About the Paul Bunyan Scenic Byway

The Paul Bunyan Scenic Byway is a 54 mile loop road route. County State Aid Highway (CSAH) 16 is the spine of the route. At the intersection with CSAH 66, the route travels both north around the Whitefish Chain and south along the north side of Pelican Lake. It passes through 14 local government jurisdictions: Jenkins, Ideal Township, Crosslake, Manhattan Beach, Mission Township, Pelican Township, Timothy Township, Pequot Lakes, Breezy Point, Pine River, Jenkins Township, Gail Lake Township, Wilson Township, and Barclay Township.

It connects with the Paul Bunyan Trail in four locations, at CSAH 16, at CSAH 11, and at CSAH 15 in Crow Wing County and at CSAH 1 in Cass County. Currently, more than 100 resources have been identified along the 54 miles, resources that are valued for their cultural, historic, recreational, natural, scenic, or archaeological value.

In 1995 Ideal Township, concerned for the safety of bicyclists on CSAH 16, conducted a raffle to raise local match money to pave the shoulders of CSAH 16. In order to increase the priority of shoulder paving with the County Highway Department, the regional representative of the Minnesota Office of Tourism suggested that the roadway might quality as a scenic byway under a relatively new Minnesota state program. If designated, this may help raise the priority of the paving project. And that is what happened. A small group of local residents worked together to complete the forms, inventory the byway, and submit the application for state designation. The Scenic Byway was designated in June of 1998. As a result of this designation, shoulder paving on CSAH 16 was completed in August 2002 (centennial year of Ideal Township). Funds that were raised in the raffle were used toward the 20% local match to cover the cost of the shoulder paving work. Other groups donating to the match were the Crosslake/Ideal Lions and the Paul Bunyan Scenic Byway Association.

At the state level, the Scenic Byway program is a partnership among several state agencies:

• Department of Transportation
• Historical Society
• Office of Tourism
• Department of Natural Resources
• Also being considered for partnership is the MN Arts Board

There are 22 such byways designated in Minnesota. A state board of commissioners, which is made up of representatives from each of these agencies, has set 22 as the limit for designated scenic byways in the state. A new designated byway can only happen if an existing route loses or relinquishes its designation, thereby allowing another route to seek the available designation.

Locally, the Paul Bunyan Scenic Byway Association, a non-profit organization, is made up of those businesses, agencies, organizations and individuals that have supported its projects and programs. A Board of Directors, chaired by Lynn Scharenbroich of Black Pine Beach Resort, guides the work of the Association, to “promote, protect and enhance the scenic, natural, cultural, historic, recreational, and archeological resources along the 54-mile Paul Bunyan Scenic Byway.”

Remember the children's rhyme, "How much wood could a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood?" Well, with a little revision it might fit the Paul Bunyan National Scenic Byway Association (PBNSBA), "How many projects may a Byway do if a Byway may do projects?"

The Paul Bunyan National Scenic Byway Association (PBNSBA) has assembled an impressive list of activities and projects over the seven years it has been in existence. The list begins with the completion of two major planning documents that leveraged local donations of just under $25,000 into nearly $125,000 of total funding resulting in a Corridor Management Plan and an Interpretive Plan that have been repeatedly held up as examples for byway planners across the country.

In addition to these major planning grants, over the years, the group applied for and was awarded grant funding through Explore Minnesota Tourism, the Department of Natural Resources and the Federal Highway Department-National Scenic Byways Organization. Further, the PBNSBA lead the effort in the local communities to raise match funds for the shoulder paving of County Road 11, and assisted in the effort to complete the shoulder paving along County Road 16. In all, the Byway Association solicited local in-kind donations and match funds of nearly $150,000 that were then spun into over $570,000 worth of projects.

It seems as though that should be enough for a young seven year old organization. But, it's just the beginning. Under the direction of an energetic ten member Board of Directors, the Byway Association launched a website; created the newsletter, Inkslinger; recruited a 'real' Paul Bunyan character for parades and events; developed three sets of novelty playing cards highlighting sites, events and people along the Byway route; commissioned local art talent, Tom Ottoson, to create two sets of original Byway art; worked with St. Cloud State University on the development of an Honors Course in 2002 and 2003 using the Paul Bunyan Scenic Byway as the course location; printed and distributed tear-off maps of the Byway route; held a $49,999 raffle fundraiser in 2003; hosted the annual Mounted Eagles Walk~N~Roll fundraiser on County Rd. 16 of the Byway route beginning in 2003; designed, built and installed the Gateway Gazebo located at AmericInn; established criteria for the Byway brand and trademarked the logo; completed a contractual partnership with the US Army Corps of Engineers in 2004; and established a Paul Bunyan Scenic Byway Foundation in 2005.

Projects in the works include
- securing sponsorships for 14 interpretive panel kiosks installed at 13 locations along the byway route. Pickup an exclusive Paul Bunyan Scenic Byway Map & Tour Guide at these Chambers of Commerce, (Pequot Lakes/Breezy Point Information Center in Pequot Lakes; Crosslake Information Center; Pine River Information Center) and find your way to the entertaining panels;
- completion of the Veterans Walking Trail-adding informational signage along the walk;
- beginning work on two National Scenic Byways Program grants:
1) reintroducing an actual historic character, Ben Knebel, the mailboat driver, as the storyteller
2) developing, printing and distributing a tour brochure/inserts for the byway area.

According to PBNSBA chair, Lynn Scharenbroich, the projects and activities are what keeps the Byway board and Association members excited and engaged. She credits an outstanding Board and group of Advisors, as well as supportive businesses, individuals and organizations within the Byway area for the success of the Association so far.

"As the information about what this Association has done and is planning to do gets out to more and more people, our dream is that supportive funding will grow, allowing us to focus on the projects more and the fund-raising less," said Scharenbroich.

In June 1999 the Association submitted a request for a National Scenic Byway grant to prepare a corridor management plan to strategically manage, market, and monitor the route and its use. The 20 percent local match was obtained and in February, the group was notified its proposal ranked #1 for Minnesota and was approved for funding. The paper work was completed, contracts in place, and work began in August 2000 to prepare the Corridor Management Plan. Since the Byway designation in 1998, the Association and its Board have been talking informally with residents and visitors about the Byway, their concerns, and ideas. And the Association was not idle while waiting for notification of the federal grant award. The group took advantage of suggestions and opportunities that surfaced to move forward on several activities and projects:

• A "Byway Bylines" column appears monthly in the Lake Country Echo
• A quarterly newsletter, "The Inkslinger," is sent to members of the Byway Association
• The first Byway Association annual meeting and recognition picnic was held in June during Sen. Oberstar's millenium ride on the Paul Bunyan Trail
• The Byway website www.paulbunyanscenicbyway.org is on-line and was first viewed by Sen. Oberstar during his Pequot Lakes stop on the millenium ride in June. And in August, 2000, an Indianapolis, Indiana, couple found the Byway information on the website and visited here specifically to drive the Byway.
• The Byway Association received a 50% grant from the Minnesota Office of Tourism and raised the necessary additional 50% local match to prepare, publish, and distribute the "Birds of the Byway" brochure featuring the best birding spots along the route.
• In 2001, the Byway Association received grant funding from the National Trails Recreation Program for hiking trails on two parcels of Department of Natural Resources managed forested lands along County State Aid Highways 11 and 16.

The Corridor Management Plan, identified resources, issues, potential projects and priorities. It included recommendations for marketing and for monitoring resources and traveler needs. Now the focus is on the completion of the Interpretive Plan, which will identify themes and sub-themes of the route based on the points of interest along the route, the collection of stories from the generations of people living along the route and the legends of Paul Bunyan as well as other tales and legends from the area. The Association will also continue working on projects, such as the hiking trails project, and seek other opportunities to partner with agencies and organizations who share similar goals.