



Contact Information
Forest History Center
2609 County Road 76Grand Rapids, MN 55744
2609 Co. Rd. 76, accessible from US Hwy. 169 & Hwy. 2 W., outside of Grand Rapids. Free onsite parking.
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Discover the past, present and future of Minnesota's forests through guided tours of a 1900s era logging camp and hands-on environmental learning programs. Board the moored river "wanigan," a floating cook shack, take a seat on the porch of a 1930s Minnesota Forest Service patrolman's cabin, climb a 100-foot fire tower and explore the site's self-guided trails.
Start your journey at the visitor center which boasts interactive exhibits, then tour the logging camp, join a naturalist led program and hike the self-guided trails.
Take a guided tour of the recreated logging camp where story themes change often. Meet the blacksmith, saw filer, bull cook, clerk and lumberjacks. See draft horses demonstrate feats of strength during cross-hauling and jammer shows as lumberjacks load logs onto sleighs. After the tour, take a short walk to the moored river "wanigan," a floating cook shack and bunkhouse used by river drivers when moving logs downriver to the mills. During the summer, 60 minute guided tours are offered daily.
Hours & Dates
Summer (June 9 - September 5)
- Tuesday: 10:00am - 5:00pm
- Wednesday: 10:00am - 5:00pm
- Thursday: 10:00am - 5:00pm
- Friday: 10:00am - 5:00pm
- Saturday: 10:00am - 5:00pm
Fall (September 6 - October 10)
- Saturday: 10:00am - 4:00pm
Rates
- Adult: $10.00
- Seniors ages 65+ Veterans Active military* College students Children ages 5-17: $8.00
- Children age 4 and under: FREE
- MNHS Members: FREE
- *Blue Star Families (Armed Forces Day - Labor Day): FREE
More Information
Attraction Attributes
- Accessible to disabled
- Can accommodate groups of 45 or more
Reviews
Based on 124 reviews
Good trip. We arrived at approximately 11 am and made our way towards the entrance to buy our tickets. There was a short introductory documentary about the history of logging in the main building...
—
PartyTheNightAway,
August 14, 2022
An amazing place both in the various building reproductions and more importantly the three men (Honest John, Whistlin' John and Gabber) that explained everything were EXCELLENT. The logging camp is...
—
Greg J,
July 1, 2022
We visited this fantastic forest and history exhibit on Saturday, 12 Jun 2021. Well done MHS! The staff there and exhibits are outstanding. We learned so much!
The hiking trails are well groomed...
—
Deborahh1953,
June 14, 2021
The forest history is in a beautiful setting. The museum itself has many interesting exhibits and a history video. The best part was the lumber harvesting settlement located behind the museum. The...
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SUZANNEM671,
February 11, 2020
Well run living museum. Quite an eye opener as to how this camp was run in the past-living quarters of work crews during winter months , how crews worked and how timber was hauled and processed and...
—
Peggy F,
October 4, 2019
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