The volunteer fire department is housed in the heart of the one-block, give or take a little, downtown.
MARINE ON ST. CROIX. It sounds so poetic, those four linked words that name a village banking the St. Croix River.
And it is that in the sense of feeling like you could be perhaps in South Shaftsbury, Vermont—although I’ve never traveled there and have no idea if this Minnesota community is at all like Shaftsbury—where Robert Frost penned his most famous of poems, “Stopping By the Woods On A Snowy Evening.”
A quick snapshot shows the Village Hall to the right and the Marine General Store two doors down.
Marine on St. Croix presents history and nature mingled in a quaint New England type setting. Here the 1870 General Store and 1888 Village Hall still serve this community of 700, although I have no idea where all those residents live. Apparently not near the town’s business district. Perhaps across the roadway which, to the north, will take you to Taylors Falls and, to the south, to Stillwater.
Fabric flags outside Reclaiming Beautiful remind me of simpler times.
This place has a timeless, poetic feel. Woods and river. Aged wood frame buildings. A history that stretches back to 1839 when this settlement was termed Marine Mills and served as home to the first commercial sawmill along the St. Croix River. That makes Marine on St. Croix 175 years old this year, founded 19 years before Minnesota became a state.
I can almost smell the scent of white pine which once forested this region, see logs bobbing in the St. Croix, hear the screech of saw against wood, domesticating trunks into lumber.
That aged General Store, which I didn’t check out, but wish I had. Next time.
Pausing at the General Store, I imagine deep dark coffee beans and yards of cotton calico and sticks of penny candy.
A sign points to ice cream, but…
…the shop is closed for the season.
Marine on St. Croix clings to its past in a good sort of way that makes you want to stay longer, to linger and think poetic thoughts.
BONUS PHOTOS:
There’s a garage in town.
And a cafe with a bike, minus Toto, marking it.
Reclaiming Beautiful was closed on the day of my visit.
But the bar was open, although I did not check it out.
And the volunteer firemen were on duty.
© Copyright 2014 Audrey Kletscher Helbling
Minnesota Prairie Roots 
This is definitely a “trip down memory lane”!! As a child, on our many Sunday afternoon drives, we would head out to this very settlement. The highlight would be an ice cream treat……never eaten in the car, however!! We would find a cool shady spot on a piece of lovely green grass and try to finish our cone before it created drip spots on our Sunday ‘bests’. Such special times!!! Thank you, once again………………………
Always happy to bring back wonderful memories.
A great little village to get lost in for a few hours.
Definitely need to return and explore more.
What a Cute Quaint Town – thanks for sharing – Great Captures 🙂 Happy Week!
That’s a good description–cute quaint town.
what a gorgeous little town, beautiful light for the shoot too.. c
It’s a town that deserves a return trip.
Such a little treasure of a town, too bad the ice cream store was closed 😦
Yes, I was ready for some ice cream.
Beautiful little town. Very picturesque!!!
It was a cute little town. Fun to discover.
Lindsey has been to the 4th of July fireworks there, and says they were wonderful. They are noted to be better than the fireworks at nearby Forest Lake. The residents do not advertise that, they want to keep the event small.
I can understand locals wanting to keep some celebrations “secret” and just enjoy as a community without all sorts of out-of-towners there.
Loved the ice cream shop and the café with the bike on the roof. How quaint! Cute little town and so glad you shared with us.
If only the ice cream shop had been open…
My boyfriend’s mom taught school there – 2nd grade I think – for many years.
We totally missed part of Marine on St. Croix as I did not see a school. A return trip is in order to explore the part of town we did not see during our brief stop.