Voyageur National Park’s Ancient, Traveling History

Established on April 8, 1975, Voyageurs National Park on the northern edge of Minnesota includes four lakes connected by waterways, more than 500 islands, a strip of mainland shore, and 26 smaller inland lakes, most of them located on Kabetogama Peninsula, the park’s largest landmass. More than one-third of the 218,054-acre park is water.

The park was named for the voyageurs, French Canadians legendary for their canoe trips for fur trading companies in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. Fifty-five miles of the park’s northern boundary was a portion of the voyageurs’ historic route.

The park’s rock formations, many more than 2.5 billion years old, are some of the oldest exposed rock in the world. A combination of habitats supports a wealthy diversity of life, including approximately 700 species of flora, more than 240 species of birds, and 53 species of fish. Fifty-three miles of trails for hiking, 32 miles of trails for cross-country skiing, and 110 miles of groomed trails for snowmobiling complement this spectacular array of wildlife.

While most of the waterways are frozen from mid-November until late-April, almost 250,000 people visit the park annually.

To celebrate National Park Week, we’re holding a daily contest here on the blog centered around our love of national parks. Each day’s single winner will receive a set of the Scenic American Landscapes stamped cards, which showcase photographs from parks across the country.

To enter the contest for today, simply answer the following two-part question:

How many national park stamps were issued in 1934 and to which parks do they pay tribute?

Submit your answer to uspsstamps [at] gmail [dot] com and remember, spelling counts! The winner will be selected at random and notified by email. Deadline for entries is 12 p.m. EST on Wednesday, April 25. Good luck!