The St. Croix Boom Site was founded by Stillwater lumber barons in 1856 after the demise of the original St. Croix Boom Company, which had operated a boom further upstream near Marine On St. Croix, Minnesota. Timber harvested upstream was branded with the logo of the company that had harvested it. The logs were floated down to the boom, where they were sorted by the brands and delivered to the sawmills in Stillwater.
The St. Croix Boomsite was a very profitable and successful enterprise. During the 1870s, logs were frequently back up for 15 miles above the boom during mid-summer. The boom site was operated until 1914, by which time all the surrounding river bank area was denuded of trees. The site was forgotten until it was rediscovered later by a National Park Service survey to identify historic sites along the St. Croix River, in preparation for its designation as a National Scenic Waterway. By 1975, the area had been restored.
The Boom Site is now a popular destination on the St. Croix River. There is a wayside rest with restrooms and a parking area on top of the bluff, with stairs that lead down to the beach at the site.
For Directions to the Site, Please ask the Rivertown Inn Staff
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