Minnesotans Constructed An Ice Highway To Carry Tourism Throughout Pandemic

Photo: Andrej Ivanov / AFP (Getty Images)

The intricacies of history, politics, and geography mean that Minnesota’s northwest corner was completely cut off from the rest of the United States during the COVID-19 pandemic. The 120 people that make up the small community decided to solve the contactless problem in a unique way: across a 22 mile long ice road.

The Northwest Angle is a small piece of land connected to the Canadian province of Manitoba, but technically part of the United States – although it is actually cut off from the United States by the Lake of the Woods. To get from the Lower 48 to the Northwest Corner, an American citizen must drive through Canada and then back to America. It is a route that many tourists take in winter to practice ice fishing. But Canada did not consider tourism essential and closed the border to anyone traveling for that purpose. It left the northwest corner completely cut off from economic aid from American travelers. So the people built a twenty-two mile ice road Bloomberg Reports.

The Bloomberg article is great if you haven’t read it already. Here is a small excerpt from the story:

In December, [resort owner Paul] Colson says he and his business associates pooled about $ 9,000 to begin building a 22-mile ice road through American territory – that is, right across the frozen lake and through a forest. After the Ice Road opened in January, the region’s eight or so winter tourist spots were full, and he made up about a third of his usual business in the high season. The next hurdle will be warmer weather. Soon, boats will be the only way to get to the angle without venturing onto Canadian soil, and residents of the angle expect the Canadian government to reopen the border in time for their operations to survive the summer season.

You can see the construction of the road in the following clip:

Desperate times, desperate measures. As mentioned in both the article and the short clip, the Nordwestwinkel relies on three months of winter tourism to keep the community active for the rest of the year. A few thousand dollars in exchange for the funds necessary to pay the bills is a breeze for an investment.