Archeological evidence show that human habitation in the area spans over 10,000 years, from the Paleo-Indians of about 8,000 B.C. to the modern American Indians of today. European settlement, fur trading, and exploration began in the seventeenth century. By the mid-1800's fur trading and exploration had given way to exploitation of the vast stands of pine in the area. With logging, came the railroads.

The Cuyuna area was a border area between the Dakota (Sioux) and the Ojibwe (Chippewa) Indians. The Cuyuna area also served as a long portage route from Mille Lacs Lake to the upper Mississippi River. There were many trading posts and missions in the general area. The 1870 General Land Office survey notes indicated the presence of an American Indian trail between Little Rabbit, Portage, June, and Little Mahnomen Lakes. The treaty of 1837 with the Mississippi Band of Ojibwe opened the area to European settlement.

The treaty of 1855 established the Mille Lacs reservation on the southwest shore of Mille Lacs Lake. In the early 1860's the Northern Pacific Railroad Company was chartered to build a railroad from Carlton, Minnesota to Puget Sound. A section house erected along the north shore of Reno Lake, a hundred miles west of Duluth, grew into a little community called Withington. The similarity of its name to that of Worthington in the southern part of the state later prompted it to change its name to Deerwood. It wasn't until 1871 that the Northern Pacific Railway came through town.

Several of Deerwood's earliest settlers, including a surveyor named Cuyler Adams, were struck by an unnatural deviation of the compass needle in certain areas and suspected the presence of iron ore, and the search was on for a viable body of ore.

The first active iron mine on what was to become the Cuyuna Range, named after the combined names of Cuyler Adams and his dog Una, was the Kennedy mine, located on the south shore of Rabbit Lake. In those days of difficult travel, a small village would naturally spring up near an active mine, and thus the village of Cuyuna was established as the second town in the area. Cuyuna was incorporated in July of 1910.

As more mines were opened, small towns sprang up to house and supply the needs of the miners. The largest of these, Crosby and Ironton, are the active hub of the area today. During the active mining period, this area had a multitude of railroad lines and many of these former grades will be used for the proposed trail system. Originally, the nearest rail link to the Cuyuna Range was about six miles away at Deerwood, where the Northern Pacific had a track. The Soo Line was built from Deerwood to the towns of Cuyuna, Crosby and Ironton in 1910. The Northern Pacific then built rail lines into the Cuyuna Range in 1912. Crosby was incorporated as a village in July of 1910, while Ironton was incorporated in June of 1911.

Small portions of Riverton and Trommald remain as bedroom communities, but the communities of Iron Hub, Manganese, Klondike, Oreland, and Wolford (which supported the Milford mine location), have disappeared. Trommald lies at the northern edge of the recreation area and the former mines. Today, it has a small residential population. It would be connected through the recreation area, and eventually along a loop to Cuyuna that would connect to the former Milford Mine site, with a future memorial to the 41 miners who died on February 5, 1924.

Riverton lies at the western edge of the recreation area and the former mines. It began as a mining location and today has a small residential population. It was incorporated in January of 1912.

Total iron ore production from the Cuyuna Range eventually exceeded 100,000,000 tons. Today the mines are closed but the pits between the mountainous tree-covered piles of overburden that was removed from them have filled with pristine clear water and are a Mecca for scuba divers, anglers and nature lovers who visit them annually. They remain as a living memory of the mining era. The industrial archaeology scattered throughout the Cuyuna Country State Recreation Area from Riverton to Cuyuna tells of the many cultures brought together to mine the land and offers an insight to the mining history of the area.

Signage and other techniques will be used to build an image of the miners and their sacrifices in these communities. Tourism, now the major income producing industry in the area, has always been important throughout the history of the Cuyuna Range.

The beauty of the many lakes and forests in the area struck the entrepreneurs who sought to develop the rich resources opened by the railroad. Deerwood, with its first hotel, became a favorite stopover. Tales of the fabulous fishing and hunting to be found in the surrounding area soon began to lure men to take the train, usually from Duluth, and rent a room at the Shannon Inn. From there they could engage a team to take them to a favorite lake where they could rent a boat for the day's hunting or fishing.

One of those locations was Bay Lake, and the lake became a destination for city dwellers that wanted to visit northern Minnesota and the lumber country. Access was only by train and wagon trail until about 1900, when more improved roads reached the area. Today, the community features resorts and seasonal residents, many of whom seek trail access to the nearby Crow Wing County Lansin R. Hamilton Memorial Forest and other points of interest.

At the west end of the Cuyuna Lakes State Trail system lie Brainerd and Baxter. Brainerd was founded in 1870, when the Northern Pacific Railroad's survey determined that the Mississippi River crossing should be located there.

Today, Brainerd is the region's largest city and trade center. Trail resources in the community include several parks, many restaurants, a YMCA, many lodging units and service businesses. The community also has an arboretum adjacent to the proposed trail. A comprehensive trail system is planned, a portion of which will connect the Cuyuna Lakes State Trail System to the Paul Bunyan State Trail.

The origins of Brainerd can be featured near the west end of the Cuyuna Lakes State Trail where the redeveloping rail yards exist and the Mississippi River has been dammed to support a paper mill. Baxter borders Brainerd on the west, and is a trailhead for the Paul Bunyan State Trail. From Baxter, trail users will be able to go south to Crow Wing State Park once the expansion of the Paul Bunyan State Trail is finished, north to the lakes area and Bemidji, or east to the Cuyuna Country State Recreation Area.

At the eastern end of the trail is Aitkin, with a rich heritage of the Mississippi River lumber days as well as a stop on the railroad. Today, Aitkin is the county seat of Aitkin County and is a focal point for tourism along trunk highways 210 and 169. It was incorporated in August of 1889.

Croft Mine Historical Park

The Merrimac Mining Company first operated the Croft mine located in northeast Crosby. The initial shaft went down through 110 feet of glacial drift to reach the ore body and ultimately reached a total depth of 630 feet. Lateral shafts or drifts were then extended into the ore body from which the ore was blasted and hauled to the surface. Ore from the Croft mine was exceptionally rich, being 55% iron and of Bessemer quality. Bessemer quality refers to a high quality ore needed in the Bessemer process of making steel. The Youngstown Mining Company operated the mine from 1928 to 1931, and the Hanna Mining Company operated the mine from 1931 until the last ore from this property was shipped in 1934.

The total production of the Croft mine was 1,770,000 tons. The original smokestack and dry house, where the miners cleaned up after a day underground, remain on the site. There is also a realistic simulation of the cage, in which the miners rode down to work, and a life-like mock-up of a drift with mannequins performing the usual jobs. The guided tour includes Cuyler Adams office and ends in the dry where many original artifacts are displayed.

Milford Mine

The Milford mine, originally named the Ida Mae, was located approximately 2 miles north of Crosby about 1000 feet from the northwest side of Foley Lake. The property was first leased and exploratory drilling started in August of 1912. It was not until December of 1917 however, that the main shaft was sunk and development started. By February 5, 1924 the shaft was down 200 feet, including 120 feet of wet, sandy overburden. Operating drifts extended out toward Foley Lake. At 3:25 p.m. on that fateful day mud and water broke into the lower level of the mine and within 20 minutes the mine was completely flooded. Seven miners managed to climb a ladder to safety.

Forty-one perished in the disaster, worst in the history of the lake states mining industry. Today, evidence exists of the structures and hardships associated with mining. Local trails are planned to connect to the Milford Mine site, where interpretive displays will memorialize the miners and the mine.

Other points of interest

The Ironton Sintering Plant Complex, located approximately one-half mile north of Ironton, is on the National Register of Historic Places. It is on the west bank of Portsmouth Mine lake. This site is significant due to the fact that it was the second major beneficiation plant built in the United States. Beneficiation is a term used to describe the collective processes of, but not limited to, sintering, crushing and washing of non-selectively mined iron ore. The mined iron ore from the Cuyuna Range was of lower grade quality and had to be processed and improved to meet user specifications. Sintering, the technique of concentrating the iron ore into a mass by heating without melting was unique to the Cuyuna Range. According to the National Register of Historic Places Nomination Form, the Ironton sintering plant reflects the capacity of the iron.