Fur traders once paddled large birch bark canoes through an area that is now part of a national park. Modern-day visitors to Voyageurs National Park will be able to travel the same waters, but in much greater comfort, with the arrival of a new 49-passenger tour boat.

Dubbed the “Voyageur,” the new tour boat was officially dedicated last Saturday. At the christening ceremony, officials noted that the boat provided an opportunity for visitors without their own watercraft to experience more of Minnesota’s water-based park.

“The Park Service has known since the creation of Voyageurs that we had to find some good way for people to see this wonderful park when they didn’t come here with their own boat,” said David Given, regional director for the Midwest Region of the National Park Service, during Saturday’s ceremony.

U.S. Rep. James Oberstar called the tour boat “a great addition to Voyageurs National Park and the Northland.”

The 50-foot long tour boat utilizes advanced bio-diesel technology and is powered by twin Cummins QSC 8.3 engines with a computerized rail fuel distribution system, making them more fuel efficient and cleaner.

It also features an enclosed lower deck for all-weather excursions as well as an open-air upper deck. With both decks in use, the boat can accommodate up to 49 passengers.

Voyageurs received $1.4 million in federal funds for construction of the boat, which will be owned by the park but operated by a concessionaire.

The boat was built by Armstrong Marine Inc. in the state of Washington where it underwent sea trials. Oberstar noted that the boat maneuvered three-foot waves during trials and should be sea-ready for Rainy Lake.

Later on Saturday, federal, state and local dignitaries gathered for the groundbreaking of new headquarters for Voyageurs National Park on the banks of the Rainy River.

The new headquarters is part of a larger development project, which also includes construction of a Voyageur Heritage Center and amphitheater.

“This project is the first phase of an overall project that will revitalize our community through waterfront revitalization,” said International Falls Mayor Shawn Mason at the groundbreaking. Financing for the project will be through municipal revenue bonds with the National Park Service leasing a 40,000 square-foot building from the city for its headquarters. A 20-year lease agreement has been negotiated.

At Saturday’s groundbreaking, Voyageurs Superintendent Mike Ward continued Mason’s theme of a relay race in which different groups came together as a team and passed the baton to each other.

“The team...all believed in this idea and it didn’t take much to pass the baton on each time,” Ward said. “Everybody really, really took a hold of it and kept running.”

Special mention went to U.S. Rep. Oberstar. The Minnesota Democrat was called the “hero” of the project for championing it in Congress and streamlining the process to make it happen.

Oberstar, in turn, praised the people of the area for being good stewards of their domain. “The people who live here in the Northland, who didn’t abuse the land or water, who kept it in pristine condition, you are the inheritors of the voyageur tradition,” he said.

Several speakers also paid tribute to state Rep. Irv Anderson, who first proposed construction of a center telling the story of the early voyageurs. The center’s amphitheater will be named after Anderson.

Anderson’s widow, Phyllis, was touched by the recognition of her late husband. “This park project was my husband’s dream so many years ago,” she said. “I know his spirit is with you every day.”