Building the Wall

Between 1936 and 1940, Civilian Conservation Corps enrollees built a castle-inspired retaining wall for the parking concourse that is 300 feet long, 15 to 25 feet high, and 12 feet wide at the base. Beginning on the western end, they extended the wall until it tied into the bridge. Stone was quarried from east Beaver Bay, including rocks weighing more than 7 tons. A large derrick built and designed by the camp blacksmith transported materials to the lower level. Italian masons taught the enrollees how to select, hand cut, and fit the stones together, and one of the final sections completed was a massive stairway leading to the main falls.

Minnesota · United States