Timothy Township, located on Crow Wing County Road 1 along the Paul Bunyan Scenic Byway route, looks much like any other rural area township. But in truth, it’s really a geode of fascinating history. That’s why the Paul Bunyan Scenic Byway Association is so enthusiastic about the Panel Partnership approved this winter to bring to life some of those captivating stories of Timothy’s past on an interpretive panel to be displayed at the Byway’s kiosk located near the North Side Fire Station.

Here are a few snippets that have already shown up in old documents or burbled up during conversations with long time residents.

• Those of a certain age remember Burma Shave signs along the roads, but did you know that right in these local woods there are a few old deer stands and a dock that were built out of some of those signs? The owner of the Burma Shave company summered in Timothy Township, and he made the deer stands out of the signage ‘left-overs’.
• That wasn’t the only big name in town though. Back in 1934, a local fellow named Henry Ruud constructed Our Lady of the Snows Chapel at Camp Foley. It was built entirely from local fieldstone and without blue prints. Today Our Lady of the Snows is listed on the National Register of Historic Landmarks.
• Don’t be looking for a whooping party district in Timothy Township.  It’s been dry since it became a township back in 1912. A business that recently located there had to get a special permit to have liquor.

These are part of a long list of curious, serious, sweet and inspirational stories. Some will be selected for the panel. Also being reviewed for possible inclusion on the panel are several historic photos and maps. A rough draft of the Timothy Township history panel will be presented to the Township board in April.

Timothy Township is the second jurisdiction along the Byway to participate in the Byway’s Panel Partners project.  Last spring the PBSBA completed the informational panel for the City of Jenkins and installed it at the Gateway Gazebo near AmericInn.