I just finished this painting of the Temperance River, Lower Gorge. This beautiful river is on the north shore of Lake Superior in Minnesota.

The Lower Gorge below the bridge is near the mouth of the river. There is no sand bar at the mouth. This is why it was named the Temperance River, as a pun on the lack of a bar.

The Ojibwa called it Kawimbash, meaning “deep hollow river”. That’s a suitable name, as it is very deep in spots and runs through a lot of chasms. Walking the trail along the Upper Gorge above the bridge is challenging in places. The river has cut potholes into the igneous rock and carved its way down a series of waterfalls.

The river is located in the Superior National Forest and the upper portions are within the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. Fortunately, that means the river remains largely undeveloped and protected.

See the North Shore Visitor site for more information on the Temperance River state park.

Working on the painting brought me back to that beautiful trip we took up Highway 61 in 2018. We stopped at so many beautiful places as we made our way back to Canada after visiting family.