In 2008, we opened an area of our preserve that we had called ‘Sauers Pond’ internally, for public visitation. It has been wildly popular, but the pond is only on a small portion of the property. We decided this area deserved a clearer name, so we decided to do a little research.
In the 1850s, construction began on one of the first highways in the Minnesota Territory linking Point Douglas in Hastings, Minnesota to Superior, Wisconsin. The road was built to facilitate troop movements but was most important to its commercial users. Minnesota gained statehood in 1858 and the highway was never completed. Nonetheless, stagecoach service operated along this route from 1861 to 1870 when it was shortly replaced by the Lake Superior and Mississippi Railroad.
Stagecoach Trail follows part of that original route, and the Belwin Conservancy’s prairies are a reminder of what a passenger in one of those original stages might have seen during their travels. That is why we have decided to rename our ‘Sauers Pond Natural Area’ the ‘Stagecoach Prairies Natural Area’.