C.W. BRAY SCHOOL FOREST

School Forest

This 80 acre school forest is named in honor of Clayton W. Bray, longtime Northome School agricultural instructor. Mr. Bray began his career as an agricultural instructor at Northome School in 1931 and continued in that position until his retirement in 1964. He is remembered by many for his tireless devotion toward working for the betterment of the area and for the lasting impact he had upon his students. The school forest contains a recently completed 1.7 mile walking trail that is open to the public for hiking in the spring, summer, and fall and for cross country skiing during the winter months. The trail is adjacent to Northome School approximately 2 miles east of Northome, on State Highway 1.

The 80 acre site was conveyed to the South Koochiching-Rainy River School District by Koochiching County in 1997. The Northome School FFA, along with the help of area volunteers, was responsible for the trail design. A Federal Recreational Trails grant was awarded to the project in 2005. Benches were constructed by Northome students and installed along the trail in 2007. The Construction Class recently completed a shelter located along the trail system about mid-way into the C. W. Bray School Forest. There is also a geocache site located in the school forest.