Mouth of the Bois Brule River – rural Brule, WI - Signs of History on Waymarking.com

This historical marker is located in a picnic area at the mouth of the Brule River. Take time to enjoy the sand beach, admire the picturesque driftwood, and marvel at the many moods of Lake Superior. The text of the marker reads as follows:

Mouth of the Bois Brule River.

Here, one of Wisconsin’s most historic and beloved rivers joins America’s largest freshwater lake. The Bois Brule River, famous for trout fishing, canoeing, and unparalleled beauty was important to early travelers as a waterway connecting Lake Superior and the Mississippi River.

The first written history of the Brule River comes from the French explorer, and diplomat Daniel Greysolon Sieux di Lhut in June of 1680.

“I entered into a river which has its mouth eight leagues from the extremity of Lake Superior on the south side, where after having cut down some trees and broken through about one hundred beaver dams, I went up the said river, and then made carry of a half a league to reach a lake…”

The Brule River was used as a highway for many years to transport goods and people into the interior of the continent. After the decline in the fur industry, the American Fur Company operated a fish camp near this site in 1839.

1880 saw the start of the Clevedon colony near the current mouth of the Brule River. 30 tradesmen and their families came here from Bristol England to operate a fishing station; they packed the fish for market in barrels they built in their cooperage shop. The tradesmen left the colony in 1886 due to a lack of frontier skills needed to carve a colony out of the wilderness.

Around 1900 a logging dam was built about a ½ mile upstream from the Mouth of the River. Logs were sorted at the mouth, stamped and rafted to large sawmills in Duluth.

In 1907 the Brule River State Forest was established near the present day town of Brule with a gift of 4,000 acres of land from Frederick Weyerhaeuser. In 1959 the Brule River State Forest was expanded to include the Mouth of the Brule River.

Group that erected the marker: Brule River Sportsmen’s Club Address of where the marker is located. Approximate if necessary: Brule River Road rural Brule, WI USA 54820 URL of a web site with more information about the history mentioned on the sign: Not listed

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