Cascade River Wayside

Cascade River Overlook

Parking lot and stones — Cascade River Wayside

SHPO number: CK-UOG-044

Cascade River Wayside is located along Trunk Highway 61 at the mouth of the Cascade River, approximately midway between the towns of Lutsen and Grand Marais. Located in Cascade River State Park, the property overlooks Lake Superior and is connected to the Superior National Forest through foot trails now integrated into the Superior Hiking Trail. Although some bridges and culverts associated with the Cascade River Wayside property were built as part of the realignment of TH 61 in 1932, most of the construction was completed between 1934 and 1936. The Cascade River Wayside was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2003.

Significance

Evaluated under the Multiple Property Documentation Form entitled “Federal Relief Construction in Minnesota, 1933-1941,” the Cascade River Wayside is significant for its association with the formative years of the Roadside Development Division of the Minnesota Department of Highways. The primary project of the Spruce Creek Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) Camp, also known as Company 2702, the Wayside is one of the largest (118 acres) and most well-developed roadside facilities built during the Roadside Development Division’s partnership with federal relief agencies to provide essential work and job training during the Great Depression. In addition to providing roadside facilities for the traveling public, Cascade River Wayside is one of the only Minnesota Highway Department wayside rests designed with the intention that it would eventually be transformed into a much larger state park.

In addition to its association with federal relief construction, Cascade River Roadside is significant as an excellent example of the National Park Service Rustic Style. It is an important example of the roadside development work of prominent Minnesota landscape architect A.R. Nichols, who designed it in collaboration with landscape architects from the National Park Service while serving as a consulting landscape architect for the Minnesota Highway Department. The property’s spatial arrangement, foot trails, highway overlook, picnic area, and landscape features were executed by skilled CCC craftsman using local materials. The highway overlook is a massive stone overlook wall with a design that blended highway safety, the visitor experience, and exceptional stone craftsmanship. According to former CCC Camp Superintendent U.W. Hella, the overlook also served as a demonstration project for using natural rock outcroppings in highway design. When the property was converted and expanded into a state park in the mid-1950s, A.R. Nichols worked as a consultant to the State Parks Division of the Minnesota Department of Conservation.

Features that contribute to and help convey the significance of the Cascade River Wayside include: the Babineau Creek Culvert, the Cascade River Bridge (Bridge 5132), the highway overlook, the Babineau Creek Footbridge, and Trunk Highway 61, as well as historic foot trails and a picnic area.

Accessible features on the site

Undesignated, paved parking,
Overlook of Lake Superior and mouth of Cascade River on an accessible concrete walkway