The Paul Bunyan Scenic Byway Association recently added a new source of Bunyan appeal to its collection of items in the Crosslake Campground Exhibit Room.

The arrival of the spring gardening season holds a unique appeal for the Paul Bunyan Scenic Byway Association.  For the past three years, representatives from the PBSBA have had the opportunity to present a sort of gardening ‘wish list’ to the Crow Wing County Master Gardeners.

During the past couple of years, over a hundred years of settlement, livelihood and transportation history was collected from archives and interested Jenkins area residents who have direct memories and/or family ties to the stories.

On Valentine’s Day evening, members of the Jenkins City Council took a close look at something dear to their hearts…their hometown history.  A mock-up of the interpretive panel outlining the story of how the City of Jenkins developed from a simple fur trading post to the growing Byway community it is today was reviewed. 

by Ray Nelson, US Army Corp. of Engineers, Crosslake/Byway Association Liaison

The Paul Bunyan Scenic Byway’s Gateway Gazebo took on an even more welcoming complexion this year with the installation of a shapely garden area, mulched path, and decorative landscaping. The Gateway Gazebo, so named because it sits at what many consider the gateway to the Paul Bunyan Scenic Byway route at the intersection of CSAH 16 and Highway 371, is located near AmericInn Lodge and Suites.

It’s sort of a case of history making history in the City of Jenkins. Over a hundred years of settlement, livelihood and transportation history has been and continues to be collected from interested residents who have direct memories and/or family ties to the stories. 

What’s a Scenic Byway worth to its local communities, both socially and in dollars and cents? Byways across the nation are asking, and the Paul Bunyan Scenic Byway Association (PBSBA) wanted to know too.

The novelty tee shirt featuring the theme, ‘Paul Bunyan Camps With the Corp’, will be available for purchase beginning this summer. It debuted at the November, 2009, Paul Bunyan Scenic Byway Association’s annual meeting and was an immediate hit.

Last week several longtime residents met to share memories of their early years in Jenkins.

The discussion centered around a short pamphlet, published in the mid-'70s by a group of women calling themselves The Jenkins Booster Club and written by Mary Dropping, now deceased.