Contact Info
Cass Lake, MN 56633
- Phone 1:
- 218-335-8600
- Phone 2:
- 218-335-8632
Basics
- Length:
- 0.5 mile
- Difficulty:
- Easy
- Time:
- 30 mins
Description
The year is 1882. Josiah A. King and his three-man survey crew travel 40 miles from the nearest white settlement "the Grand Rapids of the Mississippi.” For a month, canvas tents are their homes and flour, pork, beans, and dried apples their rations. Josiah and his crew are finishing the last of three contracted townships in one of the first land surveys of Minnesota’s north woods.
November winds swirl snow around the hearty men as they survey the six square mile area between Moose and Coddington Lakes. Perhaps it was the chilling weather, or all the desolate swamps that caused the crew to plot Coddington Lake about a half mile further northwest than it actually lies. Josiah’s error is our fortune. Since the towering pines were mapped as being under water, this mapping error caused the virgin pine of the area to be left behind by loggers. The Lost Forty is 144 acres.
Like our National Monuments in Washington, D.C., the old growth pines of the Lost Forty bear witness to our heritage. These white and red pines are 300- 400 years old, originating when the pilgrims came to America. The trees remain as remnants of the natural resources that drew people to new frontiers; shaping America’s character.
Details
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Most of the mature red and white pine is found on the east end of the Lost Forty. These trees are up to 350 years old and between 22 and 48 inches in diameter. In other areas of the Forest, white pine is managed for pulp (paper), lumber, wildlife and aesthetics, and the trees are harvested at about 80 to 150 years. Biologically, pine can live up to 500 years. Most of the aspen growing in the area is about 60 years old and is beginning to deteriorate. Aspen reaches its biological old age at about 85 years. Old growth such as the Lost Forty is valuable for wildlife, including bald eagles, a number of hawks and woodpeckers, red squirrels, weasels and numerous other species.
The Lost Forty is considered a unique area in the Chippewa National Forest and will be managed to maintain its old growth character. Today, less than two percent of the Minnesota’s forested land is considered old growth. The Lost Forty stands as a proud monument of its legacy.
FACILITIESA one-mile self-guided trail winds its way through the majestic pines of the Lost Forty. Carry-in boat access is located on the north side of Coddington Lake. The lake offers northern pike fishing, mallard and wood duck hunting and wild ricing. You may camp anywhere on National Forest System land, but if you prefer a developed campground, Noma Lake Campground is located just 5 miles east and 2 miles north of Wirt on County Road 31.
