Red Cliff Indian Reservation

This is a continuation of some of the adventures my wife and I had when we made a visit over to Wisconsin earlier this Summer. After we took our cruise out to the Apostle Islands, and then had lunch at the Bayfield Inn, we decided to go back to our trailer at the campground for a little bit.

We already had something planned for the next day, and not wanting to fritter away the rest of our day, we quickly got back in the truck and headed north up the western coast of Lake Superior to the Red Cliff Indian Reservation. The reservation consists of about 5300 members (in 2010) according to Wikipedia, and makes up about 22 square miles.

I actually live fairly close to several swaths of tribal land in Michigan, so it was cool to if there were many differences between this group and the related groups of the Ojibwe Chippewas near where I live.

Of course, I always have an ulterior motive, and the real reason for our trip to this part of Wisconsin was so I could visit a place I read about online called Copper Crow Distillery. Copper Crow is the only Native American owned distillery in the US.

It's actually not super easy to find, even with Google Maps, and if you aren't paying attention you will drive right past it (like I did). We had to turn around in a gas station across the road and go back to the driveway which leads you back into the woods to the facility I showed in the opening photo. As you can see from that photo, there weren't many people around.

While you can do tours, the bulk of the facility is their small market, bar, and tasting area. I actually didn't try anything out, but as you will see a little later, I did buy a couple of bottles. They distill several spirits here including rum, vodka, whiskey, bourbon, gin, amaretto, starka, aquavit, brandy, an aperol.

I probably could have spent a lot more time here, but @mrsbozz had opted to stay out in the truck, so I didn't want to keep her waiting too long. I grabbed a T-shirt and a couple bottles, and made my way outside before I got roped in to a tasting or something!

As we were heading to Copper Crow, I noticed this place called Red Cliff Fish Company along the side of the road, and it looked interesting, so I decided to stop and see what they had to offer. Specifically, I was interested in getting my hands on some smoked whitefish spread, and I just happened to luck out.

I highly recommend visiting both of these places if you get the chance. The fish company sits right on the shores of Lake Superior, and as I was inside waiting to buy my items my wife said she saw guys walking around in back of the building wearing waders and fisherman gear. She knew we likely made the right choice. If you don't like the smell of fish, this place isn't for you. I don't mind it, but even for me it was strong. @mrsbozz likely would have thrown up if she had tried to go inside. Despite that, the fish they have here is super fresh, like they pulled it out of the water just an hour or two earlier.

It was a really awesome place, and I am glad I stopped in to visit. It appears they are in the process of getting an online store up and running soon as well.

The Haul

So after making our stops, we headed back to the trailer for the night to relax and have dinner. I laid out all the items I had picked up that day on the table and took some photos to share here on HIVE.

This is the T-Shirt that I bought. The top photo is the back of the shirt, and the bottom photo is the front of it. It's pretty cool and I have already worn it several times since we got back from our trip.

I also bought a bottle of their spiced rum, and their wheated whiskey. I wish I had seen the amaretto when I was there, but I guess I was in too much of a hurry. I haven't opened either of these bottles yet, but what I find absolutely astounding about them is the fact that the rum has an alcohol content of 57% which is about 7 percent higher than the whiskey. That's going to be a powerful rum and coke when we finally crack the seal and mix a couple up!

I saw this Winter beanie hat at the fish company, and although it was pushing 80 degrees outside, I picked it up knowing I would get a fair amount of use out of it when the weather starts turning in Michigan. It's a simple design, but I absolutely love it. I'm so excited to wear it!

Finally, the true star of this trip was the smoked whitefish and smoked trout I picked up from the fish company. @mrsbozz made me keep it in the fridge in the outdoor kitchen of our trailer, but honestly, it didn't smell that bad. Once you smoke the fish and add all the other ingredients, the flavor is actually quite mild. Lake Superior Whitefish has a pretty mild flavor to begin with.

If you have never had the chance to try this or a similar recipe out, you are truly missing out. All around the Great Lakes region there are variations on this kind of dip. Usually family recipes that are handed down through the generations.

It was an absolute lesson in self control to keep myself from eating the whole tub of dip in one sitting. I was able to spread it out (pun intended) across the span of about five days savoring every bite of every cracker I smeared it on.

It wasn't our last trip to Red Cliff Tribal Land, but it's all I am going to share with you today. Check back for more adventures!

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