Duluth s Waabizheshikana interpretive trail will recount the St. Louis River s history, good and ugly. Written By: Peter Passi | ×
Three hikers pass a trail sign for Waabizheshikana (the Marten Trail) near Kingsbury Creek on Thursday, April 1, 2021. The city plans to extend the 3.3-mile path, formerly known as the Western Waterfront Trail, to Jay Cooke State Park over the coming years. (Steve Kuchera / skuchera@duluthnews.com)
Duluth’s former Western Waterfront Trail got a new name last year, Waabizheshikana (pronounced wah-ba-zhay-she-kuh-nuh ) Ojibwe for the Marten Trail, in honor of the Indigenous Marten Clan that first carved trails through the landscape.
While many locals are still getting used to the unfamiliar new name, Parks Department Manager Jess Peterson noted that it’s really not any longer than its original moniker, which is also a mouthful.