Less than a century ago, the northern forests of Minnesota were chock-full of lumber boom camps, with hundreds of mills and lumber works whining night and day, and dozens of saloons, brothels, and boardinghouses catering to the rough-and-tumble logging trade. The ravenous cutting wiped out the stands—virtually nothing remains of Minnesota’s primeval pine forests—and the camps disappeared as quickly as they sprang up, but the woods have repeatedly grown back, to be harvested on a more sustainable basis while still providing an eye-pleasing backdrop to the region’s literally thousands of lakes.
From its boomtown roots, Bemidji (pop. 11,917) has long since settled down into a picturesque community—i.e., looking just as it did when Hubert Humphrey first ran for Congress—its compact and charismatic business district filling a half-dozen blocks along the south shore of lovely Lake Bemidji. With large mills still busily turning trees into wood products, Bemidji is a typically industrious lumber town, remarkable mainly for having assisted in the birth of that well-loved legendary duo of logging lore, Paul Bunyan and his blue ox, Babe (see sidebar “The Legends of Paul Bunyan”).
The main course of US-2 wraps around downtown Bemidji, so be sure to follow the Business Loop (old US-2), which passes up and over both the Mississippi River and Lake Bemidji while winding to downtown and a park where the town’s big tourist draw, leviathan statues of Paul Bunyan and Babe the Blue Ox, have stood along the lakefront since their construction in 1937.
Along with Paul and Babe, Bemidji offers endless opportunities for water-skiing, canoeing, fishing, ice-fishing, and autumnal leaf-peeping. It also has more than enough cafés to detain the most discerning road-tripper. Top of the list are the Southside (218/751-5110), part of Pete’s Truck Stop at 3417 Washington Avenue, and the Maid-Rite Diner (218/444-7224), at 1602 Bemidji Avenue across from the lake near the information center. A classic diner, it’s open from 7:30 am for hearty meals and homemade rhubarb pies. For a nice lunch or dinner try Union Station (218/751-9261), in the old railroad building at 128 W. 1st Street, a bar and restaurant serving pastas, steaks, the ever-present walleye, and the best wild-rice salad around. For late-night dining, Dave’s Pizza (218/751-3225) at 15th and Irvine is open till 11 pm, until midnight on weekends.
Bemidji’s many motels include the family-oriented Hampton Inn ($50–70; 218/751-3600 or 800/776-3343), appropriately situated on the lake at 1015 Paul Bunyan Drive, with its own beach and complimentary canoes available to guests. For more info, stop by the recently remodeled visitors center (218/751-3541 or 800/458-2223), next to Paul and Babe on the lakeshore. Besides boasting a fireplace made with stones from every U.S. state (apart from Alaska and Hawaii, which weren’t states when the fireplace was first built), the visitors center shares space with a small museum ($1.25) of taxidermied wildlife and odd historical items—including Paul Bunyan’s ax and oversized underwear.
Between Bemidji and Grand Rapids, the Great River Road follows a slower but more scenic parallel to transcontinental US-2. This Great Northern route across Minnesota is detailed here.
