WISCONSIN BLUE BOOK 1989-1990


of trees have been planted. The management objectives for the forest are
to
make it a producer of timber, a watershed protector, a part of the state
pro-
grams for fish and wildlife conservation, and an outdoor recreation area.
The
management plan balances these objectives, taking into account the critical
influence of the bog and the forest lands on river waters, and the importance
of aesthetics.
   Visitors will find this unusually beautiful forest and river area designed
to
enhance enjoyment of the out-of-doors. It includes 2 family campground
areas, 3 small picnic areas, a 1.7-mile self-guiding nature-hiking trail,
limited
swimming, a 26-mile snowmobile trail, and a cross-country ski trail. State-
regulated hunting, trapping, and fishing are permitted. The Brule is a famous
canoeing river, but should be enjoyed with caution. The lower Brule is for
only the very experienced. The forest has an abundance of wildlife, including
2 endangered species, the bald eagle and the osprey, which regularly nest
on
the Brule.
3. Brule-St. Croix Portage*15, 3 miles northeast of Solon Springs, Wis. on
County A in Brule River State Forest.
   Through the efforts of 3 groups - the Superior Garden Club, the Claude
Jean Allouez Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution, and the
Solon Springs Garden Club- the portage path which Indian people, explor-
ers, voyageurs, and fur traders trod carrying their canoes and packs between
the headwaters of the Brule and the St. Croix is well-marked. The well worn
3-4 foot wide path approximately 2 miles in length through wooded areas of
hillocks and marsh "is to this day easy to find and not difficult to
walk. It
follows the rim of a basin which cradles the ten-mile-long bog that gives
birth
to both the Brule and the St. Croix.... Skirting the boggy areas, the trail
makes a pleasant .... walk in a woods where signs of man are few and unob-
trusive.... Cut into the ground as much as two feet in places by the countless
feet that have walked it, the path allows single file travel only."'16
The portage
was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1970.

                          II. THE ST. CROIX
4. Lucius Woods State Park, off US Hwy. 53, Solon Springs, Wis.
   Located on upper Lake St. Croix, the headwaters of the St. Croix River,
Lucius Woods State Park has an unusually fine stand of huge Norway (red)
and white pines along a trout stream and the lake shore. Visitors can get
an
idea of the majesty of the area's original stands of pine which so attracted
19th century lumbermen. Fishing, canoeing, picnicing, swimming, camping,
and hiking are the principal activities. The park contains 100 picnic sites
and
camping facilities for both tents and recreational vehicles. It is named
for
Nick Lucius, a member of the Lucius family that settled in the Solon Springs
area in the 1880s, who operated a resort here before selling the land to
the
state.
5. The St. Croix River and the National Scenic Riverway (Wis. and Minn.)
  Like the Brule, the St. Croix River has 2 distinctively different parts.
The
upper valley stretching southward from upper Lake St. Croix to St. Croix
Falls, Wisconsin, and Taylors Falls, Minnesota, is, as the river's historian


160