St. Croix Headwaters
The St. Croix River begins just north of Solon Springs, Wisconsin. The Brule (or Bois Brule) River also begins just north of Solon Springs. The St. Croix flows south and eventually joins the Mississippi. The Brule flows north into Lake Superior. The sources of the two rivers are only a few hundred yards apart. A person can easily visit both in the same day using the Brule – St. Croix Portage, part of the North Country National Scenic Trail. The portage has been in use for centuries as a transportation link between the Lake Superior Watershed and the St. Croix River Watershed. The source of the St. Croix is in a swampy wood with moss, lichens, and fallen trees. The St. Croix begins as St. Croix Creek. The creek flows less than a mile before entering Upper St. Croix Lake.
The swamp where the St. Croix River begins
St. Croix Creek a couple hundred yards downstream from its source.
St. Croix Creek widens into a small pond a bit downstream from its source
St. Croix Creek looking southwest with the small pond barely visible at the top of the photo.
Bench and boardwalk over St. Croix Creek on the North Country National Scenic Trail.
St. Croix Creek as it passes under the boardwalk
St. Croix Creek passes under County Road A and, in a hundred yards or so, empties into Upper St. Croix Lake .
Well I don't care about my sorrows
And I don't care about my woes
I put my knees down in the sand
Down where that river flows
— Lyrics from the song Lift My Jug (Song for Hub Cale) by William Elliott Whitmore