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Tag: Crow Wing County

  • Exploring Miller Castle near Nisswa

    Exploring Miller Castle near Nisswa

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    NISSWA, Minn. — Did you know Minnesota has a real castle? Miller Castle, near Nisswa. 

    “The first time they come in their eyes light up. They’re like wow, it’s a castle, it’s real,” said Holly Carlson, council program director. 

    The castle and its kingdom have it all — fortress walls, watchtowers, even catwalks and a courtyard. It’s something you’d more likely find in rural England, not rural Minnesota. 

    “Really take in the full measure of what was it like to be in medieval times,” says Carlson. 

    But this castle wasn’t built during medieval times, it was built in 2008- by the Boy Scouts of America. Gerry Granum says the council was looking for a way to provide a unique opportunity for scouts and their families. They come here to develop life skills with a chance to earn up to twenty, different merit badges.  

    The castle is 12,000 sq feet but despite its size, it’s kind of hard to find. That’s because it’s surrounded by more than 250 wooded acres.

    At a cost of $2 million, it was constructed on the Parker Scout Reservation. Inside this fortress, you’ll find a Minnesota version of the knights of the round table. There are 4 that keep watch, along with a wizard and a dragon. 

    “Just having a place that’s different from other camps has been a big draw for kids and adults,” said Carlson. 

    The castle sleeps 80 people, and the boy scouts aren’t the only ones who use this. Youth groups, church groups, even corporate retreats have taken place. In a sense, visitors are treated like royalty. And their hosts hope they leave with a new appreciation for a time that was.     

    “Not every day a scout gets to come to a castle,” says Carlson. “This castle is going to be around for a long, long time. As one of those key, beacons of light.”

    John says it’s called the Miller Castle because two of the main construction donors were Jim and Marion Miller.

    John Lauritsen


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    John Lauritsen is an Emmy award-winning reporter from Montevideo, Minn. He joined WCCO-TV in late-July of 2007. Two days after he started, the Interstate 35W bridge collapsed.

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    John Lauritsen

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  • Suspicious deaths at central Minnesota vacation home under investigation

    Suspicious deaths at central Minnesota vacation home under investigation

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    Jury selection begins in Adam Fravel trial, and more headlines


    Jury selection begins in Adam Fravel trial, and more headlines

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    MISSION TOWNSHIP, Minn. — Authorities say the deaths of two people at a central Minnesota vacation home are suspicious.

    The Crow Wing County Sheriff’s Office said Sunday it is investigating the deaths of a 53-year-old man and a 59-year-old woman in Mission Township.

    “This is an active investigation and no further information is available at this time,” the sheriff’s office said.

    Mission Township is about 20 miles north of Brainerd.

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    Anthony Bettin

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  • Millions invested into researching possible manganese mine in small Minnesota town

    Millions invested into researching possible manganese mine in small Minnesota town

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    EMILY, Minn. — A recent discovery could bring a new kind of mining to cabin country. Geologists are reporting a massive discovery of manganese in the town of Emily.

    It isn’t a treasure hunt anymore — a team of geologists says they were given a map with a giant “X” that dates back to the 1950s.

    “(The potential is) Huge. It’s just huge. This is the highest grade manganese deposit in North America,” said Rick Sandri, an executive of North Star Manganese.

    Manganese is a mineral that’s used to reinforce steel and make lithium-ion batteries. 

    North Star Manganese is a newly formed company that’s already pumped in $6 million into researching the site. Sandri says there’s no doubt the manganese is down there, the question is whether it’s viable to build a mine.

    “We’re going to have to go back and drill more to figure out the structure of the ground underneath, 300 to 400 feet below us, in terms of its ability to be a safe mine for people,” Sandri said.

    Economists estimate the global manganese market is worth more than $20 billion and growing. The mineral, though, is 100% imported in the U.S., despite it being an element that could appear in rocks almost everywhere.

    The Minnesota Department of Health, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources and the University of Minnesota all track manganese in the state, but mostly because of its health risks, especially if too much of it seeps into the groundwater.

    According to state health officials, ingesting high levels of manganese could lead to memory loss and other cognitive issues in both children and adults.

    Emily residents like Dan Brennan say they have a lot of questions, which is why he helped organize the Emily Mine Information Group, a grassroots effort to find answers on their own.

    “The water that feeds our well comes from an aquafer that overlays the deposit out at the proposed mine site,” Brennan said. “This is a recreational economy and a well-developed one, the Brainerd Lakes Area. Stick a mine in the middle of it, what does that do? This is a place where there is some good water and what are you going to do to protect that?”

    Brennan says he’s in touch with North Star Manganese and Sandri says he’s as transparent as he can be, and the research being done now is part of the effort to answer everyone’s questions. It will just take time.

    “If you want a green economy, you’ve got to be able to provide material that will allow us to get into a green economy,” Sandri said.

    The proposed mine in Emily would only need state approval. The formal requests for that are still about a year away.

    Jonah Kaplan


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    Jonah Kaplan is WCCO and CBS News Minnesota’s investigative reporter and has built a strong reputation for his balanced and in-depth coverage of high-impact issues including the economy, immigration, education, public safety, and the military, among others.

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    Jonah Kaplan

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