A large rock bisects the Brule River in Judge C. R. Magney State Park. The water that flows to the east tumbles 50 feet down a cliff and continues toward Lake Superior. The water that flows to the west enters a hole and disappears.

Known as Devil’s Kettle, this water portal to nowhere has long puzzled Minnesotans. In attempts to trace the underground flow, researchers have dropped objects such as ping-pong balls and dye into the hole. But for centuries, the mysterious watery wonder continued to muddle the minds of anyone who came upon it.

The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources conducted experiments in 2016 that finally seemed to solve the mystery. In early 2017, the department’s scientists announced that they had, at long last, solved the riddle. As it turns out, the water that tumbles into the kettle simply rejoins the river a little ways downstream.