Historic Ranier Tour

Historic walking tour of Ranier, MN

Created by Koochiching County Historical Society, this tour of Ranier highlights the places and people that made Ranier what it is today. Incorporated in 1908, the small village of Ranier began as a lively pioneer town filled with people eager to make their mark in the northland. Businesses sprang up all over Ranier, including hotels, grocers, saloons, and brothels. During prohibition, this little boom town gained a gnarly reputation. Illegal booze was the name of the game and everyone in Ranier was playing. Being the port of entry into Canada and being situated on Rainy Lake made for a prime playing field for bootleggers. After the Great Depression, however, life began to slow in Ranier, but its wild personality persisted. Many of the buildings highlighted in this tour no longer exist, but the legacy of the people who occupied those buildings is still felt today.

In the words of the late and beloved Ted Hall, "There's nothing particularly special about Ranier physically, in fact it's sort of a drab little town, but the place has a special spirit, a nice independence. The people are a special kind. You have to have grit just to stay here."

*Please be aware and respectful of private property.