Cass Lake
Minnesota
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Cass Lake Chamber of Commerce
History :
The Cass Lake Chain of Lakes was part of the Red Lake-Leech Lake Trail, a series of interconnected waterways used as a water "highway" by Native Americans, trappers and traders. The trail ran from the southern point of Leech Lake to Cass Lake, on to Red Lake and finally to the Red River of the North.
Originally, the lake for which the City of Cass Lake is named was called Red Cedar Lake, after the trees growing on Cedar Island. The name was changed to Cass Lake in honor of the Governor of the Territory of Michigan, who traveled to this area in 1818 and named the lake as the source of the Mississippi River. It was not until 1832 that a party led by Henry Schoolcraft and his native Ojibwe guide, Ozawindib, discovered the true source, Lake Itasca.
Missionaries, as well as trappers and traders, played a great role in the early history of Cass Lake. Probably the first missionaries to work among the native Tribes of Minnesota were the Jesuits, though no individual names have been preserved. Congregational missionaries also took an early interest in this area. By 1885, a log chapel had been constructed on the east shore of Cass Lake, near the Lake Andrusia Bridge. This was originally called the Galilee Mission, and is now known as the Prince of Peace Mission.
The City of Cass Lake has a rich and interesting history. Of course, native people had been living in the area for centuries before white settlers arrived. When non-native settlers first arrived is not known, but they were believed to have been fur traders and missionaries. The first trading post is believed to have been established prior to 1760, by a Canadian businessman. A fort was built at the same site and was garrisoned by French soldiers, but the fort was abandoned shortly after 1763. Early records indicate that the Hudson Bay Company then took over the post, and in 1821 it was sold to the American Fur Company, owned by John Jacob Astor.
In 1898, the Great Northern Railway was built through the northern section of Minnesota. Through a series of changes in the right-of-way of the railroad, Cass Lake became an important and more densely populated settlement. Logging and sawmill operations became the backbone of the Cass Lake economy in the late 1800s.
The Cass Lake Chain of Lakes was part of the Red Lake-Leech Lake Trail, a series of interconnected waterways used as a water "highway" by Native Americans, trappers and traders. The trail ran from the southern point of Leech Lake to Cass Lake, on to Red Lake and finally to the Red River of the North.
Originally, the lake for which the City of Cass Lake is named was called Red Cedar Lake, after the trees growing on Cedar Island. The name was changed to Cass Lake in honor of the Governor of the Territory of Michigan, who traveled to this area in 1818 and named the lake as the source of the Mississippi River. It was not until 1832 that a party led by Henry Schoolcraft and his native Ojibwe guide, Ozawindib, discovered the true source, Lake Itasca.
Missionaries, as well as trappers and traders, played a great role in the early history of Cass Lake. Probably the first missionaries to work among the native Tribes of Minnesota were the Jesuits, though no individual names have been preserved. Congregational missionaries also took an early interest in this area. By 1885, a log chapel had been constructed on the east shore of Cass Lake, near the Lake Andrusia Bridge. This was originally called the Galilee Mission, and is now known as the Prince of Peace Mission.
The City of Cass Lake has a rich and interesting history. Of course, native people had been living in the area for centuries before white settlers arrived. When non-native settlers first arrived is not known, but they were believed to have been fur traders and missionaries. The first trading post is believed to have been established prior to 1760, by a Canadian businessman. A fort was built at the same site and was garrisoned by French soldiers, but the fort was abandoned shortly after 1763. Early records indicate that the Hudson Bay Company then took over the post, and in 1821 it was sold to the American Fur Company, owned by John Jacob Astor.
In 1898, the Great Northern Railway was built through the northern section of Minnesota. Through a series of changes in the right-of-way of the railroad, Cass Lake became an important and more densely populated settlement. Logging and sawmill operations became the backbone of the Cass Lake economy in the late 1800s.