We took a short trip back in 2018 to Minnesota’s North Shore to visit family. On our way home, we stopped at several scenic sites, including Gooseberry Falls State Park. There are five waterfalls that tumble down the river past Highway 61 to Lake Superior.

These are the Upper Gooseberry Falls.

Three lava flows make up the base for the main falls (Upper, Middle, and Lower).

The Ojibwe name for the river is shab-on-im-i-kan-i-sibi, which translates to River Place of Gooseberries.

Why is the river so brown? Tannic acid. Tannins leach from decaying plant material into the water, “staining” it to look like tea or root beer.

I painted another scene of Gooseberry Falls some years ago. This was from a photograph one of my parents took of me and my siblings visiting in the ’60s.

See Go Waterfalling or the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources for more information on the park and falls.