Most people have a general idea of what the Gunflint Trail’s all about: fishing, lakeside cabins, loon calls, wildlife encounters. But no matter how familiar the name “Gunflint Trail” is, there’s a mystery that seems to persist: why is it called the Gunflint Trail? That question has a 2 billion year old answer and has to do with a rock called chert.
Both the geology and history of this region help explain the name “Gunflint Trail.” 2 billion years ago, an iron geologic formation formed in a relatively small area in northern Minnesota and western Ontario. The formation is made up of layers of hematite (iron oxide) and red jasper and jet black chert which are both silicates and types of cryptocrystalline quartz.
Fast forward a couple billion years . . . .
Flintlock rifles were developed in the mid 1600s and were used until the early 1800s. Area Native Americans and French Voyageurs discovered that the jet black flint layered in the shoreline of one particular lake along the Voyageur’s trade route could be used to create the spark necessary for firing a flintlock rifle. During their journey, the Voyageurs made a special “pit stop” at the lake to gather chert to form flints for their guns. (Flint isn’t a name for a rock or mineral, but rather is a term applied to any rock which produces sparks. When people say “flint” around here, they’re referring to chert. ) In fact, the French bestowed the lake renowned for chert “Lac de Pierres a Fusil” which in English translates to Lake of Stone Flint or . . . Gunflint Lake.
When the automobile road that would be eventually be known as the Gunflint Trail was developed in the early 1900s, it went by a couple names. Even today, the road’s “real” name is Cook County Highway 12. But at some point in the 1920s, the nickname “the Gunflint Trail” stuck, reminding visitors and residents alike of the region’s unique geology and history.
At Chik-Wauk Museum you can see a flintlock rifle hanging above the voyageur exhibit. Come check out this single artifact which had very large role in the mystery of the Gunflint Trail’s name.