A waterfall in Minnesota called The Devil's Kettle puzzled scientists for decades because half its water disappeared into a hole with no apparent outlet. The mystery was finally solved in 2017 when researchers confirmed the water simply flows through fractured rock and rejoins the river downstream.
The Devil's Kettle: A Waterfall Mystery Solved
In Minnesota's Judge C.R. Magney State Park, the Brule River does something bizarre. It splits in two at a rocky outcrop, with one half cascading down a typical waterfall while the other half plunges into a dark hole in the volcanic rock—and for decades, nobody could figure out where that water went.
Welcome to the Devil's Kettle, one of America's strangest geological puzzles.
The Disappearing River
The setup is almost comically mysterious. The Brule River flows normally until it hits a rhyolite rock formation about 1.5 miles from Lake Superior. There, a jutting rock splits the river. The eastern half tumbles 50 feet into a pool below. The western half? It pours into a pothole and vanishes.
For years, locals and scientists tried everything to solve the riddle:
- Ping pong balls dumped by the hundreds—never seen again
- Dye poured into the hole—never detected downstream
- GPS trackers—swallowed without a trace
Theories ranged from underground rivers to secret passages leading directly to Lake Superior. Some speculated the hole connected to a massive subterranean cavern. A few imaginative souls suggested it might be a literal gateway to somewhere else entirely.
The Anticlimactic Truth
In 2017, hydrologists from the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources finally cracked it—and the answer was surprisingly mundane. Using advanced dye tracing techniques and precise water flow measurements, they determined that the water simply rejoins the river.
The "missing" water flows through fractured basalt rock beneath the surface and emerges in the lower river, probably within a few hundred feet of where it disappeared. The reason previous dye tests failed? The volume of water in the Brule River is so massive that any dye gets diluted beyond detection almost immediately.
Why the Mystery Lasted So Long
The Devil's Kettle fooled people for decades because of a few factors:
- Turbulent water made precise measurements nearly impossible
- High flow volume diluted any tracking materials
- The romantic appeal of an unsolved mystery—sometimes we want things to stay unexplained
The pothole itself is genuinely impressive, carved over thousands of years by the relentless force of water and rock debris swirling in the current. It's just not supernatural.
Still Worth the Hike
Does solving the mystery make the Devil's Kettle less interesting? Hardly. The waterfall remains one of Minnesota's most striking natural landmarks, and the hike to reach it—about a mile through dense forest—rewards visitors with dramatic views of the split falls.
Plus, there's something satisfying about a mystery that stumped everyone for so long having such an elegant, physics-based explanation. The water doesn't teleport. It doesn't feed a hidden underground lake. It just takes a shortcut through cracked rock, like water always does when given the chance.
Nature doesn't need magic to be fascinating. Sometimes the truth is just as good.