1902

U. S. Land Office withdraws 500,000 acres in future BWCAW from settlement

1904

At request of Minnesota Forestry Board, Congress grants 20,000 acres to the state for the Burntside Forest Reserve. “State Forest Reserves should be devoted not alone to the business of raising timber, but to the pleasure of all the people.” Minnesota Forestry Commissioners Report, p. 48, 1905

1905-1908

General C. C. Andrews persuades the U. S. Land Office to withdraw 659,700 more acres

1909

Superior National Forest (SNF) created by President Theodore Roosevelt (Proclamation No. 848) from previously withdrawn public domain lands, including parts of the present BWCAW

1909

Minnesota establishes Superior Game Refuge of 1.2 million acres, coinciding with national forest

1922-1926

Development of roads in roadless Superior National Forest – Echo Trail, Fernberg Road, Upper Gunflint Trail

1926

Roadless wilderness area (640,000 acres) in the Superior National Forest established by U.S. Agriculture Secretary W. M. Jardine in a policy to “retain as much as possible of the land which has recreational opportunities of this nature as a wilderness”. Logging allowed to continue; dispute over access roads stopped

1930

Congress passes the Shipstead-Newton-Nolan Act to protect water levels and lakeshores by prohibiting dams, and logging within 400 feet of recreational waterways in then existing Superior National Forest

1933

Minnesota passes “Little Shipstead-Newton-Nolan Act” for state lands similar to federal statute

1927-1936

Boundary changes and purchases increase federal ownership in Superior National Forest to over 2 million acres, which includes one million acres in the wilderness area.

1938

Forest Service establishes Superior Roadless Primitive Area with boundaries similar to BWCAW

1941

Forest Service establishes no-cut zone of 362,000 acres along the international boundary

1948

Congress passes Thye-Blatnik Act to buy resorts and private lands in the wilderness. Also provides for in-lieu-of-tax payments to Cook, Lake, St. Louis Counties for federal wilderness land

1948

Forest Service changes boundaries of roadless area and deletes much land near Lake Isabella to accommodate logging – “Tomahawk sale”

1949

President Harry Truman issues an executive order for an air-space reservation over the BWCAW, which prohibits planes landing on lakes and flights below 4,000 feet over the wilderness

1949

Minnesota passes legislation that regulates aircraft and watercraft similar to Forest Service policies

1958

Forest Service changes name of Superior Roadless Area to Boundary Waters Canoe Area

1964

Congress passes the Wilderness Act and the BWCA becomes part of the National Wilderness Preservation System with a clause that allows some logging and use of motors to continue

1965

U.S. Agriculture Secretary Orville Freeman issues management changes recommended by Selke Committee – increases the no-logging zone, motorboat zoning and limits some snowmobiling

1966

Travel permits for BWCA begun by Forest Service. Controversy over copper-nickel mining.

1971

Minnesota passes regulations (NR 1000) establishing right of state to regulate use of motorcraft on state waters, similar to the federal rule, and authorizes joint cooperative agreements with USFS.

1972

Lawsuit by Minnesota Public Interest Research Group to prohibit logging of virgin forest in the wilderness until an Environmental Impact Statement is done by the USFS

1973

Federal District Judge Phillip Neville rules to prohibit mining in the BWCA in a lawsuit brought by the Izaak Walton League. Reversed on appeal to 8th District Court in 1974

1975

Federal District Judge Miles Lord bans logging of virgin forests. Reversed on appeal in 1976

1975

Congressman James Oberstar introduces bill to “resolve” BWCA issues by creating a 600,000 acre wilderness (no logging or motors) and a 400,000 acre recreation area (allowing motors). Removal of established wilderness for a recreation area strongly opposed by environmentalists.

1976

State passes legislation prohibiting mining and peat harvesting in the BWCA

1978 Congress enacts BWCA Wilderness Act, eliminating logging and snowmobiling, restricting mining, and allowing motor boats on only a fourth of the water area. Boundary adjustments of 50,000 added to BWCAW; total wilderness now 1,098,057 acres (formerly just over 1 million acres)

1979-1982

Challenge to the BWCA Wilderness Act (Public Law 95-495) by the State of Minnesota and others upheld by Eight District Court; U. S. Supreme Court refused to review this opinion in 1982

1980-1990

Congress appropriates $84 million for state and federal implementations of BWCAW Act

1991-1993

Court decisions require motorized portages to be closed as stipulated by 1978 Act

1992

Minnesota passes law governing maintenance of campsites on state land in the BWCAW

1993

BWCAW Management Plan approved by Superior National Forest; appealed and upheld by 8th United States District Court

1996-1997

Federal mediation process over motor portages as sought by U.S. Senator Paul Wellstone; no consensus

1998

Congress allows two motorized portages to continue through a rider on transportation bill

1998

Recreational Fee Demonstration Program (user fee) starts; fees applied to BWCAW management

1999

BWCAW reappraised under Thye-Blatnik Act; yearly payment to counties $2.1 million

1999

Huge blowdown July 4 affects 300,000 BWCAW acres with 32 percent extensively damaged

Want even more information?
Check out Stephen Wilbers’ exhaustive timelines.