A Mille Lacs Landmark Preserved

It's more than just a rest stop, and now it's about to receive a 2012 Minnesota Preservation Award from the Preservation Alliance of Minnesota. The Garrison Concourse on Mille Lacs Lake was selected to receive one of 10 awards out of 50 nominations.

State Representative John Ward “This is a great honor for a great piece of history and beauty in our area."

In 2010, the Preservation Alliance of Minnesota listed the Garrison Concourse as one of the 10 Most Endangered Historic Places. The concourse was originally constructed between 1936 and 1939 by the Civilian Conservation Corps, one of President Franklin Roosevelt’s New Deal programs to combat the Great Depression. The concourse is also considered to be one of the finest roadside rest areas ever built in Minnesota.

After decades of wear and weathering, stone was being lost to the lake and its structural integrity was being undermined. Thanks to state and federal funding, a fall 2010 operation retrieved stone that had fallen into the lake over the years and a full rehabilitation began in May 2011. Masonry specialists managed to restore the wall to match what was used in the concourse’s original construction.