Rum River State Forest

State Forest in Kanabec, Mille Lacs and Morrison counties, Minnesota

45°54′27″N 93°35′59″W / 45.907608°N 93.599763°W / 45.907608; -93.599763^[1]Elevation1,263 feet (385 m)Area40,605 acres (16,432 ha)AdministrationEstablished1935Governing bodyMinnesota Department of Natural ResourcesWebsitewww.dnr.state.mn.us/state_forests/forest.html?id=sft00043#homepage

The Rum River State Forest is a state forest located in Kanabec, Mille Lacs and Morrison counties in central Minnesota. The forest is nearby the city of Onamia and is along the Rum River, just downstream (south) of Mille Lacs Lake. The forest is managed by the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. The forest is home to many Northern hardwoods such as maple, oak, ash, elm and basswood that occupy most of the upland areas while tamarack and black spruce are found in lowland and marshy areas.^[2]

History

The original landscape consisted of predominantly virgin white pine, red oak, and white oak. Much of the original forest was cut down for timber and floated down the Rum River and Ann River to sawmills downstream. Following the deforestation of the area, farms were established along the Rum River area. However, many of these farms failed in the 1930s and were abandoned. In 1935, the Minnesota Legislature established both the Rum River and Mille Lacs State Forest. In 1963, both of these forests were combined into the Rum River State Forest.^[3]

Recreation

Popular outdoor recreational activities in the forest include dispersed camping. Trails are designated for such varied uses such as mountain biking and hiking. In the wintertime, trails are designated for cross-country skiing and snowmobiling. Mille Lacs Lake is located just north of the forest. Along the northern boundary of the forest is Mille Lacs Kathio State Park which contains 19 identified archaeological sites, making it one of the most significant archaeological collections in Minnesota.^[4]

References

^ "Rum River State Forest". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior.
^ "Rum River State Forest".
^ http://files.dnr.state.mn.us/maps/state_forests/sft00043.pdf ^{[bare URL PDF]}
^ "Rum River State Forest".

External links

Rum River State Forest - Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR)

Protected areas of Minnesota

National

Parks	Voyageurs
Monuments	Grand Portage Pipestone
Rivers	Mississippi National River and Recreation Area Saint Croix National Scenic Riverway
Scenic Trails	North Country Trail
Wildlife Refuges	Agassiz Big Stone Crane Meadows Glacial Ridge Hamden Slough Mille Lacs Minnesota Valley Northern Tallgrass Prairie Rice Lake Rydell Sherburne Tamarac Upper Mississippi River
Wetland Management Districts	Big Stone Detroit Lakes Fergus Falls Litchfield Minnesota Valley Morris Windom
Forests	Chippewa Superior
Natural Landmarks	Ancient River Warren Channel Cedar Creek Ecosystem Science Reserve Itasca Natural Area Keeley Creek Natural Area Lac la Croix Research Natural Area Lake Agassiz Peatlands Natural Area Pine Point Research Natural Area Upper Red Lake Peatland
Wilderness	Agassiz Boundary Waters Canoe Area Tamarac

State

Parks	Afton Banning Bear Head Lake Beaver Creek Valley Big Stone Lake Blue Mounds Buffalo River Camden Carley Cascade River Charles A. Lindbergh Crow Wing Father Hennepin Flandrau Forestville Mystery Cave Fort Ridgely Fort Snelling Franz Jevne Frontenac George H. Crosby Manitou Glacial Lakes Glendalough Gooseberry Falls Grand Portage Great River Bluffs Hayes Lake Hill-Annex Mine Interstate Itasca Jay Cooke John A. Latsch Judge C. R. Magney Kilen Woods Lac qui Parle Lake Bemidji Lake Bronson Lake Carlos Lake Louise Lake Maria Lake Shetek Lake Vermilion-Soudan Underground Mine Maplewood McCarthy Beach Mille Lacs Kathio Minneopa Monson Lake Moose Lake Myre-Big Island Nerstrand-Big Woods Old Mill Rice Lake Saint Croix Sakatah Lake Savanna Portage Scenic Schoolcraft Sibley Split Rock Creek Split Rock Lighthouse Temperance River Tettegouche Upper Sioux Agency Whitewater Wild River William O'Brien Zippel Bay
Recreation Areas	Big Bog Cuyuna Country Garden Island Greenleaf Lake Iron Range Off-Highway Vehicle La Salle Lake Minnesota Valley Red River Saint Croix Islands
Waysides	Caribou Falls Devils Track Falls Flood Bay Inspiration Peak Joseph R. Brown Kodonce River Ray Berglund St. Croix Boom Site Sam Brown Memorial
Forests	Badoura Battleground Bear Island Beltrami Island Big Fork Birch Lakes Blackduck Bowstring Buena Vista Burntside Centennial Chengwatana Cloquet Valley Crow Wing D.A.R. Emily Finland Fond du Lac Foot Hills General C. C. Andrews George Washington Golden Anniversary Grand Portage Hill River Huntersville Insula Lake Jeanette Kabetogama Koochiching Lake Isabella Lake of the Woods Land o'Lakes Lost River Lyons Mississippi Headwaters Nemadji Northwest Angle Pat Bayle Remer Richard J. Dorer Memorial Hardwood Rum River Saint Croix Sand Dunes Savanna Smokey Bear Smoky Hills Snake River Solana Sturgeon River Two Inlets Waukenabo Wealthwood Welsh Lake White Earth Whiteface River
Scientific and Natural Areas	List of scientific and natural areas

Local

Parks	County and regional parks Three Rivers Park District

Other

Minnesota Historical Society	Alexander Ramsey House Birch Coulee Battlefield Charles A. Lindbergh House Comstock House Folsom House Forest History Center Forestville Fort Renville Fort Ridgely Fort Snelling Grand Mound Harkin's General Store James J. Hill House Jeffers Petroglyphs Lac qui Parle Mission Lower Sioux Agency Marine Mill Mill City Museum Mille Lacs Indian Museum Minnehaha Depot Minnesota History Center Minnesota State Capitol Morrison Mounds Oliver Kelley Farm Sibley Historic Site Snake River Trading Post Split Rock Lighthouse Stumne Mounds Traverse des Sioux Upper Sioux Agency W. W. Mayo House
Nature centers	List of nature centers
Hiking	List of hiking trails