Kettle River Road Signs

As part of their 30th Anniversary celebration, the Little Canada Historical Society purchased eight "Old Kettle River Road" signs which were placed where much of Little Canada Road is now located. This project was done to highlight Little Canada Road's historical significance, not to replace the Little Canada Road name. The signs are black writing on white background so they stand out from the green street name signs. The City of St. Paul has marked a few of their historic roads with similar signage.

History

According to an 1859 Ramsey County map, Kettle River Road originally was an Indian trail that came south from the Kettle River area. Pioneer residents also came to use this trail, and as time passed, our portion of the roadway was changed to "Little Canada Road." Our part of the road started on Rice Street and angled southeast to McMenemy Road by St. John's Church.

The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) informs us that the Kettle River is considered to be a wild and scenic river. Its headwater is a conglomerate of a number of streamlets joining near Cromwell, MN in Carlton County. It is approximately 80 miles long, with rapids in Banning State Park and near Sandstone (Hell's Gate). The Kettle River empties into the St. Croix River near the St. Croix State Park.