Highway 61 is a historic, interstate highway that runs from Wyoming, Minnesota, to New Orleans, Louisiana, following the Mississippi River for most of its length. The highway runs through Bob Dylan's hometown of Duluth and was the inspiration of the name of his sixth album, Highway 61 Revisited. From Duluth to the Canadian border, Highway 61 is also called the North Shore Scenic Drive, and it skirts Lake Superior. Within the state of Minnesota, Highway 61 passes through the following notable places.
A steamboat captain founded this island city located in the bluffs of the Mississippi River in 1851. In the second half of the 19th century, Winona became wealthy from lumber. In 1900, it boasted the largest number of millionaires per capita of any place in the U.S. Winona has an armory museum, a marine art museum and a vineyard.
In 2008, National Geographic Traveler Magazine ranked picturesque Red Wing as one of the Top Historic Destinations in the World. In 2007, Patricia Schultz also listed Red Wing in her travel book, "1000 Places to See in the U.S. and Canada Before You Die." Red Wing lies along the Mississippi River off of Highway 61. The historic sites of the town include the restored St. James Hotel, built in 1875, and the Sheldon Theatre, founded at the beginning of the 20th century.
St. Paul is the capital of Minnesota and, along with Minneapolis, is one of the Twin Cities. It is home to many museums, such as the Minnesota History Museum and Minnesota Museum of American Art. The city hosts festivals throughout the year, including several music festivals, the Children's Festival, an Irish Fair and Cinco de Mayo celebrations. During the winter, St. Paul holds a winter carnival with activities that include skiing, ice-castle sculpting and snowshoeing.
Located in the city of Two Harbors along the North Shore of Lake Superior, Split Rock lighthouse was built in 1910 and was in use until 1969. It was built following a particularly bad storm in which 29 ships were damaged in one night on November 28, 1905. Today, the lighthouse is a historic landmark and the area around it is a state park where visitors come to hike and fish.
Lying on the Canadian border is Grand Portage State Park. Its High Falls are the highlight of the park, dropping 120 feet to the Pigeon River. They are the highest falls in Minnesota. In order to avoid the waterfalls when traveling by river, Native Americans made a nine-mile trail alongside the falls, which is now called Grand Portage. Today, visitors can hike along this trail and see great views of the falls.
