“The Scenic Route” is a new book that dives into how Minnesota’s Highway 61 and therefore the North Shore developed and connected communities.

Author Arnold Alanen has been interested in the North Shore since he was just 7 years old.

“It just so inspired me that when I got into my academic career, I thought I’d end my academic career by writing about the area,” Alanen said. “It took 10-12 years to complete it.”

He wanted to get beyond the monuments and write about the people who lived along the North Shore and made up the fabric of the community.

“It meant going through tens of thousands of newspaper pages and doing interviews, going through various archives,” Alanen said.

The book was released May 20 through the University of Minnesota Press.

He is giving a talk at 6 p.m. Tuesday at the Depot Museum in Two Harbors and will in Grand Marais for an appearance at 6 p.m. Wednesday at the public library.