Local history · 1889 to 1918
When the lakes
were the route.
Boat stops. Mail runs. Familiar shores, connected in a different way.
Choose a year below ↓Start with three moments from the boat-route era.
01 · A different way to get there
The Shoreham connection.
Boat service between Detroit, the city's name then, and Shoreham began in 1889. The Pelican Valley Navigation Company carried passengers, freight and mail.
Channels and locks made connections through the chain of lakes.
02 · Following the water
A longer journey.
A 1908 extension brought the route to Big Pelican Lake. Locks helped boats pass between different water levels.
Shoreham remained the company's main destination.
03 · The next chapter arrives
The automobile changes the trip.
As automobiles became more popular, passenger numbers fell. The company closed in 1918.
Sources, image rights and a closer read
Historical notes are paraphrased from Aaron Isaacs, “Pelican Valley Navigation Company,” MNopedia, Minnesota Historical Society, last modified April 14, 2026. This short adaptation of the historical text is shared under CC BY-SA 3.0. Read the source for the fuller history.
MNopedia explicitly identifies each of the three reproduced images as public domain and lists Becker County Historical Society as their holding location. The original image files are unchanged. They have not been colorized or reconstructed. The separately copyrighted route map on that page is not reproduced here.
History checked October 15, 2026. The photographs and timetable are archival material, not generated images.
Familiar places keep their stories
Which place brings
a memory back?
Dunton Locks. Shoreham. A day beside the water. There is room for your own chapter, too.
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