The Township of Marcell, located 28 miles north of Grand Rapids, is noted for its resorts, wilderness, and water. Located in Itasca County, 200 miles north of Minneapolis and 100 miles northwest of Duluth, Marcell's economy is deeply tied to tourism and the lakes and forests that surround this hamlet.
Except for Highway 38 and a few small privately owned parcels of land, the Chippewa National Forest and a cacophony of nearby lakes, ponds, and streams surround almost all of Marcell. Marcell is noted for being situated along the Edge of the Wilderness National Scenic Byway, which runs north south along Highway 38 between Grand Rapids and Effie.
It took a long time for Marcell to claim its current population of 408 residents. The area was first surveyed in 1870. Lumbermen began homesteading and arriving in the late 1870's and early 1880's.
For example Wisconsin-native John Lundeen filed for homestead in 1899 and was the first settler to offer a proof to a claim. According to an Itasca County website, "He and his wife Katie moved to an area near Marcell on Big Turtle Lake in 1901, where he built a store, a home, a restaurant and a sawmill intended to service homesteaders and people working for the Itasca Lumber Company. By the end of 1901, the railroad had completed a railroad spur to the lake and put two steamboats into Big Turtle to load logs."
By 1902 Marcell needed a post office. Katie Lundeen wanted to name the post office "Turtle Lake" after the nearby, noteworthy body of water. Postal officials denied her claim, noting that there were already too many post offices named 'Turtle Lake' in northern Minnesota. Instead the town, and post office, was named Marcell in honor of Andrew Marcell, the first conductor of the Minneapolis and Rainy River Railroad. In 1905 the township was established and the first business completed was the changing of the township's name from Big Turtle to Marcell.
In 1914, Marcell built its first school, which was subsequently replaced by a larger school building in 1936. In 1957, the school district closed its many rural elementary schools, as busing to nearby districts became the norm.
The railroad ceased running into Marcell in 1933. Yet its demise was followed by the construction of Highway 38 that supplied a direct route to Grand Rapids and Bigfork. This opened up the area to tourism and many resorts came into being and flourished. Yet even before the highway, Camp Idlewood, started in 1912 by Walter and Rose Stickler, was one of the best operations and had a wide following.
Another noteworthy resort in the Marcell area is Arcadia Lodge. Located on the west side of Big Turtle Lake, Arcadia has one of the most spectacular views in all of Northern Minnesota. Started in 1922 as a community of individual homes and cabins, Arcadia was sold in 1992 to a husband and wife team who now run the resort.
The U.S Forest Service's Chippewa Forest Ranger Station, located north of Marcell, provides services and information to travelers and local visitors and is the center for information concerning the Edge of the Wilderness National Scenic Byway.
Marcell also features six additional resorts and two Inns. There's no shortage of activities to do in and around Marcell. Biking, hiking and enjoying a multitude of water sports await both the visitor and guest.
Contributed by Jason Admunson. Jason is a freelance writer based out of St. Anthony Village, MN.
