Sunday, March 6, 2011

Gunflint Trail Entrance Sign



The above postcard of the Gunflint Trail entrance sign at Grand Marais, Minnesota was published by Curt Teich in 1958. In this picture, the bear sign on the left side of the road shows the bear standing.

The description on the back of this postcard is as follows:
The Gunflint Trail winds inland from Grand Marais, through virgin timber and along many lakes to the Canadian border. It leads to one of the few remaining wilderness areas. This land of lakes is noted for its fishing and wild life. The modern road follows an old Indian trail from Gunflint Lake to Grand Marais.
Another postcard I have of the Gunflint Trail entrance sign shows a bear stooping in a small motor boat.


Here is a description of the Gunflint Trail from ExploreMinnesota.com:
The Gunflint Trail is a legendary destination in the northeast tip of Minnesota's Arrowhead where you can explore nature from the edge of the wilderness and still enjoy all the creature comforts of civilization. In its long-ago history, the "trail" was a walking path through the deep forest, but it is now a paved, two-lane road winding for 57 miles through the Superior National Forest, beginning at Grand Marais. The route is one of Minnesota's designated Scenic Byways.
I haven't been able to determine what happened to this sign. The only pictures I found on the web showed the red lettering on the voyageur's canoe looking very faded.





4 comments:

  1. I hate to see old signs like that disappear. The Fort Worth Zoo had similar cut-out animal signs for decades, but were discarded a few years ago to modernize the zoo's appearance. Such a shame....modern isn't always better. I'd love to see the bear-with-boat postcard!

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  2. I added the bear-with-boat postcard.

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  3. The old sign is still there! It's a bit difficult to see because trees have grown up around it, & it is faded, but still present for all to see.

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  4. The signs have been fully restored and once again look GREAT!

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