Every year my family takes a trip to Kabetogama Lake in Voyageurs National Park. This year we had some new guests including my wife and my sister’s boyfriend. While discussing the history of Voyageurs National Park, I began to think about the relationship between the area and humans. From the indigenous peoples who inhabited the area to its current status as a national park, what has continued to bring people to the area? How has the nature of this relationship changed over time?
Without going all the way back to the Paleo-Indian Period, I think a good starting point for this topic is the Fur Trade. Having lived in Minnesota, I am very familiar with the role of what is now Northern Minnesota during this period. While the interaction between Europeans and the indigenous population is far more complex than the Fur Trade alone, it provides a good transition into the European presence that lead to its current status.
Following its use during the Fur Trade, the region then changed hands between the British, French, and eventually the United States. Each of these governments felt it necessary to establish a presence in the area and many of them targeted resources that still support the economy of the region today. Timber, mining, and even shipping on the Great Lakes continue to rely heavily on those resources. During conversations with locals, I also learned the area was a popular place to bring alcohol into the U.S. from Canada during prohibition.
However, one relatively new use of the area is tourism. The natural beauty and rich history of the area has created this economic opportunity. Interestingly, this was quickly followed by the establishment of Voyageurs National Park. As someone who actively engages in, and supports the tourism in the region, I am intrigued by the timing of the establishment of the park in relation to the increase in tourism. Naturally, a place with so many outdoor opportunities would be an ideal location for a park. But it seems that prior to the tourism in the region, the local populations had a more concentrated relationship with the area.
For most of Minnesota and U.S. history, loggers and miners made up a large portion of the population as well as those choosing to live a rural lifestyle. It seems that the tourism originated with people like myself who visit annually for fishing or hunting during a particular season. Then there are those who come from different parts of the US or the world to experience the park through camping, hiking, photography, or sight-seeing. Finally, there are those who just want to experience all of the national parks.
Perhaps the most intriguing observation I’ve had when sharing my Voyageurs National Park tradition with others, is the influence and presence of the federal government. It appears that the park was established after the area became popular tourist and travel destination. Once the tourism expanded beyond the seasonal hunting and fishing trips of Minnesotans from other areas of the state, the federal influence increased.
This pattern can be seen with most of the other national parks in the U.S. with tourism appearing to be the deciding factor for their classification as a National Park. While many of the parks have unique natural features, resources, or historical significance, the U.S. government has disregarded these in other places. Hence, I began to wonder why tourism has been so influential in selecting the location of the parks.
Why do you think tourism has coincided with such a heavy federal oversight? Why not resource extraction or even the bootlegging of the prohibition era? Could it be an attempt to keep the movement of tourist dollars federalized? Is tourism the U.S. Government’s modern equivalent to the French Fur Trade? Or….do you think the park’s indicated purpose of preserving resources for the enjoyment of all is sincere?