The Devil's Kettle: Where Does The Water Go?

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The Devil's Kettle: where does the water go? is a story told about Judge C.R. Magney State Park, Brule River, Cook County. Vote believe it or no way, then see what 1 named source says is documented.

LegendKind of story
1Named sources
Duluth and North ShoreRegion
Nov 1Checked, 2026

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Local legend. Not confirmed. Just for fun.

No. 1 of 24

The Devil's Kettle: where does the water go?

People say the Brule River splits in two at a rock outcropping near Grand Marais. One half drops about 50 feet into a pool. The other half pours into a deep pothole called the Devil's Kettle and never comes out. For generations visitors have tossed sticks and other floating things into the hole and watched them vanish. Some say the water runs through a hidden tunnel all the way to Lake Superior.

What The Sources Document

The Minnesota DNR's Conservation Volunteer magazine (March-April 2017) says visitors did toss buoyant items into the pothole and none were seen downstream. Geologists doubted a hidden tunnel, because the North Shore's hard volcanic rock (rhyolite and basalt) does not form the caves found in softer limestone. In late fall 2016 DNR hydrologists measured 123 cubic feet per second of flow above the falls and 121 several hundred feet below. The article says these are essentially the same within the equipment's tolerance, so the water appears to come back into the river rather than disappear. One researcher suggested strong recirculating currents in the plunge pool may hold objects underwater until they resurface downstream. The article also describes a planned fall 2017 dye test; we did not find its results, so the exact route of the water is not confirmed by anything we read.

Sources: Scientists Solve Geological Puzzle (Minnesota Conservation Volunteer, DNR, March-April 2017).

A Note

Not confirmed: where the water goes. The DNR article describes a dye test planned for fall 2017, and we found no published result. Trail length and stair count are not confirmed here, so check with the park before you hike.

Its home: Judge C.R. Magney State Park (Minnesota DNR). Official page.

On this site: State Parks Passport, Wildlife, Duluth and North Shore Events.

Looked for and Not Found

Results of the fall 2017 dye test

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Where do these facts come from?

From the named sources listed on this page: Scientists Solve Geological Puzzle (Minnesota Conservation Volunteer, DNR, March-April 2017).

Sources

Scientists Solve Geological Puzzle (Minnesota Conservation Volunteer, DNR, March-April 2017)

Read on November 1, 2026. Stories are for fun; the facts come from these sources. How we check: editorial standards; spot a mistake? tell us.

Cite this page: It's Minnesota, “The Devil’s Kettle: Where Does The Water Go?”, itsminnesota.com/legends/devils-kettle-falls/ (updated 2026-11-01). By the It's Minnesota editorial team. Free to quote with attribution and a link to this page; data and tables are licensed CC BY 4.0.