By Water and Rail: A History of Lake County, Minnesota

Native hunters once stalked moose and caribou in its rugged forest land. Mineral prospectors and commercial fishermen came next. From railroad workers to resort operators, the history of Lake County, Minnesota, is about people who developed enterprises valued by the whole nation. Ambitious German and Swiss immigrants set up the first settlement called Beaver Bay. The county is birthplace to coporate giant 3M, home to one of the busiest ports in the nation -- gateway to Lake Superior's scenic north shore. These stories are the personal accounts of those who fulfilled their lives in Lake County -- living By Water and Rail.