77-592: Grand Portage State Park is a state park at the northeastern tip of the U.S. state of Minnesota , on the Canada–United States border . It contains a 120-foot (37 m) waterfall , the tallest in the state (though it is on the border with Canada and thus partially in Ontario ), on the Pigeon River . The High Falls and other waterfalls and rapids upstream necessitated a historically important portage on
154-486: A fur trade route between the Great Lakes and inland Canada. This 8.5-mile (13.7 km) path as well as the sites of historic forts at either end are preserved in nearby Grand Portage National Monument . The state park, held by the surrounding Grand Portage Indian Reservation and leased to the state of Minnesota for $ 1 a year, is the only U.S. state park jointly managed by a state and a Native American band. It
231-677: A hedge . Some cultivars are used in bonsai . Cultivars have been selected for small to dwarf mature forms, and foliage color characteristics. They include: Smaller specimens are popular as live Christmas trees . Eastern white pines are noted for holding their needles well, even long after being harvested. They also are well suited for people with allergies, as they give little to no aroma. A standard 1.8-meter (6 ft) tree takes around 6 to 8 years to grow in ideal conditions. Sheared varieties are usually desired because of their stereotypical Christmas tree conical shape, as naturally grown ones can be sparse, or grow bushy in texture. The branches of
308-526: A land lease from the U.S. government , while Mackinac National Park was handed down to become the first of the Michigan state parks . As with national parks, facilities at state parks are often leased to concessionaires to operate. Breaks Interstate Park is operated under an interstate compact by Virginia state parks , although it is also one of the Kentucky state parks , straddling both sides of
385-725: A paleobotanist at the University of South Alabama , in the Gulf Coastal Plain , where the tree no longer occurs. Eastern white pine forests originally covered much of north-central and northeastern North America. Only 1% of the old-growth forests remain after the extensive logging operations from the 18th century to early 20th century. Old-growth forests, or virgin stands, are protected in Great Smoky Mountains National Park . Other protected areas with known virgin forests, as confirmed by
462-473: A deep gorge through the shale and greywacke of the Rove Formation. The U.S. Geological Survey estimated that 3,200 US gallons (12,000 L) of water flow over High Falls every second. On sunny days rainbows are often visible in the falls' mist. In winter ice can form on the falls 10 to 20 feet (3 to 6 m) thick, but water continues to flow underneath. A mixed hardwood forest covers most of
539-574: A dwelling. Of light weight, it has borne transportation to the farms of the west, where it is used for building purposes in dwellings, barns, and corn cribs, while as a fencing material it has no superior. Aside from those conditions which demand a dense strong timber, such as ship-building or in wagon-making, white pine has been found adaptable to all the economic uses in which lumber is required, not excluding its use in coarser articles of furniture. No wood has found greater favor or entered more fully into supplying all those wants of man which could be found in
616-589: A few exceptions such as Anza-Borrego Desert State Park in California, and Wood-Tikchik State Park in Alaska, the largest state park in the United States . In addition to preserving natural landscapes and providing recreational opportunities, many state parks also serve as important educational resources . They often offer guided tours, interpretive programs, and exhibits that help visitors learn about
693-472: A later event formed northwest-to-southeast trending dikes . Together they are known as the Logan Intrusions after Canadian geologist William Edmond Logan . From 2 million years ago to 10,000 years ago a series of glacial periods repeatedly covered the region with ice, scouring the bedrock and scooping out a great basin. The hard diabase intrusions were more resistant to the ice and survived as
770-523: A network of ridges. At the end of the last glacial period the basin filled with meltwater, forming Glacial Lake Minong , Lake Superior's precursor. Freed from the weight of the glaciers, the surrounding land gradually rose. This post-glacial rebound plus draining of the lake caused the shoreline to recede, first exposing the ridges of the park as islands, then leaving the entire area above water. The stages of shoreline recession are revealed by lake terraces composed of beach gravels. The sharp drop from
847-420: A number of quite efficient antimicrobials. Generally, a wet pulp from the inner bark, or pine tar mixed with beeswax or butter was applied to wounds and used as a salve to prevent infection. P. strobus is cultivated by plant nurseries as an ornamental tree , for planting in gardens and parks. The species is low-maintenance and rapid-growing as a specimen tree. With regular shearing, it can also be trained as
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#1732772761066924-562: A paid accomplice on the Canadian side of the border and waded across the Pigeon River near Middle Falls. They were supposed to hike through the park and rejoin their accomplice—who drove around through the checkpoint—in the parking lot. Instead the rough terrain exhausted them and they fled from the woods toward a nearby duty-free shop in front of Border Patrol officers, who took them into custody and alerted other agents who arrested
1001-699: A restaurant) for lodging at some parks. These typically use "Resort" in the name, such as "_____ Resort State Park" in West Virginia state parks and "_____ State Resort Park" in neighboring Kentucky state parks , which has 17 such resort parks, the most of any state. Other states use the Resort name inconsistently (like DeGray Lake Resort State Park , the only one out of three resorts in Arkansas state parks ), or have only one such park ( South Carolina state parks ' Hickory Knob State Resort Park ), or do not use
1078-423: A role in rich color development. This wood is also favored by patternmakers for its easy working. Cottontail, snowshoe rabbits, porcupines, can eat the bark. Red squirrels can eat the cones by extracting the seeds. Seeds are eaten by crossbills, pine siskin, and white tailed deer. Eastern white pine needles exceed the amount of vitamin C of lemons and oranges and make an excellent herbal tea . The cambium
1155-400: A rounded apex and slightly reflexed tip, often resinous. The seeds are 4–5 mm ( 5 ⁄ 32 – 3 ⁄ 16 in) long, with a slender 15–20 mm ( 5 ⁄ 8 – 3 ⁄ 4 in) wing, and are dispersed by wind. Cone production peaks every 3 to 5 years. The branches are spaced about every 18 inches on the trunk with five or six branches appearing like spokes on
1232-622: A state to preserve a location on account of its natural beauty, historic interest, or recreational potential. There are state parks under the administration of the government of each U.S. state , some of the Mexican states , and in Brazil . The term is also used in the Australian states of Victoria and New South Wales . The equivalent term used in Canada, Argentina, South Africa, and Belgium,
1309-471: A wagon wheel. Eastern white pine is self-fertile, but seeds produced this way tend to result in weak, stunted, and malformed seedlings. Mature trees are often 200–250 years old, and some live over 400 years. A tree growing near Syracuse, New York , was dated to 458 years old in the late 1980s and trees in Michigan and Wisconsin were dated to roughly 500 years old. The eastern white pine has been described as
1386-413: Is provincial park . Similar systems of local government maintained parks exist in other countries, but the terminology varies. State parks are thus similar to national parks , but under state rather than federal administration. Similarly, local government entities below state level may maintain parks, e.g., regional parks or county parks . In general, state parks are smaller than national parks, with
1463-544: Is 51.54 m (169 ft 1 in) tall. The NTS maintains precise measurements of it. A private property in Claremont, New Hampshire , has approximately 60 specimens that are 45 m (148 ft) tall. Diameters of the larger pines range from 1.0–1.6 m (3 ft 3 in – 5 ft 3 in), which translates to a circumference (girth) range of 3.1–5.0 m (10 ft 2 in – 16 ft 5 in). However, single-trunked white pines in both
1540-630: Is also the only Minnesota state park not owned by the state. During the Paleoproterozoic era from 2.2 to 1.9 billion years ago, mud and muddy sand accumulated on the bed of a shallow sea. These sediments compacted into layers of shale and graywacke . Dubbed the Rove Formation , they are among the oldest unmetamorphosed sedimentary rock on earth. 1.1 billion years ago the North American Plate began to crack in
1617-529: Is developed for day-use only. The closest camping is in Ontario's adjacent Pigeon River Provincial Park or in the unincorporated community of Grand Portage, Minnesota . The park emphasizes interpretation of Ojibwe cultural heritage, as a counterpoint to fur trade and natural history interpretation at nearby parks. Many park employees have been members of the Grand Portage Band. The state park
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#17327727610661694-421: Is edible. It is also a source of resveratrol . Linnaeus noted in the 18th century that cattle and pigs fed pine bark bread grew well, but he personally did not like the taste. Pine tar is produced by slowly burning pine roots, branches, or small trunks in a partially smothered flame. Pine tar mixed with beer can be used to remove tapeworms (flat worms) or nematodes (round worms). Pine tar mixed with sulfur
1771-591: Is located at the northern terminus of scenic Minnesota Highway 61 . The park's seasonal visitor center was replaced in September 2010 with a 5,800-square-foot (540 m) combination visitor center, state travel information center, and highway rest area . It is staffed by Grand Portage Band members and contains exhibits interpreting Ojibwe life. The new facility complements the large travel center in Gooseberry Falls State Park , bookending
1848-935: Is now naturalizing in the Outer Western Carpathians subdivision of the Carpathian Mountains in Czech Republic and southern Poland. It has spread from specimens planted as ornamental trees . Like most members of the white pine group , Pinus subgenus Strobus , the leaves ("needles") are coniferous, occurring in fascicles (bundles) of five, or rarely three or four, with a deciduous sheath . The leaves are flexible, bluish-green, finely serrated , and 5–13 cm (2–5 in) long. The seed cones are slender, 8–16 cm ( 3 + 1 ⁄ 4 – 6 + 1 ⁄ 4 in) long (rarely longer than that) and 4–5 cm ( 1 + 1 ⁄ 2 –2 in) broad when open, and have scales with
1925-409: Is somewhat resistant to fire, mature survivors are able to reseed burned areas. In pure stands, mature trees usually have no branches on the lower half of their trunks. The white pine weevil ( Pissodes strobi ) and white pine blister rust ( Cronartium ribicola ), an introduced fungus, can damage or kill these trees. Mortality from white pine blister rust in mature pine groves was often 50–80% during
2002-470: Is useful to treat dandruff, and marketed in present-day products. Pine tar can also be processed to make turpentine . The name "Adirondack", an Iroquois word that means tree-eater, referred to their neighbors (more commonly known as the Algonquians ) who collected the inner bark of P. strobus , Picea rubens , and others during times of winter starvation. The white, soft inner bark (cambial layer)
2079-421: Is yellowish white or a pale straw color, but pine wood which has aged many years tends to darken to a deep, rich, golden tan. Occasionally, one can find light brown pine boards with unusual yellowish-golden or reddish-brown hues. This is the famous "pumpkin pine". Slow growing pines in old-growth forests are thought to accumulate colored products in the heartwood, but genetic factors and soil conditions may also play
2156-661: The Appalachian Mountains and upper Piedmont to northernmost Georgia and very rare in some of the higher elevations in northeastern Alabama . It is considered rare in Indiana . The Haudenosaunee maintain the tree as the central symbol of their multinational confederation, calling it the " Tree of Peace ", where the Seneca use the name o’sóä’ and the Kanienʼkehá:ka call it onerahtase'ko:wa . Within
2233-512: The Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness , agreed to sell 178 acres (72 ha) and donate a further 129 acres (52 ha). The Parks and Trails Council raised Johnson's asking price of $ 250,000 through contributions from individuals and foundations and completed the sale in 1988. The park is the only one in the country co-managed by a state and an Indian tribe, and the only Minnesota state park not owned by
2310-526: The Civilian Conservation Corps and Works Progress Administration . Eastern white pine Pinus strobus , commonly called the eastern white pine , northern white pine , white pine , Weymouth pine (British), and soft pine is a large pine native to eastern North America. It occurs from Newfoundland , Canada, west through the Great Lakes region to southeastern Manitoba and Minnesota , United States, and south along
2387-947: The Linville Gorge Wilderness in North Carolina , United States. Small groves or individual specimens of old-growth eastern white pines are found across the range of the species in the USA, including in Ordway Grove, Maine ; Ice Glen , Massachusetts ; and Adirondack Park , New York. Many sites with conspicuously large specimens represent advanced old-field ecological succession . The tall stands in Mohawk Trail State Forest and William Cullen Bryant Homestead in Massachusetts are examples. As an introduced species , P. strobus
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2464-643: The Native Tree Society (NTS). Prior to their exploitation, it was common for white pines in northern Wisconsin to reach heights of over 61 m (200 ft). Three locations in the Southeastern United States and one site in the Northeastern United States have trees that are 55 m (180 ft) tall. Common height of 80 feet or more. The southern Appalachian Mountains have the most locations and
2541-669: The U.S. Civil War , the wood is soft and tends to cup over time with wear. George Washington opted for the much harder southern yellow pine at Mount Vernon, instead. During the 17th and 18th centuries, tall white pines in the Thirteen Colonies became known as " mast pines". Marked by agents of the Crown with the broad arrow , a mast pine was reserved for the British Royal Navy . Special barge-like vessels were built to ship tall white pines to England. The wood
2618-841: The Wabanaki Confederacy , the Mi'kmaq use the term guow to name the tree, both the Wolastoqewiyik and Peskotomuhkatiyik call it kuw or kuwes , and the Abenaki use the term kowa . It is known as the "Weymouth pine" in the United Kingdom, after Captain George Weymouth of the British Royal Navy , who brought its seeds to England from Maine in 1605. P. strobus is found in
2695-518: The nearctic temperate broadleaf and mixed forests biome of eastern North America. It prefers well-drained or sandy soils and humid climates, but can also grow in boggy areas and rocky highlands. In mixed forests, this dominant tree towers over many others, including some of the large broadleaf hardwoods. It provides food and shelter for numerous forest birds, such as the red crossbill , and small mammals such as squirrels. Fossilized white pine leaves and pollen have been discovered by Brian Axsmith ,
2772-522: The 1890s the Alger, Smith and Company began logging on both sides of the border. In 1899 a series of sluices, dams, and flumes were built to float the logs safely around the waterfalls and gorges; remains of the wooden timber slide around the High Falls are still visible on the Canadian side. The Pigeon River Lumber Company began operations in 1900 and within a few years the two companies had stripped
2849-596: The 19th century, the harvesting of Midwestern white pine forests played a major role in America's westward expansion through the Great Plains . A quarter-million white pines were harvested and sent to lumber yards in Chicago in a single year. The white pine had aesthetic appeal to contemporary naturalists such as Henry David Thoreau ("There is no finer tree.") Beyond that, it had commercial applications . It
2926-1207: The Eastern Native Tree Society, include Algonquin Provincial Park , Quetico Provincial Park , Algoma Highlands in Ontario , and Sainte-Marguerite River Old Forest in Quebec, Canada; Estivant Pines , Huron Mountains , Porcupine Mountains State Park, and Sylvania Wilderness Area in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan , United States; Hartwick Pines State Park in the Lower Peninsula of Michigan ; Menominee Indian Reservation in Wisconsin ; Lost 40 Scientific and Natural Area (SNA) and Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness in Minnesota ; White Pines State Park , Illinois ; Cook Forest State Park , Hearts Content Scenic Area , and Anders Run Natural Area in Pennsylvania ; and
3003-847: The Grand Portage and along routes in the interior, the future Grand Portage State Park remained largely undeveloped. The region was claimed by the French, then passed to the British following the French and Indian War under the 1763 Treaty of Paris . Following the independence of the United States the Arrowhead Region of Minnesota was disputed with British Canada. In 1842 the Webster–Ashburton Treaty finally settled
3080-610: The NTS. Before Hurricane Opal broke its top in October 1995, Boogerman Pine was 63 m (207 ft) tall, as determined by Will Blozan and Robert Leverett using ground-based measurements. The tallest specimens in Hartwick Pines State Park in Michigan are 45–48 m (148–157 ft) tall. In the northeastern USA, eight sites in four states currently have trees over 48 m (157 ft) tall, as confirmed by
3157-622: The NTS. The Cook Forest State Park of Pennsylvania has the most numerous collection of 45 m (148 ft) eastern white pines in the Northeast, with 110 trees measuring that height or more. The park's "Longfellow Pine" is the tallest presently living eastern white pine in the Northeast, at 55.96 m (183 ft 7 in) tall, as determined by tape drop. The Mohawk Trail State Forest of Massachusetts has 83 trees measuring 45 m (148 ft) or more tall, of which six exceed 48.8 m (160 ft). The "Jake Swamp Tree" located there
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3234-422: The Northeast and Southeast with diameters over 1.45 m (4 ft 9 in) are exceedingly rare. Notable big pine sites of 40 ha (99 acres) or less often have no more than two or three trees in the 1.2- to 1.4-m-diameter class. Common diameter of 2-3 feet. Unconfirmed reports from the colonial era gave diameters of virgin white pines of up to 2.4 m (8 ft). Because the eastern white pine tree
3311-401: The Pigeon River as the international border. When the U.S. began negotiating the 1854 Treaty of La Pointe with the region's Ojibwe, hard-bargaining Grand Portage band leaders such as Adikoons secured a reservation within their traditional territory instead of being displaced west. The future state park was originally part of the reservation, but became tax-forfeit and was bought by whites. In
3388-899: The Pine Tree Tavern, he was attacked and nearly killed by an angry mob of colonists. This act of rebellion, later to become known as the Pine Tree Riot , may have fueled the Boston Tea Party in 1773. After the Revolutionary War, the fledgling United States used large white pines to build out its own navy. The masts of the USS Constitution were originally made of eastern white pine. The original masts were single trees, but were later replaced by laminated spars to better withstand cannonballs. In colonial times, an unusually large, lone, white pine
3465-577: The United States. An American National Natural Landmark, Cook Forest State Park in Pennsylvania, contains the tallest known tree in the Northeastern United States, a white pine named Longfellow Pine. Some white pines in Wisconsin are over 200 years old. Although widely planted as a landscape tree in the Midwestern states, native White pine is listed as "rare or uncommon" in Indiana . In
3542-691: The area, expanding as middlemen in the fur trade with the French. The Pigeon River, an otherwise useful route from the Great Lakes to inland Canada, was impassable over its last 22 miles (35 km) due to the waterfalls and rapids. To avoid this stretch early native inhabitants developed a footpath known as Kitchi Onigaming in the Ojibwe language , a name translated by French commercial explorers as Grand Portage , or "the Great Carrying Place." While busy outposts sprang up at either end of
3619-540: The complicated process of transferring the land to the Bureau of Indian Affairs , which would hold it in trust for the Grand Portage Band of Chippewa, who in turn would lease the park back to the DNR for $ 1 a year. Grand Portage State Park finally opened to the public in September 1994. It took so long to finalize the land deal that another entire Minnesota state park, Glendalough , had been authorized, developed, and dedicated in
3696-675: The country's state parks. The NASPD further counts over 43,000 miles (69,000 km) of trail, 217,367 campsites, and 8,277 cabins and lodges across U.S. state parks. The largest state park system in the United States is Alaska State Parks , with over 100 sites encompassing 3.3 million acres. Many states include designations beyond "state park" in their state parks systems. Other designations might be state recreation areas , state beaches, and state nature reserves . Some state park systems include long-distance trails and historic sites . To encourage tourism in rural areas, several states have simple lodges, inns, hotels, or motels (usually with
3773-478: The designation at all (such as the lodges of Georgia state parks ). The term "lodge" may also refer to a hiking lodge , essentially a large cabin for hikers rather than a large facility with private rooms and a restaurant. Other lodging may include yurts and tipis . Not all parks owned by a state are necessarily part of its state-park system, such as Stone Mountain Park near Atlanta. Some Texas state parks are
3850-521: The early 20th century. The fungus must spend part of its lifecycle on alternate hosts of the genus Ribes , the native gooseberry or wild currant. Foresters proposed that if all the alternate host plants were removed, white pine blister rust might be eliminated. A very determined campaign was mounted, and all land owners in commercial pine-growing regions were encouraged to uproot and kill all native gooseberry and wild currant plants. The ramifications for wildlife and habitat ecology were of less concern at
3927-443: The eight state parks along Minnesota's North Shore. Grand Portage State Park follows two miles (3.2 km) of the Pigeon River, which marks the Canada – United States border. The U.S. Customs border checkpoint is visible from the park entrance and in fact sits within the park's authorized boundaries. In September 2008 the park's rugged terrain defeated a rare illegal border crossing . Two Eastern Europeans were dropped off by
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#17327727610664004-489: The falls. A further 3.5 miles (5.6 km) of hiking trail leads to the 30-foot (9 m) Middle Falls and provides distant views of Lake Superior and Isle Royale from hilltops. A 0.2-mile (0.3 km) path leads from the park office through the picnic area to a historic marker commemorating the Webster-Ashburton Treaty. In winter all of the trails are open for snowshoeing. Grand Portage State Park
4081-466: The forest growths. The species was imported in 1620 to England by Captain George Weymouth , who planted it for a timber crop, but had little success because of white pine blister rust disease. Old-growth pine in the Americas, of various Pinus species, was a highly desired wood since huge, knot-free boards were the rule rather than the exception. Pine was common and easy to cut, thus many colonial homes used pine for paneling, floors, and furniture. Pine
4158-461: The hub of pine logging and shipping. Portsmouth shipped 199 masts to England that year. In all, about 4500 masts were sent to England. The eastern white pine played a significant role in the events leading to the American Revolution . Marking of large white pines by the Crown had become controversial in the colonies by the first third of the 18th century. In 1734, the King's men were assaulted and beaten in Exeter, New Hampshire , in what
4235-505: The land of salable timber and moved away, leaving the area afflicted with unemployment, forest fires, and poor hunting. In the early twentieth century a remote fishing resort was located within the future park. In the 1930s plans were made to route Highway 61 across the Pigeon River at the High Falls, but conservation groups like the Izaak Walton League opposed the plan and the bridge and border crossing were ultimately built farther downstream in 1966. The land adjoining High and Middle Falls
4312-549: The largest specimens are around 28 m (990 cu ft), with some past giants possibly reaching 37 to 40 m (1,300 to 1,400 cu ft). Photographic analysis of giants suggests volumes closer to 34 m (1,200 cu ft). P. strobus grows about 1 m (3.3 ft) annually between the ages of 15 and 45 years, with slower height increments before and after that age range. The tallest presently living specimens are 50–57.55 m (164 ft 1 in – 188 ft 10 in) tall, as determined by
4389-422: The local flora , fauna , geology , and cultural history of the area. These programs are designed not only to enhance the visitor experience but also to promote conservation awareness and encourage responsible enjoyment of natural resources. There are 6,792 state park units in the United States, according to the National Association of State Park Directors (NASPD). There are some 813 million annual visits to
4466-402: The meantime. As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States , the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources temporarily closed Grand Portage State Park on April 10, 2020 at the request of the Grand Portage Band of Lake Superior Chippewa . The High Falls is at the end of a gentle 0.5-mile (0.8 km) paved trail and boardwalk. Three wooden decks provide different angles to view
4543-439: The middle, and lava flowed out of this Midcontinent Rift System creating the distinctive basalt of Lake Superior 's North Shore (and Interstate Park to the south). In what is now Grand Portage State Park, upwelling magma did not reach the surface but intruded into fractures in the Rove Formation, cooling more slowly into diabase rather than basalt. One set of intrusions formed northeast-to-southwest trending sills while
4620-415: The occasional coyote and timber wolf . Waterfowl and raptors such as osprey frequent the Pigeon River, which also attracts walleye , northern pike , and rainbow smelt for their spring spawning . At the beginning of historical times Grand Portage and the Pigeon River lay along the border between Dakota land to the south and Cree to the north. By the early eighteenth century Ojibwe arrived in
4697-654: The park, chiefly paper birch and quaking aspen with occasional white spruce , eastern white pine , balsam fir , northern white cedar , poplar, and black ash . A more boreal forest appears on ridges and slopes, with black spruce joining the previously listed conifers intermixed with additional birch and aspen. Bottomlands near the river support black and green ash as well as white cedar, white spruce, and yellow birch . Mammalian species of this park include white-tailed deer , moose , Canadian lynx , black bear , red fox , porcupine , pine marten , river otter , beaver , snowshoe hare , skunk , and red squirrel with
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#17327727610664774-419: The state line. Other multi-state parks are legally two separate parks with the same name and more informal cooperation between them. The title of oldest state park in the United States is claimed by Niagara Falls State Park in New York , established in 1885. Several public parks previously or currently maintained at the state level pre-date it. Indian Springs State Park has been operated continuously by
4851-454: The state of Georgia as a public park since 1825, although it did not gain the title "State Park" until 1931. In 1864 Yosemite Valley and Mariposa Grove were ceded by the federal government to California until Yosemite National Park was proclaimed in 1890. In 1878 Wisconsin set aside a vast swath of its northern forests as "The State Park" but, needing money, sold most of it to lumber companies within 20 years. Mackinac National Park
4928-450: The state. Since the land was within the Grand Portage Indian Reservation, the state park bill was drafted with several provisions establishing a novel collaboration. Legislation establishing the park passed unanimously in both houses of the Minnesota Legislature in 1989. The Parks and Trails Council sold the land to the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) for $ 316,000, an amount well under its appraised value. The DNR then began
5005-417: The surrounding land to the lake produces the numerous waterfalls for which the North Shore is famous. The Pigeon River cut its course through soft sediments and glacial till . However it intersected two erosion-resistant dikes which created the High Falls and farther upstream the Middle Falls, which cascades 10 feet (3 m) then drops a further 20 feet (6 m). Below the High Falls the river has carved
5082-568: The tallest tree in eastern North America, perhaps sharing the prize with the deciduous tulip tree whose range overlaps with eastern white pine in a few areas. In natural precolonial stands, the pine is reported to have grown as tall as 70 m (230 ft). No means exist for accurately documenting the height of trees from these times, but eastern white pine may have reached this height on rare occasions. Even greater heights have been reported in popular, but unverifiable, accounts such as Robert Pike's Tall Trees, Tough Men . Total trunk volumes of
5159-438: The tallest trees in the present range of P. strobus . One survivor is a specimen known as the "Boogerman Pine" in the Cataloochee Valley of Great Smoky Mountains National Park . At 57.55 m (188 ft 10 in) tall, it is the tallest accurately measured tree in North America east of the Rocky Mountains , though this conflicts with citations for Liriodendron tulipifera . It has been climbed and measured by tape drop by
5236-450: The time than timber-industry protection. Today, native wild currants are relatively rare plants in New England, and planting wild currants or wild gooseberries is strongly discouraged, or even illegal in some jurisdictions. As an alternative, new strains of commercial currants have been developed that are highly resistant to white pine blister rust. Mortality in white pines from rust is only about 3% today. Old white pines are treasured in
5313-460: The waiting driver. Since the High Falls of the Pigeon River is shared with Ontario, the 70-foot (21 m) High Falls on the Baptism River in Tettegouche State Park is often touted as "the highest waterfall entirely within Minnesota." State park State parks are parks or other protected areas managed at the sub-national level within those nations which use "state" as a political subdivision. State parks are typically established by
5390-439: Was also a favorite tree of loggers, since pine logs can still be processed in a lumber mill a year or more after being cut down. In contrast, most hardwood trees such as cherry, maple, oak, and ash must be cut into 1" thick boards immediately after felling, or else large cracks will develop in the trunk which can render the wood worthless. Although eastern white pine was frequently used for flooring in buildings constructed before
5467-609: Was carefully separated from the hard, dark brown bark and dried. When pounded, this product can be used as flour or added to stretch other starchy products. The young staminate cones were stewed by the Ojibwe Indians with meat, and were said to be sweet and not pitchy. In addition, the seeds are sweet and nutritious, but not as tasty as those of some of the western nut pines. Pine resin (sap) has been used by various tribes to waterproof baskets, pails, and boats. The Ojibwe also used pine resin to successfully treat infections and even gangrenous wounds, because pine resin apparently has
5544-436: Was considered "the most sought and most widely utilized of the various forest growths of the northwest ." Descriptions of its uses are quoted below from a 19th-century source: Being of a soft texture and easily worked, taking paint better than almost any other variety of wood, it has been found adaptable to all the uses demanded in the building art, from the manufacture of packing cases to the bearing timber and finer finish of
5621-417: Was established in 1875 as the second U.S. national park before being converted to a state park in 1895. The first state park with the designation of "state park" was Itasca State Park in Minnesota , established in 1891. Many state park systems date to the 1930s, when around 800 state parks (and several national ones) across the country were developed with assistance from federal job-creation programs like
5698-690: Was found in coastal South Carolina along the Black River , far east of its southernmost normal range. The king's mark was carved into it, giving rise to the town of Kingstree . Eastern white pine is now widely grown in plantation forestry within its native area. Eastern white pine has often been used for timber frames, and is available in large sizes. Eastern white pine timbers are not particularly strong, so timbers increase in size to handle loads applied. This species accepts stains better than most, but it has little rot resistance, so should be used only in dry conditions. Freshly cut eastern white pine
5775-439: Was often squared to better fit in the holds of these ships. A 30-metre (100 ft) mast was about 0.91 m × 0.91 m (3 ft × 3 ft) at the butt and 0.61 m × 0.61 m (2 ft × 2 ft) at the top, while a 37-metre (120 ft) mast was 1.2 m × 1.2 m (4 ft × 4 ft) by 0.76 m (30 in) on its ends. By 1719, Portsmouth, New Hampshire , had become
5852-534: Was purchased as a possible commercial property by Lloyd K. Johnson, a white attorney and land speculator from Duluth , who held onto it for decades. In 1985 a park advocacy group, the Minnesota Parks and Trails Council, suggested complementing Ontario's Pigeon River Provincial Park with a Minnesota state park. Johnson, who in the 1930s and 40s had sold hundreds of thousands of acres to the U.S. Forest Service to help create Superior National Forest and
5929-472: Was to be called the Mast Tree Riot . Colonel David Dunbar had been in the town investigating a stock pile of white pine in a pond and the ownership of the local timber mill before caning two townspeople. In 1772, the sheriff of Hillsborough County, New Hampshire , was sent to the town of Weare to arrest mill owners for the illegal possession of large white pines. That night, as the sheriff slept at
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