. The building was built in 1910 thanks to a $15,000 donation from steel magnate Andrew Carnegie. The building was used until 1961 when the city of Bemidji purchased the former Post Office at 602 Beltrami Ave. for use as a new library. It was placed on the National Register in November 1980.

The Park House

Located 1501 Birchmont Dr., this house is a classic example of the "Streamline Moderne" variant of art deco architecture popularized nationally in the 1920s and '30s. The house was completed in 1936, and was the home of prominent businessman David Park, who was the owner of the largest creamery in the region. The house is now owned by the Bemidji State University Foundation. It is the only house in the area on the National Register and was placed there in May 1988

Saum Schools

This the site of the first consolidated school in northern Minnesota, and the third in the nation. The newer two-story, four-room school -- built in 1912 -- and the original log school -- built in 1903 when the Saum School District was formed -- still stand here. Both Saum schools were entered into the National Register of Historic Places in March 1980.

Saum is located about 23 miles northwest of Blackduck on County Highway 23.

Rabideau CCC Camp

The camp was built in the 1930s by the Civilian Conservation Corps, and is one of only three largely intact CCC camps left in the nation, according to camp Coordinator Peggy Irish. It was placed on the National Register in June 1976. Thirteen of the original 28 buildings remain standing, but only five of those buildings have been restored or at least stabilized.

In any given six-month period from 1933-42, the camp held from 150 to 220 young men who emerged each day from their plain, wooden barracks to build dams, drain marshlands, fight forest fires and plant trees. When the CCC program ended in 1942, nearly 3.5 million men had served in 4,500 camps across the nation.

It is located off County Highway 39 in Taylor Township.

Lake Bemidji State Park

Lake Bemidji State Park was established by the state Legislature in 1923 to preserve virgin pine forests that once lined Lake Bemidji and also to provide public access to the lake. Federal money was issued to build the first permanent buildings here, which were erected by Works Progress Administration and National Youth Administration workers, and were constructed of logs in the late 1930s.

The buildings included a picnic latrine, bath house and picnic shelter. The latter two, which are still standing, were placed on the National Register in October 1989.

It is located off County Highway 20 on the northern edge of Lake Bemidji.