Rainy River Country

Book excerpt: With simplicity and charm, Grace Lee Nute tells the story of the Minnesota-Ontario border country west of the Boundary Waters--the region of the west-flowing Rainy River and the two lakes that it joins, Rainy Lake and Lake of the Woods. In this companion volume to The Voyageur's Highway Nute draws on her broad and thorough knowledge of historical sources to describe the earliest people who passed through the region, the mound builders who followed, and the Indians who lived on or near the river. She brings to life the fascinating succession of traders, prospectors, lumbermen, settlers, and, finally, tourists who called this northern border country home.