Best campin' spot by a dam site!

Here's where you can learn about the dam builders, the dam tender and all kinds of dam stuff. Learn how Stone Age PaleoIndians traveled these waterways, and see museum artifacts the'll make you feel like you've actually stepped right into the days of yesteryear.

Y'know, this was also the location of one of my biggest lumber camps back in the olden days. This is where we'd stack all our logs that we hauled out of the woods in the wintertime, thanks to Ole the Blacksmith's one-and-only, loop-de-loop railroad...but that's another story.

Paul L. Bunyan

Here's an historic site that's as educational as it is recreational. 

US Army Corps of Engineers Dam and Recreational Park                  

Located on Cty Rd. 3, Crosslake

There are two swimming beaches, a playground, many scenic campsites, and boat access to Crosslake.  The Corps of Engineers dam controls the level of the entire Chain. This is Crosslake’s oldest historical site, surveyed by Joseph N. Nicollet in 1836 as a part of his Survey of the Upper Mississippi Territory. Listen to Ray Nelson's podcast to learn intriguing facts about this early history.

The dam, originally built out of wood in 1886, was upgraded to concrete between 1904-07. In 1920 the operating system for the dam was modified to reflect the lock system installed on the Mississippi River in and near the Twin Cities. No longer was the main purpose of the Cross Lake dam to help supply enough water for shipping on the Mississippi, but rather to handle the ever increasing recreational use of the Chain.

As you drive or walk into the campground, turn right to the camping check-in area for an interpretive panel that tells the story of the dam tender and read how Babe the Blue Ox helped create the dam.

Visit the Paul Bunyan Scenic Byway Assoc.’s Exhibit Room in the Administrative building.