Northern Wilds June 2021

WATER BIRDS — COOKIES — LAKE SUPERIOR WATER TRAIL — GRAY FOX — ART MURALS

FREE!

FOR THE

LOVE

JUN 2021

OF THE

NORTH

VOLUME 18 ISSUE 06

TWO HARBORS SILVER BAY TOFTE LUTSEN GRAND MARAIS GUNFLINT TRAIL GRAND PORTAGE THUNDER BAY NIPIGON

OUTDOORS EVENTS ARTS REVIEWS HEALTH DINING CALENDAR CATCHLIGHT

Summer

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NORTHERN WILDS

JUNE 2021

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page 41

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Let’s get this summer started Well, it’s here. The first day of summer may not officially arrive until June 20, but in these parts, we kick off the warm season on Memorial Day weekend. June is often a fickle month; prone to cool, wet days and thick fog blankets over Lake Superior. But the June days with sunshine and brilliant roadside wildflowers make up for it.

If you have a keen eye and a sweet tooth, sometime this month you’ll find your first wild strawberry of the season. If you are especially lucky, you may happen upon a newly born moose calf.

Just keep a respectful distance from the calf and its mother.

Do you have a question for one of our writers? Or an interesting photo, recipe, or story you’d like to share with Northern Wilds? Please send it to storyideas@northernwilds.com.

Something else you’ll find this summer is road construction, especially along Highway 61 in Minnesota. Repaving will occur on the expressway between Knife River and Two Harbors.

Bridges are being replaced at Stewart River and Silver Creek. The highway is being reconstructed as it passes through Grand Marais. A major repaving project is underway from the Reservation River across the Grand Portage Reservation.

If you are travelling on the North Shore, please be patient. When completed, these projects will deliver substantial highway improvements.

The summer season on the Minnesota North Shore is anticipated to be a busy one as we slowly emerge from pandemic restrictions. A number of events that were cancelled last year are scheduled to resume this summer. Most lodging properties have very strong bookings for summer and fall. If you are travelling to the North Shore, we advise that you plan ahead to ensure you have a place to stay, whether in a lodging facility or a campground.

We think you’ll enjoy this issue of Northern Wilds, where we’ve covered everything from water birds to designer cookies. Don’t miss the interview with Dicky and Sherry Powell, who have lived for decades on an island on the Canadian side of Lake Saganaga, where all comings and goings are by boat or snowmobile. You’ll also find a heck of a fish story and an update about a relatively recent arrival on the North Shore: the gray fox. And there’s even more stories inside this issue. You may need a couple of rainy June days to read them all!—Shawn Perich and Amber Pratt

Want a Good Read?

Check out our bookstore online.

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Cook County, Minnesota

Where the Fish Are! Cook County, Minnesota is a guide to 366 lakes with data about the fish species and population status, public access and acreage. Contour maps for 68 popular fishing lakes are included.

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Cook County is justly famed for its quality fishing. From wilderness waters teeming with trophy walleyes to secluded ponds Prune Lake stocked with brook trout, this county provides wonderful fishing opportunities.

Lake trout, smallmouth bass, walleyes, northern pike, black crappies, yellow perch, whitefish, muskies and stream trout swim in the county’s lakes. This book tells you where to find them.

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Where do you start? Right here.

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Boundary Waters Boy

—Shawn Perich Outdoor Writer and Publisher

BY ANNIE NELSON

$14.95 ISBN 978-0-9740207-7-8

51495> Northern Wilds Media, Inc. of Grand Marais publishes the monthly Northern Wilds magazine, which is available at dozens of North Shore locations from Duluth to Thunder Bay. Printed in the United States by Northern Wilds Print & Copy. www.northernwilds.com

By Jack Blackwell

By EllE AndrA-WArnEr

A comprehensive guide to the lighthouses and navigational beacons from Duluth, Minnesota to Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario. Learn about the storms and shipwrecks that led to their construction, the lonely lives of the keepers and the role lighthouses play in present-day maritime navigation. $22.95

Veteran long-distance hiker Annie Nelson compiled the information and advice you need for a successful thru-hike adventure on the 310-mile Superior Hiking Trail. $14.95

Seventeen-year-old Jack Blackwell joined his grandfather, Alec Boostrom, on his northern Minnesota wilderness trapline. There he learned the story of his grandfather’s life of wilderness adventure on Lake Superior’s North Shore and deep within the canoe country. $14.95

Join the authors on the trails that lead to the magnificent waterfalls of Lake Superior’s North Shore. Maps and directions to over 150 waterfalls are included in this unique guide. $19.95

A guide to over 350 fishing lakes Includes 68 depth contour maps

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One devastating day in November, 1975, the Edmund Fitzgerald succumbed to gale-force winds, plunging to the bottom of Lake Superior and leaving no survivors. This haunting tale looks back to one of the most legendary, mysterious and controversial shipwrecks on the Great Lakes. $9.95

From wilderness waters teeming with trophy walleyes to secluded ponds stocked with brook trout, this guide contains data about fish populations and access for 366 lakes.

Contour maps for 68 popular fishing lakes are included. $14.95

s h o p . n o r t h e r nw i l d s . c o m NORTHERN WILDS

JUNE 2021

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Grill on!

Outdoor power equipment

Cool Dad Cool Toys

Bug Off!

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www.buckshardware.net · BIG CITY PRICES ... SMALL TOWN SERVICE 218-387-2280 · Open 7 Days A Week • Downtown Grand Marais

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VOLUME 18, ISSUE 6 w w w . n o r t h e r nw i l d s .c o m SERVING THE NORTH SHORE A ND T H E WI L D E R N E S S BE Y O N D PUBLISHERS Shawn Perich & Amber Pratt EDITORIAL Shawn Perich, Editor editor@northernwilds.com Breana Roy, Managing Editor breana@northernwilds.com

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ADVERTISING Amber Pratt, Sales Manager ads@northernwilds.com Destry Winant, Sales Assistant destry@northernwilds.com GRAPHIC DESIGN Katie Viren • katie@northernwilds.com OFFICE Roseanne Cooley • billing@northernwilds.com CONTRIBUTORS Elle Andra-Warner, Kim Casey, Gord Ellis, Michael Furtman, Deane Morrison, Hartley Newell-Acero, Rae Poynter, Amy Schmidt, Joe Shead, Chuck Viren, Tom Watson, Sam Zimmerman Copyright 2021

by Northern Wilds Media, Inc. Published 12 times per year. Subscription rate is $28 per year or $52 for 2 years U.S. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part requires written permission from the publishers.

Northern Wilds Media, Inc. P.O. Box 26, Grand Marais, MN 55604 (218) 387-9475 (phone/fax) PRINT & DESIGN print@northernwilds.com

Where can I find Northern Wilds Magazine?

Go to: northernwilds.com/distribution

AD DEADLINE June 16

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27 FEATURES 18 Water Birds by Canoe

The common and not so common

20 Talking with the Powells

“The stories don’t always fit the narrative.”

34 The Fish that Stole My Heart

Landing a 37-pound Lake Superior lake trout

REAL ESTATE 41 Bluefin Bay, Odyssey 42 Red Pine Realty 45 Backlund Realty 46 Lutsen Real Estate Group 48 Timber Wolff Realty 51 Coldwell Banker North Shore

Take the North Shore home with you!

From Duluth to Thunder Bay, Ont. and beyond, we cover the stories from the area featuring the people and places that make this place unique.

Cover

DEPARTMENTS 7 Along the Shore 17 Points North 22 Spotlight 24 Events 27 Dining 29 Health 31 Northern Trails

Bumblebee and Wild Bergamot

by John Alexander Kay

32 Fishing Hole 33 Following the Ancestor’s Steps 36 Northern Sky 37 Reviews 38 Travel 40 Strange Tales

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JUNE 2021

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CROSS RIVER HERITAGE CENTER MUSEUM & GIFT SHOP Open May 21 – October 16, 2021

—SAVE THE DATE—

JULY 10-11

MAY SEASON OPENING Canadian Mountie Paintings - Ojibwe Culture Exhibit Friday, 10:00 am – 6:00 pm

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JUN

13

Free Admission

Sunday, 2 pm

Staci Lola Drouillard

GRAND MARAIS ART COLONY

Award Winning Author Talk: Walking the Old Road A People’s History of Chippewa City and the Grand Marais Anishinaabe

(Staci is a member of the Grand Portage Band of Lake Superior Chippewa)

Talk Preceded by the Schroeder Area Historical Society’s brief Annual Meeting Free Presentation, Schroeder Town Hall, 124 Cramer Road

JUL

10

Learn more at GrandMaraisArtColony.org

Saturday, 2 pm

Alta McQuatters

Ojibwe Culture Feature Presentation Tribute to Ruth “Ma” Parent & struggles of being Native in the West End (Alta is a lifelong Lutsen trapper, historian, and Elder of the Grand Portage Band of Lake Superior Chippewa)

Free Presentation, Schroeder Town Hall, 124 Cramer Road

AUG

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All Day

John Schroeder Day

Community Celebration Schroeder Fire Dept. Pancake Breakfast 8-10 am Town Hall, 124 Cramer Road Cross River Heritage Center Museum & Walking Tours 10 am-4 pm SAHS 25th Anniversary Feature Event at Schroeder Town Hall 5-8 pm

Arnold Friberg (American, 1913-2021) Maintain the Right, 1963 Oil on Canvas Reprinted with permission of Regents of the University of Minnesota for its Tweed Museum of Art, University of Minnesota Duluth, Gift of Potlatch Corporation.

This activity is made possible in part by the voters of Minnesota through a grant from the Arrowhead Regional Arts Council, thanks to a legislative appropriation from the arts and cultural heritage fund.”

ARTISTS GALLERY

Featured Photographer

Travis Novitsky

Member of the Grand Portage Band of Lake Superior Chippewa

Visit Cook County Information Center & Explore MN Welcome Center

Hours: Please view our website or call for current hours 7932 W Hwy 61, Schroeder • 218-663-7706 crossriverheritage.org 6

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Once considered a more southern species, gray fox have become common from Duluth to Thunder Bay. | PAUL SUNDBERG

Gray fox are becoming common in the north THUNDER BAY— A southern migrant has quietly taken up residence in the Northern Wilds. No one really knows where this migrant came from or how long it has been here. Keeping a low profile, it has received little attention from its human neighbors, who most often see it when it appears in their backyard. But it appears the diminutive gray fox is here to stay. And biologists want to know more about it.

“The first record of a gray fox in northwest Ontario was near Fort Francis in 1944,” said Rob Foster, co-lead of the new Gray Fox Project for the Thunder Bay Field Naturalists.

“There were only eight or 10 records prior to 2010 and none in the City of Thunder Bay.” Foster said that in 2013, a gray fox began showing up at a bird feeder on the outskirts of Thunder Bay. Then a pair of them was seen. In 2015, someone took a picture of a lactating female, indicating the animals were likely breeding. As a growing number of reports trickled in, the TBFN decided it was time to begin gathering information about local gray fox to establish a population benchmark. They reached out to the public and asked them to place trail cameras near their feeders, which attract gray fox, especially in winter. The project had surprising results.

“Lo and behold, there were a lot more out there than we originally thought,” Foster said.

In the last year, TBFN has received more than 30 observations ranging east to Pearl and north to Ignace. They have been able to confirm successful breeding. They’ve also identified more than a half-dozen locations on the periphery of Thunder Bay where the animals are consistently seen. A pair lives beneath a backyard shed in urban Thunder Bay. So, what is a gray fox? Somewhat smaller than the more common red fox, the gray fox is found from northern South America to roughly the middle of North America. The gray fox has a grizzled gray back and flanks with a black-tipped tail and reddish chest.

They have a more cat-like face than a red fox. They are a separate species, unlike the cross and silver (black) fox, which are color variations of red fox. They are the only North American canid that routinely climbs trees and may even den in them. Foster said there is a local video showing a gray fox eating crab apples from the upper branches of a tree.

The next step is to use hair snares to collect gray fox hair samples to compare DNA from individual animals and possibly with hair samples collected in Minnesota. Foster hopes to recruit a grad student to do further research.

In Minnesota, interest in learning more about gray fox in the north is growing. Minnesota DNR research scientist John Erb said he never saw anything but red fox when he moved to the Grand Rapids area 22 years ago. During the last 10 or 12 years he began seeing gray fox in the area. A trail camera study in northern Itasca County a few years ago found gray fox were common predators.

Data from trapping harvests in the state show gray fox are mostly taken in the bluff country of the southeast and in the transitional zone between the northern forest and the prairie, which crosses the state diagonally from the southeast to the northwest. Recent statewide annual gray fox harvests have been about 400. During a boom in fur prices in the mid-1980s, 4,000 to 6,000 were trapped each year.

Erb said he believes gray fox have become well distributed in the northern forest.

He isn’t sure why they seem to be moving northward, but milder winters and extensive timber harvest that creates younger forests with more openings likely play a role. Their expansion at least anecdotally parallels the northward push of bobcats, likely for similar reasons. At the same time, two northern predators, fisher and marten, are declining in numbers, possibly because they prefer cold climates and older forests.

“The increase in bobcats and the decrease in marten and fisher seems tied to long term change in forest age types,” Erb said.

Gray fox may also benefit from the presence of wolves in the north. Wild canids have a pecking order: Coyotes are intolerant of fox in their territory and wolves are intolerant of coyotes, but don’t bother fox. Wolves almost certainly limit coyote numbers in the north. Another advantage for fox is the north has low numbers of raccoons. Where raccoons are abundant, they can become infected with distemper, which spreads to fox.

Gray and red fox seem to tolerate each other. Erb said he hears from trappers who catch both in the same set. The abundance of both species seems to follow the population ups and downs of red-backed voles, a favorite prey.

While Erb is paying attention to gray fox and they are included with other predators in fall scent station and winter track surveys, he is frustrated that much of what is known about them in Minnesota comes from anecdotal information.

“The gray fox is a species that is on my list to propose for research so we can learn a little more about them,” he said.

—Shawn Perich

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The Lake Superior Water Trail

A kayaker’s double-edged sword NORTH SHORE—The kayak bobbed gently in the negligible swell as the bow probed the sea cave-like cavity at the base of a rocky wall. More caves and even a few arches farther up the shoreline awaited the kayakers, along with towering palisades hundreds of feet high looming out of the clear blue-green waters.

Back out on open water, overhead, headlands rose up beyond the shoreline, sometimes abruptly plummeting to the waters far below. A thick, dark green pile, the northern boreal forest, carpeted the mountain-like summits and ridges. On the other side, a vast body of water disappeared beyond the slightly curved horizon. The scene would maintain its alluring grandeur along most of the 170 miles of shoreline encompassing the Lake Superior State Water Trail.

It’s the greatest of the Great Lakes, “Gitchi Gummi” to the Indigenous tribes along her shore. At 32,000 square miles, it’s the largest lake, by surface area, in the world, holding 10 percent of the Earth’s fresh water. Some kayakers call it the Inland Sea. By disposition, it’s basically an intra-continental ocean. Its tides are barely discernible. Rather its waters move within a big geological basin, sloshing around like in a huge bath tub.

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Kayakers on Lake Superior should have at least intermediate level skills if venturing out on their own. Less experienced paddlers should consider a kayak touring operation as their first introduction to these waters. | SUBMITTED

Extended kayak touring along this shoreline is not for the faint of heart—nor faint of skills and equipment. Small, recreational kayaks are best suited to paddle near public beaches or within protected bays. Specifically designed for big water touring, sea kayaks with water-tight bulkheads, additional flotation gear bags and a rudder/skeg are best suited for these Dr. Jekell and Mr. Hyde waters.

“Water and wind can change in a matter of minutes,” warns Travis Novitsky, park manager at Grand Portage State Park. “It can go from calm to 6-foot seas, waves from three different directions—sloppy, messy seas,” he adds.

The water trail traces the shoreline along its entire route that begins near the High Bridge in Duluth Harbor, northeast to the tip of Pigeon Point at Grand Portage. Five state

park boundaries define some of that shoreline that is also speckled with numerous boat access points, take-out rest areas and a few Water Access Campsites.

Beginning at Gooseberry Falls State Park (Mile 51) cliffs and beaches dot the shore along past Split Rock Lighthouse State Park and past a shallow-water shipwreck at Gold Rock Point (Mile 59). Ten miles farther at Tettegouche State Park, sea cliffs and caves lure paddlers to approach.

Superior’s waves are steeper, with shorter wave lengths than in the ocean. Wind generated waves smashing into vertical rock walls create a menacing standing wave action, called clipotis, that forms when rebounding waves slam into in-bound waves, creating an often explosive, stationery “high five” standing wave just out from the wall of rock—a menace to paddlers.

The coastal landscape along the trail couples geological beauty with tempestuous wind/wave action. Inherent dangers include williwaw winds (cold air flowing down from the highlands, gusting out across the water), and steep, cobbled beaches with dumping surf that can hammer a kayak—and paddler—against a rocky landing site.

The average kayak touring speed is 2-3 mph. There are a few stretches (before Two Harbors, from Tettegouche to Temperance River State Park and the Grand Portage Indian Reservation) where there are no public access landing sites for 6-10 miles. Kayakers need to carefully time their point-to-point or out-and-back touring to be able to reach a safe haven, should paddling conditions begin to deteriorate.

Kayakers should have at least intermediate level skills and dress properly to protect against possible immersion in waters that rarely reach beyond 50 degrees F in summer (3mm neoprene bibs or dry suit; firm-soled paddling shoes/booties; and a proper-fitting PFD/Life Jacket). Good exit/self-rescue or assisted rescue skills are vital. Less experienced paddlers and enthusiasts should consider a kayak touring operation as their first introduction to these waters.

ESCAPE TO THE GUNFLINT TRAIL Lake Superior kayakers take in the views at Split Rock Lighthouse State Park. | TERRI DINESON The Minnesota DNR has four-set Lake Superior Water Trail maps depicting shoreline attractions/amenities. NOAA also has sectional Navigational Chart Maps. Old fashioned compass skills are also helpful during bay crossings in fog.

Highway noise and the unchanging NE shoreline on northern-bound paddlers offers reliable orientation, too.

KIG64 marine forecasts and VHF weather-band channels provide weather information (and VHF for emergency hailing). And, no, cell phones are not reliable.

To best enjoy these waters, make sure your kayakThe coastal landscape along the Lake Superior Water Trail couples geological ing skills are solid and know your limitations. An enjoy- beauty with tempestuous wind/wave action. Inherent dangers include able introduction to this in- williwaw winds. | SUBMITTED credible inland sea shoreline is through a day-tour kayaknic bays to enjoy and admire—but coupled with sometimes ing operation where all your gear and professional instruc- quick-to-anger seas that need to be heeded and respected. tion is provided.

—Tom Watson Paddling the North Shore is a double-edged sword: keen, gleaming big water vistas, towering, sculpted cliffs and sce-

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“I shot this photo with a 600mm telephoto lens, standing on the highway curb in front of the post office. Shooting with a telephoto lens compresses the view like that, same as if you were to look at that view through a pair of binoculars,” said photographer Travis Novitsky. | TRAVIS NOVITSKY

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GRAND MARAIS— An on-line resource will keep the public informed on North Shore road construction this year. Named Project 61, the website will report on the various locations and phases of Highway 61 construction, including information on scope of work to be performed, schedules, details on road closings and detours, and how construction will impact community events and celebrations throughout the summer.

The public can access the site by clicking on the Project 61 banner displayed prominently on the home page at: boreal.org.

The site is mobile friendly so it can be accessed by users on their cellphone or other mobile device.

The on-line resource uses graphic design elements that complement other communication efforts such as rack cards and maps being distributed throughout Cook County by the Chamber of Commerce and its members.

petroleum contaminated soil at the site of a former gas station and is being overseen by the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency.

The first phase runs from early May through mid-August.

There are three major construction projects now underway on Highway 61 on the North Shore: in downtown Grand Marais, on the east end of Cook County through the Grand Portage tribal lands to the Canadian border, and road re-surfacing on a section of Highway 61 south of Two Harbors.

The second phase—called The Facelift—involves adding walking and biking trails, art installations, landscaping, trees and more. It is expected to run from early August into October.

Entering its second year, the downtown Grand Marais construction project is divided into two phases in 2021. The first phase— named The Dig—includes the removal of

The Grand Portage project will involve bridge replacement, road resurfacing and intersection improvements. The Two Harbors project will include road resurfacing and intersection improvements.

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Downtown Grand Marais Construction Project Mid-May through Early October The Big Dig involves removing contaminated soil under Highway 61 in downtown Grand Marais, during which the highway will be totally reconstructed. When complete, the project will add walking and biking paths, art installations, landscaping, trees and more.

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PARKING

Please try to park on the residential streets north of Highway 61.

We are a pedestrian friendly town.

For more information visit: COOKCOUNTYCHAMBER.ORG/ PROJECT_61

(sm or med)

Off regularly priced item of equal or lesser value. Excludes $5 Lunch, $6 Lunch, DQ Cakes, and Take Home Boxes of Novelties. Not valid with any other coupons or specials. Limit 1 coupon, 1 per customer. Limit 1 per coupon. Void if copied. DQ logo property of AM.DQCorp Minneapolis, MN, 2011. Expires 12/31/2021. Grand Marais, MN and Two Harbors, MN locations only.

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Townline Equestrian Centre MURILLO—Julie Grgurich has been around horses since she was a small child. Awed by their ability to connect with humans in such deep and endearing ways, the accomplished horsewoman has always felt her most complete in their soothing presence. In 2009, after Grgurich retired from running several successful businesses in Thunder Bay, she opened up the Townline Equestrian Centre in Murillo and began teaching people not only how to ride and train horses, but how to treat them in a way that respects their natural instincts. She said that the worst thing a person can do is assume that horses think like humans.

Grgurich’s plan was to start her new enterprise slowly but once word spread throughout the area about her innovative centre, she was inundated with people wanting to learn how to ride and train horses. The hardworking woman was doing her best to keep up with the demand, when she got in a car accident. She ended up with a brain injury and trauma to various parts of her spine. And if that wasn’t hard enough, she was assigned to an occupational therapist that wanted her to give up the horses and find a hobby that would not be so demanding on her seriously injured body. Grgurich was flabbergasted and angrily blurted, “Are you completely crazy?”

Grgurich was now faced with the daunting decision of what to do with her equestrian centre, as she could no

longer teach her students. Then, just as things were looking its bleakest, she met Zoey Hill through a neighbour. The young woman had recently attained a Bronze Medal with the United States Dressage Federation. She had also trained with numerous Grand Prix riders in North America and Europe. If this wasn’t impressive enough, Hill shared Grgurich’s belief that whips, ropes or chains should never be used on horses.

The best way to interact with them is through a natural intuitive style where the rider and horse develop a respectful and lasting connection. Grgurich stated that she and Hill quickly came to the realization that they were meant to work together.

Hill became the centre’s riding instructor. Her lessons are conducted in a safe and encouraging environment with people of all ages and interests.

An insulated indoor arena was recently constructed, and there is a comfortable viewing room for people wanting to observe the lessons. Many of Hill’s students have won competitions and some have also sought careers in the horse industry.

Erika Smith and her assistant Ashley Salamon were hired on to oversee the pony learning camps, which allow people the rare opportunity of interacting with horses in a calm, welcoming setting. There is one specifically designed for children and another for adults.

These camps not only expand the participants’ understanding of horses. But

they also improve their overall wellbeing. Grgurich stated that this is because horses are intuitively driven animals that will go out of their way to reassure anyone that they sense is struggling.

Cassie Lankinen came on board to help in the maintenance of the barns and riding areas. Grgurich oversees the daily operations of the centre, which includes private boarding, and the breeding of the majestic Arabian horses with the agile quarter horses. The centre was recently accepted by the Arabian Horse Association as being a Discovery Farm where people can learn more about why Arabians are one of the most popular horse breeds. Grgurich also has a registered Icelandic ram that is almost two years old. He recently made national news for his robust love of humans.

Grgurich’s passion for horses is so unconditional that she has rescued several of them from farms where they were being mistreated. One was a twomonth-old emaciated colt that had to be placed on intravenous and closely monitored by Grgurich’s dedicated veterinarian and friend Dr. Matt Yerxa.

She named the foal WannabeWally and later rescued his sister. They both miraculously recovered and have become permanent residents at the centre. Grgurich presently has 19 horses and they all enjoy working with people. She explained that the lifespan of a horse is about 30 years. When they reach their early twenties, they are re-

Townline Equestrian Centre’s riding instructor Zoey Hill with WannabeWally. | SUBMITTED tired. She was quick to add that they continue to receive the best care which is regular visits from the farrier, chiropractor and veterinarian, along with a lot of loving attention from Grgurich and her equally dedicated staff.

If anyone would like to learn more about horses or the Townline Equestrian Centre, you can contact Grgurich at: tecnicalhorsemanshipclub@gmail.com.—Kim Casey

We proactively identify opportunities to expand equitable health care and healthy living in Cook County, Minnesota and champion solutions through funding, education, and advocacy.

Love spending time in Cook County?

Help Support Our Health & Emergency Services Maybe you live here year-round, seasonally, own a cabin or condo or just love to visit for soul refreshing weekends. The health and safety of every person in our neck of the woods matters to us.

We develop unique home-grown health solutions to help address gaps, support our local health care and emergency services, and provide grants to many community organizations, so they can be there for you.

NSHCF@boreal.org l 218-387-9076 PO Box 454, Grand Marais, MN 55604 14

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A donation to the Foundation is an investment in health on the North Shore.

Make a tax-deductible donation today. A little goes a long way.

NorthShoreHealthCareFoundation.org The same trusted organization working to improve health services over the last 28 years in Cook County. Now, with a new look and located in the Cook County YMCA.

Crooked Spoon reopens as a food truck

The Genuine.

The Original.

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Overhead Door Company of Duluth 24 hour service

Phone 218-722-2884 www.ohdnorthernmn.com

GRAND MARAIS— It has been over a year since a fire destroyed three buildings in downtown Grand Marais, resulting in the loss of two gift shops and The Crooked Spoon Cafe. For Nathan and Sara Hingos, owners of The Crooked Spoon, a year of upheaval brought on by the fire and the Covid-19 pandemic has led them to the start of their next venture: reviving their muchloved business in the form of a food truck.

While already a trend on the rise, food trucks have grown in popularity since the start of the pandemic, attracting interest with a sense of fun, good food, and the ability to dine in an outdoor setting amidst indoor dining restrictions. After the devastation of the fire, Nathan and Sara Hingos considered different plans for continuing The Crooked Spoon. As they navigated through various ideas and future unknowns, starting a food truck seemed like the best choice for them.

“A few months after the fire we were able to start formulating plans, and it seemed like a food truck was the most attainable to do quickly,” said Sara. “With Covid we had no idea what restaurant life would look like, and at this time in our lives this business model fit our lifestyle better and offers us more flexibility.”

The first big step in starting a food truck was, of course, finding a truck to use. Nathan’s research on food trucks revealed that buying and remodeling an existing food truck could be more expensive than building a new one, and so the Hingoses decided to partner with Chamelon Concessions, a Minneapolis-based company that manufactures food trucks and other mobile businesses. Chameleon Concessions helped them find an empty truck, and Nathan was able to work with Chameleon Concessions to design the interior.

“Everything inside the truck is brand new, and there was a lot of value to us in knowing that everything would be new,” Sara said.

In November 2020 Nathan and Sara brought the truck home to Grand Marais.

4214 Airpark Blvd.

Duluth, MN 55811

[L TO R] Nathan and Sara Hingos with Mark Palm, Chameleon Concessions

owner. | SUBMITTED

They started operating in December, doing a winter trial run before the busy summer season. Sara said they were able to be open many days throughout the winter, and while the cold weather was a challenge, they also enjoyed the newfound flexibility with operating a food truck.

“There’s a different mindset when it comes to food trucks,” Sara said. “There’s an excitement around it, and a different feeling with people’s expectations. There were a few days when we were planning to be open until 4:30 but sold out of food by 1:30, and people were happy for us and thought it was great! There’s so much freedom in this style of business.”

The home base for The Crooked Spoon food truck will be the location of the original restaurant. As for the menu, the refrigeration limitations of food trucks will mean a shorter menu, but the new business model also brings an opportunity to experiment with new recipes, as well as continuing with customer favorites like the Yker Acres burgers.

Sara said that they are still working out the hours they plan to operate, but hope to be open for lunches on a regular basis.

“Weather is a huge factor with food trucks, and since this is our first summer we can’t project exactly when we’ll be open. We’ll try being open on some rainy days and see how it goes, but we’ll probably operate by the weather.”

Since the food truck hours may be flexible, The Crooked Spoon will post updates on hours and menus through Facebook, Instagram, and their email list, which anyone can sign up for at crookedspooncafe.com.

Despite all of the difficult changes brought on by the past year, the Hingoses are looking forward to the new opportunities at The Crooked Spoon, made possible by the outpouring of support from the community.

“We want to thank the community for their past support and for all of their continued support and understanding as we start to operate differently,” said Sara.—Rae Poynter

Get Ready for the Finland Farmers Market 2021!

Summer 2021, under the Pavlion at the Clair Nelson Center, 6866 Cramer Road, Finland, MN

Starting June 10th and continuing through October 7th!

Vendors: 1st week is free!

Fee: $5/week or $50/season More info or to register call

218-353-0300

or check out our website at www.finlandfarmersmarket.com Masks and social distancing will be required until July 1st, and we will offer ample hand washing stations. We also want to offer community learning experiences related to food at the market, so it’s time to get creative. Want to be involved?

Have an idea? Contact us! 218-353-0300 or email dan.c@friendsoffinland.org

We are able to accept credit cards, EBT and SNAP

tranquility ONLY 27 MILES UP THE GUNFLINT TRAIL LAKEFRONT CABINS & PRIVATE CAMGROUND. CANOES, KAYAKS, MOTOR BOATS, PONTOONS. FULL DAY & HALF-DAY WATERCRAFT RENTALS.

www.Golden-Eagle.com 218-388-2203 NORTHERN WILDS

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Chippewa Park’s 100th Anniversary Festival postponed until next year THUNDER BAY—The Friends of Chippewa Park recently announced that the 100th Anniversary Five Day Family Festival they were planning for the Civic Holiday weekend this summer has been postponed until 2022.

In making the announcement, President Lorraine Lortie indicated that the organization felt “it would be irresponsible to hold an outdoor festival that could attract as many as 10,000 people when so many may still be susceptible to catching COVID-19. As a major focus of the park and the festival are families and it is doubtful that children will be fully vaccinated in time, we had no choice but to postpone for a year. We don’t want to exclude anyone from enjoying the park and the festival and we certainly do not want to be the cause of further spread” she said.

Cathy Sawicki, Co-Chair of the 100th Anniversary Committee noted that the park itself will not be fully operational this summer and “it doesn’t make sense to hold a festival when the full features of Chippewa are not on display and available for celebrants.”

She noted that the amusement rides will not operate again this year because of COVID-19 restrictions, that all but two of the field bookings have been cancelled and there are no activities in the pavilion this summer including Melodrama, showers and weddings. TFOCP also made the decision to not host the Sunday in the Park Concert Season and the Tuesday Night Jam sessions this year.

“The continued closure of the Canada-USA Border along with travel restrictions

within Canada with no indication of when those restrictions will be lifted will severely limit our ability to attract visitors to the park and festival” said Co-Chair Linda Lafontaine.

“We wanted to be in a position to re-introduce the City, the park and its features to a broad tourist audience who lives within one day’s drive, and currently we are unable to barely go beyond the Thunder Bay District.”

The park and its facilities have been booked for July 28 to Aug. 1, 2022. Fund raising, including the current Catch the Chippewa Ace Lottery will continue over the next 15 months with all proceeds going towards financing the Family Festival.

Discussions are underway with all confirmed funders regarding permission to transfer the funds to next year. Work also

will continue on the restoration of the Carousel said Lortie. They anticipate it being completed next spring and if all goes well by the summer, they will have a building to protect and secure it.

“We were all looking forward to sharing Chippewa Park’s Centennial” said Lortie.

“We will just have to wait until next summer to celebrate 100+1 and hopefully a return to a COVID free environment” she concluded.

“The extra time will enable us to make the festival even better!”

The Friends of Chippewa Park are still planning on some form of a commemorative event for July 15, the actual anniversary of the park being declared open in 1921. Details are still to be worked out.

Grand Marais area fisheries office announces survey work GRAND MARAIS—The DNR will be conducting surveys and assessments in the Grand Marais area, beginning in May and lasting through September, to monitor changes in fish populations and to evaluate management strategies.

Survey methods will vary based on the type of information needed for ongoing management of individual lakes and streams.

Most streams are surveyed using backpack electrofishing gear, while most lakes are surveyed using gill nets and trap nets.

Large lakes with heavy use are surveyed more frequently than small, remote lakes.

Stocked lakes also are sampled more often to better assess stocking success. Large trout streams are surveyed more frequently than small trout streams or warm-water streams.

The DNR uses survey results to inform individual lake and stream management plans.

The plans identify goals for key species and outline specific management activities. The plans are typically revised every six to 10 years.

Surveys and assessments are planned for several Cook County lakes and streams during this summer’s fieldwork season.

Dates are subject to change depending on staffing, site accessibility and weather conditions.

WATERS SCHEDULED FOR SURVEYS OR ASSESSMENTS INCLUDE:

May 3 - Assess water quality in Greenwood Lake and Trout Lake (completed monthly throughout the summer).

May 10 – Place water temperature monitors in approximately 15 streams.

May 31 – Survey Talus Lake.

June 7 – Collect fish for disease testing from Mayhew Lake.

June 10 – Survey Star Lake.

June 14 – Survey Sea Gull Lake.

June 21 – Complete the survey of Sea Gull Lake.

June 28 – Survey Hand and North Shady lakes.

July 5 – Survey Rice Lake.

July 12 – Survey Northern Light Lake.

July 19 – Check walleye natural reproduction in Devil Track Lake, and survey the Stump River.

July 26 – Survey Trout Lake.

Aug. 2 – Survey the Cascade River and Portage Brook.

Aug. 9 – Survey Irish, Kimball, and Kadunce creeks, and the Flute Reed River.

Aug. 16 – Survey McFarland Lake and the Devil Track River.

Aug. 23 – Survey the Poplar and Onion rivers, and Elbow Creek.

Aug. 30 – Survey Elbow Lake.

Sept. 6 – Survey Pierz or Loft lakes.

Sept. 13 – Survey Mountain Lake.

Sept. 20 – Survey Caribou Lake (adjacent to Clearwater Lake).

Lakes and streams may be added or dropped, and the timing and duration of some surveys may change. Questions and general information about area lakes and streams may be addressed to the Grand Marais area fisheries office. Public comments and suggestions for management of these waters are welcomed at any time.

Preliminary results for most of the surveys should be available in the fall of 2021. Final reports will be completed by the spring of 2022. Final lake survey results will be available online at mndnr.gov/lakefinder or from the Grand Marais area fisheries office.

No ifs, ands or asterisks.

Loans to deposits, as a member, you always receive our very best rates. Get in on them at northshorefcu.org/rates.

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Points North UM researchers make strides in CWD testing ed deer and to show symptoms,” Larsen said. “We need faster and more sensitive tests that provide an accurate, real time view of CWD on the landscape.”

By Shawn Perich

Is reigning in the spread of CWD really that important? Larsen’s answer is an emphatic “yes.” As with other diseases, CWD has variants. It is possible a variant could be transmissible to other domestic livestock or humans. In southeastern Minnesota, where CWD is endemic, testing has found CWD in one or two percent of wild deer. In contrast, some counties in Wisconsin have found CWD in 50 percent of the bucks harvested by hunters. Since the fawns of infected does can be born with CWD, it is possible high rates of infection could result in deer herds predominately comprised of young deer. A fawn born with CWD may survive about two years— long enough to produce infected offspring.

While Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) hasn’t been found in the Northern Wilds, the always fatal deer disease remains on the march in Minnesota. Now endemic in wild deer in southeastern Minnesota, the disease has been found at deer farms elsewhere in the state, most recently at a facility in Beltrami County. This new discovery is the northernmost location where CWD has been found in Minnesota.

The economic importance of deer must be considered, too. Over a half million Minnesotans participate in deer hunting.

They purchase hunting licenses that fund state wildlife management, as well as gear and supplies. They also buy land for places to hunt. In many rural locations, the loss of deer hunting would result in lower land values. There are social aspects, too. Many folks enjoy seeing deer and having them around their homes. This is unlikely to be the case if a high number of animals are infected with CWD.

Since the incidence of CWD in wild deer is often closely associated with nearby infected deer farms, the Beltrami case is alarming for the wildlife managers tasked with stopping the spread of the disease. When CWD is detected in a farmed deer, all of the cervids at the facility are killed and usually incinerated. The farmer is compensated by the USDA for the lost livestock.

CWD infects not only deer, but also other Minnesota cervids such as moose and elk. The disease is difficult to detect until its final stages, which may be two years or more from the initial infection. There is no cure. Current testing requires brain or lymph node tissue from a dead animal.

CWD is what is known as a protein misfolding disease. Proteins are nonliving components of the body and thus don’t respond to treatments such as vaccines or antibiotics. Prions, as the misfolded proteins are called, can persist in the environment for more than a decade. In hooved animals, other protein misfolding diseases include scrapie in sheep and bovine spongiform encephalopathy (Mad Cow Disease) in cattle. Related human ailments include Creutzfeldt-Jacobs Disease, Alzheimer’s Disease and Parkinson’s Disease.

Research into related diseases is informing efforts to stop the spread of CWD on the landscape. Recently, researchers at the University of Minnesota’s Center for Prion Research and Outreach (MNPRO) developed a field test for CWD detection that provides results within 24 hours. For hunter harvested deer, CWD detection required sending tissue samples to a distant lab and then waiting, sometimes weeks, for results.

This is difficult for hunters, who are advised by the Centers for Disease Control not to eat venison that tests positive for CWD. With the rapid turnaround of the new test, if it becomes broadly available, they will know if they can safely process and eat their venison.

Dr. Peter Larsen is the co-leader of a team of UM researchers who seek to improve the testing methods for detecting Chronic Wasting Disease. | SUBMITTED The new test relies on nanotechnology, which is commonly used to detect other diseases.

“We identified a nanoparticle that changes color when it interacts with the misfolded protein that causes CWD,” said Dr. Peter Larsen, co-director of MNPRO. The new test uses relatively inexpensive equipment (less that $10,000) that can be set up at a DNR field station and complete the test on site. The test is called MNQuIC, which is easier to say that Quaking Induced Conversion, which is the testing method. Larsen explained there is a whole family of tests for other diseases that use this method.

The new test is a positive development in the fight against CWD and it is important that hunters continue hunting, rather than giving up in frustration or due to fear of not knowing whether the deer they’ve killed has CWD. Larsen emphasized that hunting and predation on deer by wolves or other large predators are two tools wildlife managers can use to limit the spread of CWD on the landscape. In the absence hunting and predation, deer numbers quickly multiply, greatly increasing the possibility of CWD transmission from close contact among the animals.

Larsen believes we are on the cusp of having the detection tools we need to become proactive in CWD management. While we have no control of the management strategies of other states, such as Wisconsin, we may be able to prevent the rise of CWD within Minnesota. Also, what researchers learn by addressing the challenges presented by CWD may be applied to other prion diseases, including ones affecting humans.

The next level of testing is finding ways to detect CWD in living animals and the environment. Researchers have detected CWD prions in water. There is also some evidence that the prions can be taken up by plants, possibly creating another vector for infection when deer feed on them. New breakthroughs to achieve this level of testing are occurring in the MNPRO molecular lab. This will allow wildlife managers and deer farmers to address CWD in real time with sophisticated surveillance of deer farms and animals that are moved from one facility to another.

“At MNPRO, our position is that we need to think outside the box and embrace new technologies so we can throw everything we have at CWD to stop the spread,” Larsen said. “Now that we’re having success, we need to build on it. Anything is better than the status quo.”

“Traditional CWD testing methods are limited for detecting early-stage infections and thus it seems we are always one to two years behind, because that how long it takes for prions to accumulate in an infect-

Shawn Perich’s POINTS NORTH online

Follow outdoor writer Shawn Perich as he reports on conservation issues and explores the North Shore wilderness with his dog Rainy.

Sign up for this web exclusive blog at northernwilds.com

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17

Water Birds by Canoe Story and photos by Michael Furtman

Unlike most duck species in which hens and drakes look different from each other, black duck sexes are virtually identical.

T

he Canadian Shield lakes of the Northern Wilds region are often rich in aquatic species, but seeing terrestrial wildlife, because of the dense forests, is a more difficult matter. But where the two meet—the water/forest edge—visitors can expect to see critters, especially birds that are associated with water.

And the best way to see these birds is by canoe, simply because they are virtually silent (unless you have a talkative partner or someone who bangs their paddle on the canoe with every stroke!), and they force you to travel slowly.

A juvenile bald eagle. The distinct traits of an adult bald eagle aren’t attained until its fourth year.

Let’s learn about what birds are commonly seen, and one that you’ll need to keep your eyes (or ears) alert to find.

BALD EAGLE

The American bald eagle is distinct with its white head and tail, large wingspan, and yellow beak, although these traits are completely attained in its fourth year. Juveniles are brown, with a dark beak, and gradually attain bits of white each year. As is the case with all birds of prey, females are larger than males.

A third smaller than the bald eagle, ospreys are exclusively a piscivore (fish-eater).

Most pairs form life long bonds. They often arrive back on territory in April to fix up the nest (which is usually a third of the way down a large tree, frequently a pine). Females lay two or three eggs and both adults share incubation duties and care of the young.

Juveniles must be fed and do not leave the nest until they are full grown and able to fly. This type of bird development is known as “altricial.”

Bald eagles both catch and scavenge fish. They also feed on muskrats, ducks and loons. For such a large bird, they have a weak, plaintive whistling cry. Watch for them near the windward shore, since they’ll be watching for windblown fish or other carrion to be washed up along the beach.

OSPREY Like the osprey, the common loon is entirely dependent upon fish or other aquatic critters, but “hunt” underwater rather than from the sky.

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A third smaller than the bald eagle, and exclusively a piscivore (fish-eater), ospreys are masters of hovering over a fish before diving talons-down. They’ve been known to dive to a depth of three feet. Its white head is split at the eye with a dark brown brand. Belly is white. The rest is brown. Sexes are also identical.

Osprey return north later than the bald eagles because they must depend upon fish, while the eagle can scavenge or hunt mammals until the lakes and

rivers open up. Nests are usually at the very top of a tree, often on a broken off snag. One to four eggs will be laid, which the female will incubate while the male hunts for her. Both hunt for the altricial young which will remain nest bound until fully grown.

Soaring overhead, they can be told from eagle’s broad, roundish-tipped, and straight wings by its narrow, pointed, wings that form a shallow “M” when seen from beneath. Since osprey and bald eagles compete for food, you’ll usually not find them nesting anywhere near each other.

COMMON LOON

Like the osprey, the common loon is entirely dependent upon fish or other aquatic critters, but “hunt” underwater rather than from the sky.

Bigger than a mallard, but smaller than a Canada goose, the common loon is largely black with white flecks on its back and wings, with a white neck and belly. Its dark head is actually an iridescent green or blue, depending upon the angle and quality of sunlight. The bill is pointed, with ridges inside to help grasp wiggling fish. Other birds have hollow bones for easier flight, but loons have solid bones for ease of diving underwater. They propel themselves with their large flippered feet, not their wings, and can stay under for five minutes and dive to a depth of 250 feet.

They are able to compress their feathers to squeeze out trapped air, as well as forcing air from their lungs to ride low in water or sink slowly out of sight.

With legs set so far back for diving, loons can barely walk, and only go ashore to mate and nest, and then, only at the very edge of the water. Typically, only one or two eggs are laid. Both adults incubate and feed the young, which leave the nest shortly after hatching.

Loons are very vocal, especially during the mating season. Their tremolo call sounds like a laugh and is believed to signal alarm. The yodel, a long, rising call with repetitive notes, which can last up to six seconds, is given only by the male to defend territory.

The wail is perhaps the most haunting of the loon’s calls; it is used most often during social interactions with other loons. The hoot is a one-note call that is used by family members to maintain contact with each other.

Belted kingfishers are more often heard than seen.

The common merganser fishes underwater like a loon, but at shallower depths and for smaller prey.

American black ducks are closely related to mallards and look similar to the mallard hen in plumage.

BELTED KINGFISHER

COMMON MERGANSER

OTHER DUCKS

Despite its large size, the common merganser often nests in tree cavities excavated by pileated woodpeckers. When cavities are unavailable, they’ll nest on the ground. Up to a dozen eggs are laid by the hen, who does all the incubating and care of the young. Males depart as soon as incubation begins.

Common goldeneyes, a large diving duck, also nest in our region, although they aren’t often seen due to their secretive nature. They also nest in tree cavities.

The most common diving duck is the ring-necked duck. Drakes are similar in color to scaup (bluebills) but show far less white and have a white ring on their dark bill. This species prefers to nest on the floating bog that surrounds so many of our lakes.

Bigger than a robin, smaller than a crow, belted kingfishers are more often heard than seen. Inconspicuous as they perch on branches along shore, they are noisy, frequently making their high, harsh chittering call.

Bluish-gray backs as well as on their shaggy crested heads, their underside and neck are white. Females and juveniles have a rusty band across the chest and under the wings. Both sexes have a dark, V shaped breast band.

Like the osprey, kingfishers often hover over their prey before plunging. At other times, they’ll dive directly from a perch. Unlike the osprey that catches prey with talons, kingfishers use their long, stout bill to grab prey, usually minnows or frogs.

Amazingly, they nest underground, digging a burrow in dirt banks. Broods of three to five are common. Both parents feed them while they are still in the nest, but once flying, they are taught to fish by the adults. Kingfishers choose a new mate each nesting season.

This mallard-sized duck fishes underwater much like a loon (to which they are not related), but at shallower depths and for smaller prey. Females and non-breeding males are largely grey, have a rust-colored head and shaggy crest, and a long, serrated orange bill adapted for grasping minnows. Breeding males share this same bill but are largely white with a dark head that can appear either green or black, depending upon the light.

Ducklings leave the nest as soon as they hatch, but in the company of the hen. Unlike the helpless altricial young of other birds, ducklings are “precocial” meaning they are mobile and feed themselves. They are able to dive under water within hours. Sometimes hens share “day care” duties by combining broods, forming what is called a “creche.” Sometimes as many as 20 or 30 ducklings might be found trailing a single hen. They’re not all hers!

Like the osprey, kingfishers often hover over their prey before plunging.

You might see black ducks, as we are on the western edge of their range. Unlike most duck species in which hens and drakes look different from each other, black duck sexes are virtually identical. If near enough, you can tell a hen from a drake by the bill.

The hen will have dark mottled spots on it, while the drake will be a solid yellow. Both look like a very darkly colored mallard hen in plumage, and in fact are closely related to mallards.

By late June, or certainly mid-July, the young of all of most of these species will begin to be visible, whether peaking from their nest, or trailing an adult on the water. A morning’s paddle along a quiet shore is bound to turn up one or more of these wilderness water birds. Grab your binoculars and camera, and get out on the water.

For such a large bird, bald eagles have a weak, plaintive whistling cry.

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TALKING WITH THE POWELLS:

“The stories don’t always fit the narrative.”

By Shawn Perich Dicky Powell holds court on the porch at Chippewa Inn on Lake Saganaga. He has lived his entire life beyond road’s end. | LAURA POWELL MARXEN

D

icky and Sherry Powell haven’t been home for a while. Specifically, they haven’t been home since the U.S. Canada border closed over a year ago in March, 2020 in response to the covid pandemic. Fortunately, they own a home in Silver Bay where they have been waiting to return to their Chippewa Inn resort on the Canadian shore of massive Saganaga Lake. The resort, founded by Dicky’s parents, Bill and Dorothy Powell in 1959, has been the epicenter of the Powell family ever since. But it is by no means the beginning of the Powell family’s history in the north.

Dicky’s grandparents were Jack Powell and Mary Ottertail, an Anishinaabe woman. Her family disapproved of the marriage, so the young couple traveled by canoe from Winton to Lake Saganagons (north of Saganaga in Ontario), where they built a cabin and raised their five children. They lived a northern life; guiding fishermen and trapping for income, getting their food from the lakes and the forest. Dicky’s parents, Bill and Dorothy, moved to Saganaga in the 1930s. On Saganaga’s Skandia Bay in 1945, they established a fishing camp they called Chippewa Lodge; they operated that prior to

Airboats allowed the Powells to traverse weak ice. Sherry is shown here with her twins, Paula and Laura. | SUBMITTED 20

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1957, when they bought land next to Canada Customs for starting Chippewa Inn. They, too, lived the northern life. And to a large extent, Dicky and Sherry still do.

The couple met in 1975, when Sherry moved from Minneapolis to take a job at End of the Trail Lodge, where Dicky was working as a fishing guide. Dicky had two children from a previous marriage, Rich and Shelly. He and Sherry had twins, Laura and Paula. The two girls grew up on Saganaga.

I recently sat down with Dicky and Sherry to talk about the life they’ve led beyond the end of the road. The conversation was anything but chronological, as one story led to another.

As Sherry remarked, “The stories don’t always fit the narrative.”

That’s ok. I’ll just share some of the stories with you.

told me the trip was all arranged. We made the trip with Harry and his wife and eight other ‘train buffs’ Harry knew. We drove to Winnipeg and then took a private rail car to Churchill. It took two days to get there. The first morning, a bus picked us up and took us to the Tundra Buggy, and we went out on the tundra. We saw more polar bears than you could count. We also saw Arctic hares, ptarmigan and Arctic fox.

You’d hear gunshots in town at night, because they were shooting polar bears with rubber bullets to chase them out of town.

That was quite the trip.”

Native People Dicky: “The north shore of Gunflint Lake used to have all the native people living there. They’re all gone now.”

The original Powell homestead was on remote Lake Saganagons in Ontario. | SUBMITTED

Freeze up and Break up

The Twins

Dicky: “When we leave at freeze up and break up, I always leave the shop and gas shop unlocked so if someone needs something, they can get it. We’ve never lost anything.”

Dicky: “Sherry went into labor three weeks early, so we went to the hospital in Grand Marais. The doctor told us she needed more care than they could provide, so we had to go to Duluth. We started down the Shore in the thickest fog. You couldn’t see a thing.”

Sherry: “It took us six hours to make the drive.”

Dicky: “I was sitting in the waiting room and the nurse came out and said, ‘Guess what? There’s two of them!’ Jerry Marks came into the lodge the next day and said to my mother, ‘Hello Grandma, Grandma.’

That was how she heard the news.”

Dicky: “One time I was going down the lake with the girls and we saw a cow moose with tiny calves. I motored over so the girls could get a closer look. I ended up with one girl on each side of the boat hugging a moose calf. Now that would have made a great picture!”

Dicky: “Sherry’s parents used to stay with us at the resort. The first time her mother was there, she found three high-powered rifles in the corner of Laura’s bedroom. She panicked, telling us that kids in Florida, where she was living, get ahold of something like that and end up in trouble. I told her that I didn’t worry about the girls being around guns. They knew what they were for and respected them.”

The First Walleye Dicky: “When I was a little kid, my parents went fishing and caught a strange fish.

They didn’t know what it was. We cooked it up and ate it. It was a walleye. The first walleyes were stocked by Art Nunstead.

Pretty soon they were everywhere.”

Moose Dicky: “Moose are tough customers. I’ve shot a couple of them right off the gun barrel.”

Dicky: “I was driving down the Gunflint and by Swamper Lake I hit a cow moose in the hind leg. She spun around and her snout came right in my open window and she went Baa!”

Dicky: “Two guys came up who said they wanted to hunt moose with a hound, which was legal in Ontario. When I picked them up, out came this 11-inch beagle. When we went hunting the next morning, we went to shore and let the beagle go. Pretty soon we heard it start barking and out came a nice bull, walking ahead of the beagle and looking back at it every now and then. A couple of days later, it chased out a cow, so they got their moose.”

Dicky: “It used to be hard to keep moose meat, because we didn’t have freezers. Back when my mom and dad and I could each buy a license, I shot three moose. That was a pile of meat, so we fired up the Servels (gas refrigerators) to full freeze and filled them up with meat.”

Sherry: “We never had very good refrigeration; that’s why we eat lots of ice cream now, because we couldn’t have it at the lake.”

Sherry: “We’ve had three different airboats to get around on weak ice. We even had a hovercraft. It didn’t suit our needs.

It couldn’t carry two people on the water and it threw up a lot of spray, so you were always wet. And on the ice, it went way too fast.”

Dicky: “When we drove dogs, you could run them on pure beaver meat. It has everything they need.”

More Stories Dicky: “Years ago, my parent’s neighbors sawed a white pine that had fallen on their property and found an old flintlock rifle inside the tree. I wonder what the story was behind that old flintlock. I believe it ended up with a guy in Bemidji.”

Dicky: “There’s a gold mine between Saganaga and Saganagons. The Powells had the claim. There’s gold up there. The problem is there isn’t enough to make mining it worthwhile.”

Dicky: “Uncle Mike (Powell) left Saganagons (Powell homestead) with two canoes and a barge between them. He went to Winton and brought back a cow on the barge. When he came to a portage, the cow pulled the barge across the portage. He brought several cows in that way.”

Dicky: “I remember when I was a boy two men with the Border Patrol came across the ice on a Harley. The motorcycle had a big tire on the back and a ski in the front. I thought, ‘If I had one of those…’”

The Resort

Beavers

Dicky: “You meet a lot of good people when you are running a resort. Some guests will come off the lake and bring you a bag of fresh walleye filets. You can’t beat that.”

Dicky: “A beaver makes a good pet. In the winter, they’ll lie in front of the stove just flat like a rug. If there is a draft under the door, they’ll work all night hauling whatever they can to the door to plug the draft.”

Sherry: “We have some people who just enjoy Sag who are renting our cabins by the year. If everyone gets along, we may rent them for a longer term. Now we have people to look out for us up there.”

Dicky: “People ask if beavers bite with those big teeth. They don’t bite. They hit with their front feet.”

Dicky: “It’s a good life.”

Dicky: “I was running a trapline on Cache Bay with another guy. We had wooden boxes nailed to trees for our marten and fisher sets. A moose came by and knocked down one of the boxes. The box was on the ground at the base of the tree with a moose antler on top of it. That would have made a great picture!”

Bears Dicky: “A bear is an awful neighbor. They play havoc with minnow traps and get into everything. One time we had a rifle hidden in the woods by our minnow traps. A bear found it and chewed up the stock. On the next trip, the rifle was gone and we never saw it again. I wonder what the bear did with that rifle?”

Dicky: “One year we had so many bears, I don’t know why, that you had to carry a shovel and a rifle around the resort. You were either cleaning up after a bear or shooting one. We’d haul off the carcass and the dead bear would be eaten by the other bears within one day.”

Dicky: “One day I was talking to Harry Fisher and he asked me, if I could go anywhere, what would I want to do. I told him the one trip I always wanted to take was to go to Churchill (Manitoba) to see the polar bears. Harry came back later and

Sherry and Dicky Powell haven’t been able to return to their home in Canada since the border was closed due to the pandemic in March, 2021. | SUBMITTED NORTHERN WILDS

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By Breana Roy

June Exhibits

There’s lots to see this month, starting with an abstract exhibit by Patricia DeVries at the Johnson Heritage Post (JHP) in Grand Marais, held May 28 to June 20. Also at JHP will be a fiber arts exhibit by Anna Repke from June 25 to July 18. Then, visit the Lyric First Stage Gallery in Viginia throughout June for a multi-media traveling exhibit titled “Ancient Cedars Trail: An Artistic Exploration 2021.” The exhibit consists of a collaboration of regional artists in support of preserving and protecting critical habitat within the new Ancient Cedars Trail in Tower. The exhibit will then be at The Art Corner in Ely in July. See the events section to learn more.

This oil piece by Ely artist Wendy Rouse is part of the Ancient Cedars Trail exhibit. This piece is titled “Under the Cedars.” | WENDY ROUSE

“Ancient Cedars” is a watercolor mixed media piece by Duluth artist Margie Helstrom. It will be on display with the Ancient Cedars Trail exhibit. | MARGIE HELSTROM “Composition #10” by Patricia DeVries will be on display at the Johnson Heritage Post until June 20. | PATRICIA DEVRIES

Eleven different artists will participate in the Ancient Cedars Trail exhibit, including Duluth artist Linda Glisson. This acrylic mixed media piece is titled “Contemplating Cedars.” | LINDA GLISSON 22

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Fiber artist Anna Repke will have her artwork on display at the Johnson Heritage Post from June 25 to July 18. This piece is titled “Safe Through The Storm.” | ANNA REPKE

“Porcupine,” an ink and pencil piece

by Jim DeVries of Britt, is also part of the Ancient Cedars Trail exhibit. | JIM DEVRIES

Many of the murals found in Grand Marais are the work of Lyle Saethre, a Grand Marais artist who spent his retirement painting the town. | DORIE CARLSON

Almost 20 years later, the murals are being restored as part of a project by Art ‘Round Town and the Cook County Historical Society. | DORIE CARLSON

Restoring Lyle Saethre’s Murals

to discovering MuralShield, a clear consolidant specifically designed to preserve and protect acrylic murals against the elements and further deterioration. Not only will MuralShield weatherproof Saethre’s murals and protect them from UV light damage, it will also brighten the colors and prevent the paint from cracking.

“MuralShield has to be sprayed on, and the hope is to hire people to apply MuralShield on all of the saveable pieces,” Mershon said.

CREATIVE SPACE: By Rae Poynter A local love of art is apparent when walking through the city of Grand Marais, evident not only in the art-focused businesses but also in the public art that adorns the city. Many of the murals are the work of Lyle Saethre, a Grand Marais artist who spent his retirement painting the town. Almost 20 years later, the murals are being restored as part of a project

by Art ‘Round Town and the Cook County Historical Society, in the hopes that these pieces of Grand Marais history will be able to be enjoyed for years to come.

Lyle Saethre was born in 1927 and first developed his interest in painting as a child. Dorie Carlson, Saethre’s daughter, said that despite his initial interest, he experienced a stigma against boys doing art, and was teased by other students while attending school in Grand Marais.

“He was friends with Bill Bally,” Carlson said. “Bill was a little older, and he protected Dad when they teased him about his drawings. I think that is why he never continued drawing when he got older.”

Saethre stayed in Cook County as an adult and became an electrician. Despite the hiatus from painting, his love of the craft persisted, and as he got older he began to rekindle his interest in art. Carlson said that she gave her father a class at the Grand Marais Art Colony, and he also took classes while spending the winter in Texas. Carlson said that despite the classes he still experienced some hesitancy in pursuing his art, concerned that he wasn’t good enough. But it was while he was

working for artist Nita Anderson at the Eight Broadway Art Gallery—trading electrical work for painting lessons—that he grew in the confidence to finally follow his passion. After taking lessons with Anderson, he decided to spend his retirement using his talents to paint murals around Grand Marais.

Lyle Saethre’s murals depict scenes from the North Shore’s history, telling the stories of historic events and preserving the memory of how Grand Marais and other places along the shore looked years ago. His most recognized murals include the garage door of the Bally Blacksmith Shop, painted in 2003, and the murals on the south and north sides of the Beaver House, painted in 2003 and 2004. He also painted the mural of the Edmund Fitzgerald on the retaining wall of the South of the Border Cafe, and a scene of historic Isle Royale on a semi trailer that is currently located at Thompson Performance on Highway 61.

While a few of the murals were commissioned, most Saethre did for free, donating his time and talent out of a desire to preserve the North Shore’s history and add beauty to the city. Carlson described her father as being the “ultimate recycler,” recalling how he would attend the paint recycling day at the local recycling center, and would return with a myriad of different colors of outdoor paint. He also loved the social aspect of being outside painting, and was happy to climb down from his ladder truck and answer the questions of curious onlookers.

Lyle Saethre stands next to one of his murals. | DORIE CARLSON Saethre passed away in 2009, and his murals have begun to show the wear of almost 20 years of exposure to the elements. Last fall, several community members came together to discuss how to protect Saethre’s murals, and they created a plan to protect them from further deterioration and preserve them for future generations to enjoy.

Spearheading the promotion of the Saethre Mural Restoration Project is Art ‘Round Town, a Grand Marais-based organization dedicated to celebrating, preserving, and promoting public art. Some of their past work has included saving and storing the mosaics on the old Co-op building and sponsoring the mosaics at Johnson’s Foods. Ann Mershon, the president of Art ‘Round Town, conducted research on how to preserve the murals, and learned that painting over murals is typically frowned upon. Instead, her research led

In order to accomplish this, Art ‘Round Town is raising awareness and fundraising for the project. Just one gallon of MuralShield, which covers about 200 square feet with two coats, costs about $100, making it a significant investment to preserve all the murals. Already the project has received grants from Visit Cook County and the Cook County Chamber of Commerce’s Great Place Project, as well as a donation from the Saethre family.

Mershon said that they hope to finish the project by next summer, but the timing depends on fundraising.

This summer, Art ‘Round Town will focus on promotion of the project, including producing a brochure with a map of Saethre’s murals that will be available at the tourist information booth. Visitors can use the brochure for a self-guided walking tour of Saethre’s murals. Art ‘Round Town will also be having a promotional event on August 7, the Saturday of Fisherman’s Picnic, with a tent behind the Bally Blacksmith shop.

Just as Lyle Saethre preserved pieces of history through his murals, the community’s help in preserving the murals will also ensure that the stories of Cook County and the man who painted Grand Marais will be saved for years to come.

Those looking to learn more or get involved in the Saethre Mural Restoration Project can contact Ann Mershon at Art ‘Round Town at (218) 387-2245.

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Photographer Bryan Hansel will teach an online photography course on June 10 for the Wooden Boat Show. | BRYAN HANSEL

ing on the commons with various artisans, sailing on the Hjordis, boat builders working on a herring skiff build, live music by John C. Van Orman, and a boats-to-tools auction, which will be held online, too.

Take advantage of various courses and speakers online, including “Canoe and Kayak Photography Tips with Bryan Hansel,” “Tools of the Rope and Canvas Working Trades with Des Pawson,” “In Pursuit of Historic Craft Practice with Brittany Nicole Cox, Antiquarian Horologist,” and “Danish Paper Cuts,” which is free to participate. To register for webinars or learn more, visit: northhouse.org.

ANCIENT CEDARS TRAIL TRAVELING EXHIBIT

JUNE-SEPT. Visit the Lyric First Stage Gallery in Viginia throughout the month of June for a multi-media traveling exhibit titled “Ancient Cedars Trail: An Artistic Exploration 2021.” The exhibit consists of a collaboration of regional artists in support of preserving and protecting critical habitat within the new Ancient Cedars Trail in Tower. Participating artists include Jim DeVries, Wendy Rouse, Pamela Davis, Jordan Gawboy, Nancy Ensley, Louise Laakso Lundin, Jeff Argir, Linda Glisson, Margie Helstrom, Nan Stubenvoll, and Sue Rauschenfels. The exhibit will then be displayed at The Art Corner in Ely throughout July, at the Borealis Art Guild in Hibbing throughout August, and at Northwoods Friends of the Arts throughout September.

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LAST RUNNER STANDING

Test your endurance with the Last Runner Standing event in Duluth. | AMY BROADMOORE To learn more about the exhibit, email: srauschenfels@live.com.

WOODEN BOAT SHOW

JUNE 3-25 In this year of transition, the North House Folk School in Grand Mara-

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is is planning to celebrate with gusto and safety. They will be holding the 2021 Wooden Boat Show both on campus, in person June 18-20, and online June 3-25.

On campus activities include family dropin crafts, the wooden boat display, craft-

JUNE 5, SATURDAY The Last Runner Standing is a unique event for runners of all abilities, but only the strongest among them will be the Last Runner Standing.

Held at Spirit Mountain in Duluth, each runner will have exactly one hour to complete the 4.2-mile scenic loop. If a runner fails to return within the hour, they are eliminated from the race. Runners can complete the course at whatever pace they choose, but they must finish the race and be ready to start the next 4.2-mile race within 60 minutes. The first race will begin at 10 a.m. and a new race will begin every hour on the hour (11 a.m., noon,

etc.) until only one runner is left standing.

Even if you aren’t the last runner standing, unique awards will be given to the last man standing, last woman standing, last teen standing, last 60-year-old standing, and more. Every runner will receive a race t-shirt and the race headquarters tent will provide drinks and snacks. Race registration is required. To learn more, visit: lastrunnerstanding.com.

The Garry Bjorklund Half Marathon (13.1 miles) will also take place on Saturday, and the William A. Irvin 5k and youth Whipper Snapper races (free for ages 14 and under) will take place on Friday. Grandma’s Marathon weekend will also include live music from 8 a.m.-10 p.m. on Saturday in Bayfront Festival Park. Other weekend activities, such as the Essentia Health Fitness Expo and Michelina’s all-you-can-eat spaghetti dinner, are tentative. For more information, visit: grandmasmarathon.com.

Northern Wilds Calendar of Events Feb. 19-June 20 Dakobinaawaswaan (Baby in a Cradleboard) Exhibition Thunder Bay Art Gallery, theag.ca

Feb. 26-Sept. 12 Piitwewetam: Making is Medicine Exhibition Thunder Bay Art Gallery, theag.ca

May 8-June 8 Virtual Exhibit: The Story of 12 Paintings

by Ida Lorentzen Nordic Center of Duluth, nordiccenterduluth.org

May 21-Aug. 31 But It Was Still There Exhibit: Moira Bateman, Annie Hejny, Moheb Soliman & Nick Wroblewski Studio 21, Grand Marais, grandmaraisartcolony.org

LUTSEN 99ER THE ART OF RECIPROCITY

JUNE 5-SEPT. 30 Sean Connaughty’s socially engaged art projects address anthropogenic impacts on the global ecology and humanity’s place within that system.

Working on site from May 24 to June 7, Sean will complete a site-specific installation at Sugarloaf Cove Nature Center in Schroeder. The installation will be exhibited through Sept. 30. An opening reception for the installation will take place from 1-3 p.m. on Saturday, June 5, featuring a walkthrough of the installation and an opportunity to hear from the artist. This exhibition is a partnership between Sugarloaf Cove Nature Center and Grand Marais Art Colony. To learn more, visit: grandmaraisartcolony.org or sugarloafnorthshore.org.

JUNE 26, SATURDAY The Lutsen 99er bike race takes place high above the shores of beautiful Lake Superior, starting and ending at Lutsen Mountains. The 99mile course weaves through the rugged terrain of the Sawtooth Mountains and boreal forest. Other categories include a 69-mile, 49-mile and 25-mile race, as well as free youth races on Sunday (registration required). Due to Covid restrictions, spectators are not allowed at the starting line or on the course. Post-race events include an awards ceremony at 7:30 p.m. outside of Papa Charlie’s, followed by live music by Timmy Haus. There will also be a BBQ, live music, and Fulton beer and North Shore Winery sampling from 2-8:30 p.m. on Friday, June 25. Race registration required. To learn more, visit: lutsen99er. com.

POLLINATOR MARKETPLACE

JUNE 12, SATURDAY The Duluth Monarch Buddies (DMB) will hold a Pollinator Marketplace on June 12 from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. in the west parking lot of the First United Methodist Church (the Coppertop Church) in Duluth. Featured will be a pollinator and native plant sale from Shore­view Natives in Two Harbors, free milkweed seeds and resources on pollinator plants and gardening for Monarch butterflies, and DMB merchandise including monarch t-shirts and aprons. Credit card sales preferred. DMB members will be on hand to answer questions, assist with plant purchases, and provide direction on developing and increasing monarch and butterfly habitat in their yards and neighborhoods.

The DMB’s popular Monarch Festival was cancelled last year due to COVID and this smaller, outdoor Pollinator Marketplace replaces it this year. Social distancing and masks apply to maintain everyone’s safety. To learn more, find Duluth Monarch Buddies on Facebook, or email: duluthmonarchbuddies@gmail.com.

GRANDMA’S MARATHON WEEKEND

JUNE 17-19 Tie up your shoelaces for the 45th Annual Grandma’s Marathon race, held on Saturday, June 19. Totaling 26.2 miles, the race will start at 7:45 a.m. in Two Harbors and end in Canal Park in Duluth.

May 21-Oct. 16 Tweed Museum of Art’s Royal Canadian “Mountie” Paintings & Ojibwe Cultural Heritage Exhibits Cross River Heritage Center, Schroeder, crossriverheritage.org

May 24-Sept. 6 Chesley Antoinette: Tignon Duluth Art Institute, Duluth, duluthartinstitute.org

May 28-June 20 Patricia DeVries: Abstract Exhibit Johnson Heritage Post, Grand Marais, johnsonheritagepost.org

June 1-30 Ancient Cedars Trail: An Artistic Exploration 2021 Exhibit Lyric First Stage Gallery, Virginia, srauschenfels@live.com

June 3-25 Wooden Boat Show 2021: On Campus & Online North House Folk School, Grand Marais, northhouse.org

June 4, Friday CCMH Foundation’s Annual Wine & Beer Tasting Fundraiser 5:30 p.m. Cloquet Country Club, Cloquet, ccmhfoundation.com/events

June 5, Saturday

DULUTH AIRSHOW

JUNE 26-27 Minnesota’s largest airshow returns to Duluth on June 26-27. This year’s performers and attractions include the U.S. Navy Blue Angels, the U.S. Air Force F-22 Raptor Demonstration Team, the Red Bull Helicopter, Red Bull Wing Suits, the U.S. Air Force Heritage Flight, and aerobatic performances by Kirby Chambliss, Mike Wiskus and Craig Gifford. There will also be many static displays, including a F-15C, F-16, F-18, T-6 Texan II, PT-22, and the B-25 “Miss Mitchell.” Bring the kids to the Kids Zone which offers rides for children of all ages. Kids can enjoy activities such as a 36-foot inflatable turbo shuttle slide, an inflatable aircraft carrier obstacle course, a Blue Angels bounce inflatable and the extreme air power jump ride (additional charges may apply). To purchase tickets or learn more, visit: duluthairshow. com.

Arrowhead Cooperative Annual Meeting 9:30 a.m. Cook County High School Football Field, Grand Marais Last Runner Standing 10 a.m. Spirit Mountain Recreation Area, Duluth, lastrunnerstanding.com

June 5-12 Gala for the Grove Home Edition: Online Auction Birch Grove Community School, Tofte, facebook.com/birchgrovecommunityschool

June 5-Sept. 30 The Art of Reciprocity Outdoor Exhibit by Sean Connaughty (Reception June 5 at 1 p.m.) Sugarloaf Cove Nature Center, Schroeder, grandmaraisartcolony.org

June 6-7 Virtual Boundary Waters Expo Gunflint Trail, facebook.com/bwcaexpo

June 11-12 Park Point Rummage Sales 7 a.m. Park Point, Duluth, parkpointcommunityclub.org

June 12, Saturday Pollinator Marketplace 10 a.m. West Parking Lot of First United Methodist Church, Duluth, Facebook: Duluth Monarch Buddies Michael Monroe Log Cabin Concert 6:30 p.m.

Grand Marais, michaelmonroemusic.com

June 13, Sunday “Walking the Old Road” Feature Presentation with Author Staci Lola Drouillard 2 p.m.

Schroeder Town Hall, Schroeder, crossriverheritage.org

June 14-July 17 (Not on Sundays) Wet Your Paddle on the Gunflint Trail Various Outfitters, Gunflint Trail, visitcookcounty.com/wetyourpaddle

June 15-Sept. 12 Tia Keobounpheng: Defuse Duluth Art Institute, Duluth, duluthartinstitute.org

June 18, Friday William A. Irvin 5k Race 6 p.m. Duluth, grandmasmarathon.com

June 19, Saturday Garry Bjorklund Half Marathon 6 a.m. Scenic Hwy 61 to Duluth, grandmasmarathon.com Grandma’s Marathon 7:45 a.m. Two Harbors to Duluth, grandmasmarathon.com

June 20, Sunday Father’s Day

June 21-Sept. 27 Karlyn Atkinson Berg: Nature Re-envisioned and Reality Transformed Duluth Art Institute, Duluth, duluthartinstitute.org

June 25, Friday Lake Superior Ribfest 4 p.m. Bayfront Festival Park, Duluth, lakesuperiorribfest.com

June 25-July 18 Anna Repke: Fiber Arts Exhibit Johnson Heritage Post, Grand Marais, johnsonheritagepost.org

June 26, Saturday Bayfront Bratfest 11 a.m. & 4 p.m. Bayfront Festival Park, Duluth, bayfrontbratfest.com

June 26-27 Lutsen 99er Lutsen Mountains, lutsen99er.com Duluth Air and Aviation Expo 9 a.m. Duluth International Airport, duluthairshow.com

July 3-4 Hovland Arts Festival 10 a.m. Hovland Town Hall, hovlandartsfestival.com

WEEKLY EVENTS Thursdays Finland Farmers Market (starts June 10) 5 p.m. Clair Nelson Community Center, Finland, finlandfarmersmarket.com

Saturdays Cook County Market 10 a.m. Senior Center Parking Lot, Grand Marais, facebook.com/ccfarmandcraft

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Off regularly priced item of equal or lesser value. Excludes $5 Lunch, $6 Lunch, DQ Cakes, and Take Home Boxes of Novelties.

Not valid with any other coupons or specials.

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JUNE 2021

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11am-9pm Monday-Saturday 11am-6pm Sunday www.poplarhaus.com 218.388.2222 7890 Gunflint Trail

The North Shore Dish Cookie Therapy By Chuck Viren

Who doesn’t love a good cookie? Cookies bring smiles. Cookies bring joy. Perhaps that is why decorative cookies have become popular at birthdays, graduations, and other celebratory gatherings. Many artistically talented bakers have now found a niche selling this form of edible art.

As is turns out, some of those who produce these iced masterpieces have found making these cookies to be just the right therapy to help them through trying times.

Three such cookie artists, Sharon Peters of Binocular Baker in Thunder Bay, Jennifer Nosker of Superior Cookie Co. in Grand Marais, and Lyndsay Smitke of Snazzy Cakes in Duluth, have all gotten involved in decorating cookies as a way of dealing with stressful times in their lives.

Sharon Peters was a low vision specialist at the Canadian National Institute for the Blind. She dealt with the psycho-social aspects of vision loss. To relax after a stressful day at work, she started to bake and decorate cookies. She networks with a number of local cookie artists who say they also create their art as a way of dealing with anxiety. As she puts it, “I can’t do anything else when making cookies.”

Lindsay Smitke of Snazzy Cakes started creating hand-painted cookies while living the life of a military wife in Texas.

After moving back to their hometown of Duluth in 2016, Smitke’s business has really taken off. | SNAZZY CAKES

What started as a hobby turned into a vocation after she retired. She would bring her cookies to events, and soon people were asking to purchase them. To her, Binocular Baker is more than a business, though.

She has taken a keen interest in developing her art. She recently traveled to Toronto to study under Marta Torres. The class was so detailed, and the cookies they made so intricate, that in nine hours she completed just two cookies. She looks at her creations as more like paintings. “It’s taken me to another level,” she says.

Her clients connect with her through her Instagram account, @thebinocularbaker.

She offers contactless pick-up. Most clients want sugar cookies with royal icing. Her designs are customized to meet the needs of her clients. She provides cookies for bridal showers, classrooms, graduations, birthday parties, and other special events.

Sharon is proud of how far she has come with her craft. As she puts it, “I see things through sugar.”

Jennifer Nosker of Superior Cookie Co. moved to Grand Marais in 2009 after a nasty divorce involving an abusive relationship. She had always been a big baker of cookies for Christmas. She had wanted to

To relax after a stressful day at work, Sharon Peters would bake and decorate cookies. But what started as a hobby turned into a vocation after Peters retired. She now runs the Binocular Baker in Thunder Bay. | BINOCULAR BAKER go into the cookie business, but her ex-husband declared she had no talent. So she, “buried that dream and set it aside.” Now married to a very supportive husband, her life was looking up until her brother passed in 2019. Then Covid hit, and during that time her father had a stroke. Then this past

February, she got up and said, “I’m going to make cookies.” She made a test run on Valentine’s Day and got such positive feedback that she plunged into the business. She has been happily swamped ever since.

She calls her cookie making her therapy.

It is lots of fun and a good creative out-

Lindsay Smitke of Snazzy Cakes likes to ice the cookie in white first and use that as her blank canvas. Then she hand-paints a set of cookies with a variety of designs. | SNAZZY CAKES let, like an adult coloring book. She finds that she talks to herself and her departed brother. “It’s so creative,” she says, “I didn’t think I had that in me.” And she is so pleased that her efforts bring other people joy.

She takes orders over Facebook and Instagram; you can find her online at Superior Cookie Co. She does what she calls her stock orders of cookies she has designed NORTHERN WILDS

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Jennifer Nosker of Superior Cookie Co. in Grand Marais calls her cooking making her therapy. She does what she calls her stock orders of cookies she has designed for holiday events and does custom orders upon request. | SUPERIOR COOKIE CO.

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for holiday events and does custom orders upon request. She makes deliveries in Grand Marais but is unable to ship orders.

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Lindsay Smitke started Snazzy Cakes in 2010 while her husband was deployed in the military. She had always been artistic, having created and sold jewelry prior to getting into the baking business. Baking enabled her to stay at home with her kids and provided her with the creative outlet she needed with her husband away.

They moved back to their hometown of Duluth in 2016 after her husband retired from the military. They purchased her grandfather’s house and were able to create her cake studio in an extra room.

She was also caring for her elderly father.

Smitke says that, “My art is me,” and that through her business the artist within her is fulfilled. Sharing love, sharing happiness through her art has fulfilled so many aspects of her life.

Smitke started creating hand-painted cookies while living the life of a military wife in Texas. Since then, that part of her business has really taken off. Her first order when they moved to Duluth was for 500 cookies. She likes to ice the cookie in white first and use that as her blank canvas. Then she hand-paints a set of cookies with a variety of designs. As with the others, she will customize her designs to her client’s wishes. For example, for birthday cookies she will get as much information on the birthday celebrant and use that to customize her designs. Art and designing cakes and cookies are her identity. Her job brings her peace and the creative outlet she craves.

Smitke takes order through her website, snazzycakesedibleart.com. Since the beginning of the pandemic, she has been

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This past February, Jennifer Nosker of Superior Cookie Co. decided to make cookies. She made a test run on Valentine’s Day and got such positive feedback that she plunged into the business. She has been happily swamped ever since. | SUPERIOR COOKIE CO. conducting design appointments via Zoom.

She offers contact-free pick-up and will also deliver. “Business is booming,” she says, “The possibilities are limitless.”

The style and creativity that go into the making of these cookies are therapy for the artistic women who make them. Designing cookies provides a creative outlet that brings joy to others. The cookies are made with love, and the artists don’t have to paint the smiles that appear on the faces of those who receive their cookies.

Wellness for the Body and Mind

By Hartley Newell-Acero & Amy Schmidt in partnership with SMC and CCPHHS There’s lots of talk about the importance of physical and mental health. The brain is where the physical and mental intersect so it stands to reason that a healthy brain is critical to both our mental and physical health. Fortunately, though it is infinitely complex, the brain is not all that difficult to care for.

Let’s start with the head. Even without a diagnosis of a concussion, “getting your bell rung” can have long term impacts.

Brain injuries, and recovery from them, can be as complex as the brain itself. For instance, an injury to one part of the head can cause damage on the opposite side, or even throughout the whole brain.

Oral health plays an important role in brain health, too. There are about 700 different species of bacteria that live in your mouth, and roughly two dozen of those can cause harm to other parts of your body. Chronic gum disease or oral infections allows those harmful bacteria to escape into your bloodstream through the

vessels in your gums. They then can travel throughout your body, damaging other organs, including your brain.

What you put in your mouth matters more than you might think. Our brains are only about two percent of our body weight, but they use about 20 percent of the calories we consume. It’s critical that we keep them fueled with high-quality energy. Diets that emphasize vegetables, berries, whole grains, fish, nuts, unsaturated fats, and plant-based proteins, protect both our hearts and our brains. On the flip side, tobacco and alcohol are damaging to brain health and should be avoided or used in moderation.

Your ears also require attention. Hearing loss leads to the loss of sensory input, which causes the “hearing” section of the brain to shrink, changing the brain’s structure. Hearing loss can create confusion and lead to mental exhaustion. That can zap a person’s energy for remembering, thinking, doing things, and interacting with other people.

Regular physical activity is also critical to the brain’s health. Exercise increases

the amount of oxygen-rich blood that gets to the brain, supports the development of new neurons, and increases their connectivity. This leads to brains that work more efficiently and can adapt better to change.

Exercise can also help improve blood pressure, blood sugar, and cholesterol levels, all of which impact the health of your brain.

High blood pressure, high blood sugar, and high levels of LDL cholesterol (the “bad kind”) damage blood vessels, reducing the amount of blood that can reach tissues and organs. The health of every part of your body depends on healthy blood flow, and this absolutely includes your brain!

And don’t be afraid to amp up the mental stimulation. When was the last time you put yourself in a situation that required you to learn? How long has it been since you’ve seen, done, tasted, heard, or tried something new? When we introduce novel experiences into our lives, we stimulate new connections between brain cells, and may even help our brains to grow additional nerve cells.

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Clean Your

HOW TO

PREPARE YOUR HOME

Prevent the spread of Aquatic Invasive Species

FREE BOAT WASH

FOR WILDFIRES WILDFIRE RISK REDUCTION STEPS THAT CAN MAKE YOUR HOME SAFER DURING A WILDFIRE

6 3 1

4

5

OR 2 VEGETATION MANAGEMENT 1. HOME IGNITION ZONES Limiting the amount of flammable vegetation, choosing fire-resistant building materials and construction techniques, along with periodic exterior maintenance in the three home ignition zones - increases the chances your home will survive a wildfire when exposed to embers and/or a surface fire. The zones include the Immediate Zone: 0 to 5 feet around the house; Intermediate Zone: 5 to 30 feet; and the Extended Zone: 30 to 100 feet.

2. LANDSCAPING AND MAINTENANCE To reduce ember ignitions and fire spread, trim branches that overhang the home, porch and deck and prune branches of large trees up to (depending on their height) 6 to 10 feet from the ground. Remove plants containing resins, and ensure mulches in the Immediate Zone (0 to 5 feet around the house) are non-combustible options like crushed stone and gravel. Maintain vegetation annually.

FIRE RESISTIVE CONSTRUCTION 3. ROOFING AND VENTS Class A fire-rated roofing products offer the best protection. Examples include: Composite shingles, metal, concrete and clay tiles. Roof and attic vents should be screened to prevent ember entry.

4. DECKS AND PORCHES Never store flammable materials underneath decks or porches. Remove dead vegetation and debris from under decks/porches and between deck board joints.

5. SIDING AND WINDOWS Embers can collect in small nooks and crannies and ignite combustible materials; radiant heat from flames can crack windows. Use fire-resistant siding such as brick, fiber-cement, plaster or stucco and dual-pane tempered glass windows.

6. EMERGENCY RESPONDER ACCESS Ensure your home and neighborhood has clearly marked street names and numbers.

Driveways should be at least 12 feet wide with a vertical clearance of 15 feet, for emergency vehicle access.

BE PREPARED Always evacuate if you feel it’s unsafe to stay – don’t wait to receive an emergency notification if you feel threatened from the fire.

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• Store firewood away from the home • Mow the lawn regularly • Prune low-hanging tree branches • Landscape with fire-resistant plants • Create small fuel breaks with hardscaping features COOK COUNTY

Locally, visit cookcountyfirewise.org, or email firewise@co.cook.mn.us

M I N N E S O TA

Firewise© is a program of the National Fire Protection Association. This publication was produced in cooperation with the USDA Forest Service, US Department of the Interior and the National Association of State Foresters. NFPA is an equal opportunity provider. Firewise© and Firewise USA© are registered trademarks of the National Fire Protection Association, Quincy, MA 02169.

Order a Reducing Wildfire Risks in the Home Ignition Zone checklist/poster at Firewise.org

Northern Trails Life with Loons By Gord Ellis

Loons have been a part of the northwestern Ontario outdoor experience for as long as I can remember. The haunting sound of the loon call, and the way it echoes through the lake, is something that stays with anyone who has experienced it.

Loons are a beautiful bird in the water, sleek and graceful, perfectly suited to their environment. They swim effortlessly and can disappear for what seems like many minutes at a time under the water. As a kid, I can recall being in a canoe and seeing a loon vanish more than 100 yards away.

Then as if by magic, that loon appeared just a fishing rods length away from the boat, looking at us as if to say, “this is my lake, fishermen.” And just as soon as that loon was there, it was gone again.

The loon is ideally suited for chasing down fish and can go to significant depths to catch them. I found this out as a teenager working for the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry. My summer job was to set out nets in different lakes around the region and then pull them out the next day.

Another summer student and I then went about counting, weighing, measuring and recording every fish that was caught. Not always the most exotic work in scorching summer heat. One time, we had a deep water set and as we pulled it in, we could feel some weight in the mesh. We assumed it was a laker or pike but when it came over the side it was a loon that had dived down at least 50 feet and got caught. An unfortunate end for that loon, but testament to the amazing ability they have to dive.

That net incident wasn’t the last time I would be surprised by an unexpected loon appearance. When I started muskie fishing in the 1980s, one of the weapons of choice was a lure called an Eagle Tail. This lure was a spinner with a multi hook, black bucktail dressing and a large silver, red or chartreuse spinner. In total, the Eagle Tail measured about 9 inches in length and looked very much like a wounded bait fish in the water. The technique was to cast the spinner out, then reel it back quickly to the boat. The hope was that the fast-moving spinner would trigger a big muskie to ambush the lure. Sometimes a muskie would follow the lure right to the boat and you would perform something called a figure eight to try and get the fish to strike. One memorable time, I thought I saw a muskie following and got ready to put my rod tip in the water and perform the figure eight.

Loons are mostly a source of joy for those of us who spend time on the water. The sight of a loon—or many loons—is always a thrill. | BRENDA HADRICH

[ABOVE] Loons swim effortlessly and

can disappear for what seems like many minutes at a time under the water. | WALT HUSS

The haunting sound of the loon call, and the way it echoes through the lake, is something that stays with anyone who has experienced it. | BRENDA HADRICH Yet what I thought was a muskie turned out be a loon in hot pursuit of the spinner.

The bird was inches away from creating all sorts of grief for both of us, but the spinner was pulled away just in time. Several times since I’ve had loons rocket in after lures, but nothing drew them like the Eagle Tail did.

Loons, while primarily a peaceful bird, can also create quite a lot of commotion and noise when they want to. If you’ve

ever seen a loon get up in the water and start displaying, you don’t forget it. On one northwestern Ontario brook trout lake, my partner and I got a little too close to a loon nest we had no idea was there. A male loon quickly appeared with chest up and wings outstretched, screeching and splashing at us with a call that was in no way soothing.

The bird would come right to the canoe, looking quite intimidating and very pissed

off. We were mortified, since we had no interest in disturbing a nest or a loon. We paddled away as quickly as we could, with the ornery loon hot on our trail. Later, once things had calmed down, we watched from a safe distance as that same loon— now with its mate—gave the chick a ride on its back on the lake. It was a gorgeous, placid sight and a far cry from what we experienced just a few hours earlier.

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Loons can also be quite aggressive with each other. More than once I’ve watched as two male loons have fought with each other over some unseen territorial line on a lake. The loons will grab beaks, wings outstretched, and battle it out like UFC fighters, twisting, biting and pecking at each other for quite some time. It is dirty fighting and can be deadly. I’ve found several dead loons in lakes over the years, likely the losers in a battle for supremacy over some especially productive bay or shoreline.

Loons are, of course, mostly a source of joy for those of us who spend time on the water.

The sight of a loon—or many loons—is always a thrill. In the fall, on Lake Superior I’ve witnessed huge groups of loons rafted up together before they begin the migration south. It is a magnificent sight. Loons begin to lose the summer plumage in the fall and take on quite a different look. Yet the loon call never changes.

Nothing signifies the wild of the north quite like the soaring, haunting call of the loon. May it always be so.

If you’ve ever seen a loon get up in the water and start displaying, you don’t forget it. | BRENDA HADRICH

ACCESS: Pike Lake lies approximately 6 miles northeast of Lutsen. The boat ramp is on the south-central part of the lake. To reach it you’ll have to drive down Murmur Creek Road, which is gravel. There is a steep descent with switchbacks down to the boat ramp, but the ramp itself is not overly steep. There is a dock at the concrete ramp and adjacent handicapped parking.

The parking lot is at the top of a hill and requires a short walk.

GAME SPECIES PRESENT: Walleye, smallmouth bass, northern pike, yellow perch and lake whitefish.

WALLEYES: Matt Weberg, assistant area fisheries supervisor in Grand Marais, said most anglers who visit Pike Lake are after walleyes. “It’s always been an abundant population with fairly good size distribution,” he said. Weberg said anglers will find a mix of sizes here, with lots of fish running from 12 to 20 inches, and some even larger. The last fisheries survey in 2019 turned up 16 different year-classes. Weberg said one walleye was 24 years old!

“That goes a long way to describe our water quality and our habitat for these long-lived species,” he said.

Walleyes were last stocked in the 1970s and the population is entirely self-sustain-

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SMALLMOUTH BASS: Pike Lake is gaining a reputation as an excellent smallmouth bass lake.

“For some, the smallmouth population might be more of a draw than the walleyes,” Weberg said.

He said the lake has a really strong smallmouth population, and because smallies are net shy, the survey may not even reflect the true abundance of bass in Pike Lake. Like walleyes, you’ll find a variety of sizes—from fish the size of rock bass, to trophy-caliber specimens topping 20 inches. Weberg handled a 21-inch smallie that was 19 years old. There is no shortage of forage for smallmouths. That’s because the lake has a real problem with rusty crayfish.

These non-native crayfish were first discovered by the DNR in 1995, although Weberg said they had likely been in the lake for some time before they were detected. Even today they are abundant; to the point some cabin owners trap them to try to eradicate

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WHY GO: Pike Lake has good populations of walleyes and smallmouth bass. You’ll find fish in a variety of sizes, from small ones, to eaters, to trophy-class fish. Plus, there is a low-density northern pike population with some large individuals.

ing. However, growth is slower than other lakes in the area, possibly due to declining perch numbers, which serve as forage, and/or competition from smallmouth bass.

The management plan calls for at least 13 percent of walleyes taken in gill nets during sampling to measure at least 16 inches in length, and the latest sample nearly doubled that figure.

Weberg advises anglers to chase walleyes during low-light conditions. Water clarity runs from 17 to 20 feet, so plan your outings early or late in the day or on cloudy days with a chop.

. Cty 4 ke Rd

BY JOE SHEAD

a Pike L

PIKE LAKE

them. When rusties enter a lake, they destroy aquatic vegetation and are generally harmful to a lake. The upside is that smallmouths can and do eat them.

YELLOW PERCH: Pike Lake used to have a really good perch population, including good-sized fish.

“We’ve seen a steady decline, roughly tracking the establishment of rusty crayfish,” Weberg said.

The perch population has been in decline since the 1980s. With few weeds remaining, perch have lost a lot of their habitat.

“The 2019 survey was among the lowest we’ve seen since very early in the survey history,” Weberg said.

Not only does the perch decline impact anglers, who formerly caught nice-sized perch; it’s also impacted walleye and northern pike populations, which prey on perch.

NORTHERN PIKE: Despite the name, Pike Lake does not have a high northern pike population. However, it does have a low-density population that produces some good-sized fish. With fewer mouths competing for available forage, the pike that do exist can grow large. Pike Lake has deep,

cool water, which large northerns need during the summer heat. This type of habitat is also home to lake whitefish, which provide excellent fatty forage for big pike.

Weberg said the latest survey found pike in the mid-30-inch range, and fisheries crews have handled fish up to 40 inches. Weberg said he wouldn’t be surprised if the lake produced fish that were even larger.

LAKE WHITEFISH: At one time, lake whitefish were commercially harvested from Pike Lake in great numbers. Those days are long gone, and no netting is allowed, either commercially or by sport anglers. However, Weberg said the lake still has a fairly consistent population of whitefish. Although few anglers target them, they are an important forage species for large northern pike.

BONUS BROOKIES: Once in a while a brook trout makes its way into the lake from Murmur Creek. However, catching one would be a rare occurrence.

HABITAT PROJECTS: Weberg said the U.S. Forest Service is planning to place woody debris along the shoreline to provide fish habitat. The project was supposed to start this winter, but has been delayed because of Covid-19.

View all our Fishing Hole Maps at: northernwilds.com/fishingholemaps

Gidaanikeshkaagonaanig Gidaanikoobijiganinaan Following the Ancestor’s Steps

Makwa and Aamoo (Bear and the Bee)

By Sam Zimmerman With Father’s Day approaching soon, I wanted to share a piece that I completed to honor the men (the fathers, uncles, brothers and grandfathers) who gather and provide for their families. My imbaabaa (father) and his three brothers together had a total of 14 children that they provided for and shared their stories with. Some of my favorite memories are the times I spent up in Gitchi Onigaming (Grand Portage) alongside my imbaabaa, his brothers, my aunties, and all of my cousins around the niibin (summer) campfires sharing stories and laughing.

This piece reflects my imbaabaa and his brothers in the total number of zhingwaak (pine trees; four), the hearts on the wings of the aamoo (bee; four). Both the Makwa (bear) and the aamoo provide for their tribes and this piece honors their care of family. Happy Father’s Day to those men who provide for their families and their communities.

! d e t i v n I e r You A What

When

Where

The Arrowhead Cooperative Annual Meeting

Note: Find Sam Zimmerman on Instagram and Facebook under the name Crane Superior and at: cranesuperiorstudio@gmail.com.

Cook County Chamber of Commerce 2020 Business of the Year

Saturday, June 5th Registration 9:30 a.m.

Bring the registration coupon from your annual report to receive a $10 credit on your electric bill.

Meeting 10:00 a.m.

This is a great opportunity to learn about the Cooperative’s plans for 2021 and to ask questions for the board and management.

Cook County High School Football Field

◊ We will be collecting donations for the Cook County Food Shelf.

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I swung around for another pass and, once again, my rod bounced in the holder.

It was another lake trout, but this guy was tiny. After landing him, I put the boat in neutral and placed him back in the water.

He shot right back down to the bottom.

The Fish that Stole my Heart

On my third pass, I hooked my third lake trout of the morning. It was the same size as the first and would have been a good keeper, but one trout was plenty for supper, so I let that one go, too. The limit on lake trout is three and it’s not every day I limit out, especially when I’m fishing by myself with the legally allotted two lines. When you’re fishing with other anglers, you can put out more lines, which lets you run different depths, colors and even lure types, so it’s easier to figure out what the fish want.

Fishing solo stacks the deck against you.

With just two lines, I feel like I’m throwing two darts at an enormous dartboard.

By Joe Shead

Of course, I had to text Amanda pictures of all the fish. It had been an exceptional morning. The time stamp on the photo of the third fish indicated I’d caught three lakers by 7:51 a.m. If I’d have kept the last two, I’d be pulling lines and heading back to the landing before 8 a.m.! But it was a good thing I let them go...

After fighting for about 11 minutes, I landed a 37-pound lake trout on Lake Superior. I snapped a few selfies and then put the beast back in the lake. | JOE SHEAD

I

have fished Lake Superior long enough to know that some days you’re a hero and some days you’re a zero.

I love fishing that big pond, with the clearest water you can imagine stretching farther than you can see. It almost seems too surreal to be true. Sitting in a boat on that lake—even a large one—makes you feel small and insignificant. And it’s the only place in the world where if I’m not catching fish, I don’t mind. I get so mesmerized with the water that everything else is just a bonus.

It was the Monday after Fourth of July weekend. Friends and tourists had gone home after one of the busiest weekends of the summer. On that morning, as I launched by myself out of Two Harbors,

I felt lonelier out on the water than I ever have.

A few days earlier, on a morning when the big lake looked like a mirror, I’d witnessed coho salmon dappling the calm surface as they fed on mayflies. Although Superior’s cohos are small, I can’t think of another fish I’d rather eat and I hoped to invite one home to dinner. Actually, I hoped to catch one on a fly rod from my boat— something I’d be willing to bet few people have ever done. But although the lake was calm, there was just enough ripple to make it hard to see feeding fish. I soon scrapped the fly rod. I trolled for salmon for an hour, but my efforts were futile. I decided to switch to lake trout along a rocky reef in about 50 feet of water. The surface temp

was 62 degrees F, which is a little warm for lake trout. I decided to “bounce bottom,” which means keeping your downrigger ball right near the bottom and trailing a lure behind it.

I was happy and maybe even a little surprised when just minutes after switching gears I saw something that makes my heart race: one of my trolling rods was bouncing.

Fish on!

A minute or two later, I netted a nice “eater-sized” lake trout. Into the livewell it went for supper, but not before I snapped a selfie with it and texted the photo to my girlfriend, Amanda, who couldn’t fish because she was working. People say that sometimes I’m a jerk, but they’re wrong...I’m always a jerk!

I saw my downrigger rod stand up on the next pass. Let me explain the physics. The downrigger consists of a large reel with a cable attached to a heavy lead weight. You run your fishing line behind the boat and attach it to the downrigger cable with a release. The heavy weight takes your line deep into the water. When a fish bites, a snap of the fishing rod releases your fishing line from the downrigger cable, allowing you to fight just the fish; not the downrigger weight, which on my boat weighs 8 pounds. Downrigger rods are kind of noodly. Once the rod is in the holder, you crank the fishing reel tight, which puts a big bow in the rod. If the line isn’t taught, you won’t see the bounce of a fish; there will be too much slack.

But in this case, the rod stood up. That means the downrigger weight hit the bottom. Now, instead of being weighted down by the downrigger weight, the tension was off the line and the rod stood erect. Problem is, when you’re fishing over a rocky bottom, you can easily become snagged.

When the weight snags a rock, your boat essentially becomes anchored, which is dangerous. Also, you can break your downrigger and lose the lead weight. Nothing good can happen.

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The fish remained in total control. I don’t think I’ve ever battled a lake trout for more than a couple minutes. Even a 20-pounder I’d caught the year before tired quickly. I knew whatever I had latched onto was special.

Using the video as a reference, I’d say it took 11 minutes of constant pressure before the fish rose off the bottom.

Fifty feet of water is shallow by Lake Superior standards, and with visibility close to 20 feet, I was astounded I couldn’t see the fish, but finally it relented. Once I began gaining line, the fish seemed to be giving up and for the first time, the needle of control swung in my favor. Far down below a silver streak appeared as I finally glimpsed the fish. Seconds later, it was at the surface.

Then came a crazy decision: do I net it immediately and just land it, or do I film it and risk losing it? I really wanted to land this fish. I needed a picture or no one would believe me! But I decided to try to film it briefly at the surface. I got a few seconds of footage, then netted the pig of a fish.

I was absolutely overwhelmed by the size of the laker.

Its fins were as large as my hands. The fish taped out at 44 inches and had a 26-inch girth. A weight calculator estimated the fish weighed 37 pounds. The state record is a 43.5 pounder, caught back in 1955 off of Hovland. By fall, when my fish’s eggs were fully developed, it could have been a record. Who knows?

I was absolutely overwhelmed by the size of the laker. The fish taped out at 44 inches and had a 26-inch girth. | JOE SHEAD So, I sprang from my seat and furiously cranked up the weight a few feet. Then I grabbed the fishing rod and gave it a yank to release the line from the downrigger, which actually was unnecessary, but I wanted to make sure nothing was snagged. The second the line was released, my spoon started planing to the surface. I was sure there was nothing there...but seconds later, I felt immense weight. I was snagged on the bottom; or so I thought. But there was “give” to this snag. A snagged rock doesn’t move. But a tree branch does. That’s what I was thinking, right up until I felt a strong headshake. No, this was a fish, and a big one!

HikeWithConfidenc.HikeWith eBarStick

I was immediately amazed at the power of this fish.

Lake trout aren’t known as strong fighters—at least not average-sized lake trout. Usually, they just come to the surface. But not this fish. It was intent on staying where it was: on the bottom.

The boat was in gear, which kept tension on the fish, so I cranked my downrigger weight up so I wouldn’t snag it as I battled the fish. Then I put the boat in neutral. The fish was just too strong and the boat’s forward momentum put unnecessary torque on the rod and line.

I tried to reel in the fish, but it had other ideas. I couldn’t gain line. All I could do was loosen the drag and hang on as the monstrous fish bulldogged its way back to the bottom. After a few minutes, it occurred to me that I should film the whole ordeal, so I propped up my phone against my tackle box.

The choice of what to do with the giant was a no-brainer. Lake trout don’t mature until they are about 6 or 7 years old. Without taking samples, it’s impossible to say how old this trout was, but it could have been 30 to 50 years old. There was no way I could kill something like that. Plus, such a large fish would produce a lot of eggs. After snapping a few selfies, I put the beast back in the lake.

I tried my best to hold the fish horizontally in the water, but it’s hard to control a fish that long and heavy. The head sank and I struggled to maintain my grip around the base of the tail.

The exhausted fish sat in the water. I wondered if she would release ok. The water was only 50 feet deep, and lake trout can adjust to changes in depth much better than other species. And although the surface water was on the warm side, the fish stayed on the bottom for most of the fight where it was obviously cooler. I vowed to stay with the fish as long as it took for it to revive.

Share the gift of your presence with those on the journey of aging or serious illness.

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It took a minute or two, but eventually the exhausted fish regained its strength. The once-docile fish now began to thrash its tail, telling me she was ready to go. I held on for a couple thrashes, then released my grip and watched the giant fish swim down and out of sight.

The outdoors is full of magic. Watching a sunrise over Lake Superior, seeing the aurora borealis dance across the northern sky or sitting quietly as a bull moose dips its head for a drink of water on a lily pad pond can take your breath away. I’d crossed paths with a fish that may well have been even older than I am. It’s satisfying to know that fish is still out there to perpetuate its species and perhaps thrill another angler.

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NORTHERN SKY JUNE 2021 By Deane Morrison, MN STARWATCH

June has three big events in store for us: the summer solstice, the last of 2021’s three supermoons, and a partial eclipse of the sun.

First up is the solar eclipse, which begins before sunrise on the 10th. In Grand Marais, the partially eclipsed sun rises at 5:03 a.m. The eclipse maximum, when the moon will cover 63 percent of the sun, happens at 5:07 a.m., and the eclipse ends at 5:49 a.m. As usual with solar eclipses, watch it only with proper eye protection.

Second, the summer solstice arrives at 10:32 p.m. on the 20th, when the Northern Hemisphere tilts most sharply toward the sun. At that moment, a space traveler would see Earth lighted from the Antarctic Circle to the North Pole and beyond to the Arctic Circle on the dark side of our planet.

Last comes June’s full moon, which qualifies as a supermoon by virtue of its closeness. It rises over Grand Marais at 9:33 p.m. on the 24th.

Because June’s full moon is unusually close, its new moon, being at the opposite point in the same lunar orbit, is unusually far away. As seen from some far northern regions of the globe, that new moon lines up so well with the sun on the 10th that if it were closer, it would produce a total eclipse. Instead, those areas see a rare annular eclipse, where the dark moon is encircled by a ring of bright sun.

Jupiter and Saturn begin rising before midnight in mid- to late June, and they’re well up in the southeast to south before dawn all month long. The night of the 26th-27th, the waning moon travels the night sky below Saturn. In the evening sky, Venus hovers near the west-northwestern horizon, in the sun’s afterglow.

The University of Minnesota’s public viewings of the night sky at its Duluth and Twin Cities campuses have been curtailed due to the pandemic. For more information and viewing schedules, visit: d.umn.edu/planet.

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30 Shopping Center PO Box 68 526 7th Street PO Box A Silver Bay, MN 55614 Two Harbors, MN 55616 218-226-4383 218-834-3600

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Big Yellow

Firefighting Superstar

By Polly Carlson-Voiles Illustrated by Consie Powell Legacy Bound, 2020, $14.95 hardcover, $9.95 softcover

Published by Legacy Bound in Ely, this children’s picture book features Big Yellow, a personified water-bombing airplane who is called upon to help fight a forest fire with water scooped from nearby lakes. The story shows both the in-flight workings of Big Yellow and the actions of human firefighters. It also explores the themes of self-confidence and teamwork. After the story, learn about the many types of aircraft used to help fight forest fires, as well as why fires can be good for a forest.

There’s also a detailed illustration that shows how Big Yellow is able to scoop up to 1,442 gallons of water in just 12 seconds. This book is both fun and informative for kids of all ages.—Breana Roy

Red, White & Everything Else

Wild Game Cooking At Its Best

By Timothy J. Kraskey Self-published, $29.99 Available at northernwilds.com

Tim Kraskey isn’t a chef by profession, but this cookbook makes it clear he is a darned good cook. Ostensibly a wild game cookbook that is divided into red meat and white meat, its recipes are applicable to any meat. It contains additional sections with recipes for fish, vegetables and salads, and rubs, sauces and marinades. The recipes collection ranges from the ordinary—bacon-wrapped wild backstrap— to the adventurous—pheasant satay with peanut dipping sauce. Despite the wide range of recipes, the recommended ingredients are items typically available at your favorite grocery market. Recipes are arranged in a way that is easy to understand and follow, with color photos of every dish. Red, White & Everything Else will be a welcome addition to any cookbook collection.—Shawn Perich

DRURY LANE BOOKS

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The book provides a comprehensive insight into life-writing, covering everything from what is a memoir to the when, how and why to create one. Written in an engaging style, the book is a valuable tool for anyone, whether a first-time writer or professional, or whether the goal is to create a book for family/friends or a published one for the public.

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Conversations and Craft

By Marjorie Simmins If you’ve ever considered writing a memoir— whether it be about a life-changing event, a pivotal time, an adventure, challenges, a personal life-story, travels, etc.—then this how-to-writea-memoir is a great reference book. Of special interest are chapters where seven of Canada’s best-known authors have ‘conversations’ with the author about their personal journey into memoir-writing. Included are Governor General’s Award author Diane Schoemperlen, who was born and raised in Thunder Bay, now residing in Kingston, Ontario, and Cree writer Edmund Metatawabin, the former Chief of Fort Albany First Nation in Northern Ontario.

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ADVENTURES AND MISADVENTURES:

museum and nature center

Making the most of Troublesome Travels

By Rae Poynter

Explore the Chik-Wauk Campus this summer!

• Temporary Exhibit: The Powell Family • Kids nature activities • Hiking trails, picnic area, wildlife viewing • USFS Programming every Wed. 2-3 pm (starting June 16th)

• Museum • Nature Center • Watercraft Building • Cabin Exhibit

Open Now! 10 am-5 pm

• Admission fee • • Please respect COVID protocols •

28 Moose Pond Drive, Grand Marais 55 miles up the Gunfl fliint Trail (Hwy 12).

They say that the good times make for good memories, while the bad times make for good stories, and in no other realm of life have I found this to be truer than in travel. As someone who has traveled a lot— the kinds of travel that usually involve hiking boots, questionable hostels, or the occasional instance of hitchhiking—I’ve had my fair share of misadventures, and even a healthy dose of legitimately bad times along the way. To the one who wants to live an adventurous life, missteps are almost unavoidable. But rather than thinking of misadventures as some sort of necessary evil, I’ve come to view them not only with tolerance, but as some of my best teachers along the road.

LESSON 1:

There’s no time to be shy

My first memorable misadventure instilled in me that integral travel skill that has become invaluable to me ever since: the ability to put yourself out there while traveling far from home. I was 20 years old, fresh out of small-town Wisconsin, and on my way to study abroad for a summer in Scotland. Only, I wanted to fly over early and do some backpacking on my own through Ireland before my term started. I had everything set to go until a few weeks before my trip, when I learned of a flaw in my plans: to study abroad I needed an education visa from the UK, and with border control more relaxed between Britain and Ireland, I wouldn’t be able to get a visa if I arrived from Ireland. Instead, I would need to fly to mainland Europe and re-enter the UK to go through the kind of border control that would get me my visa. A quick search revealed cheap flights to Brussels, and so I found myself leaving Ireland for Beligum for one day before heading back to the UK. Now, a brief detour into Belgium should have been easy enough. Except I didn’t know any French at all, and I grossly underestimated the distance from the airport when I booked my hotel in central Brussels. Not only that, but my phone had died (not that it would have done me much good without an international phone plan).

Somehow, after a long bus ride I found myself spit out into downtown Brussels, with nothing to go by but the name of my hotel and a maze of confusing streets. Great.

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As I walked ahead, I overheard the voices of two women about my age who had gotten off my same bus. “I wonder where the tourist information office is?” American, definitely.

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In a moment of uncharacteristic extroversion, I hurried ahead and introduced myself, asking if they were also traveling from the U.S. Sure enough, they were college

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While in Belgium, I ran into U.S. college students that were also traveling abroad for the summer. None of us knew French, so we decided to join forces and take on Brussels for the afternoon. | RAE POYNTER students like me, and were en route to a summer working in Italy as au pairs. They were about as confused as me by the directions and the French, and so we decided to join forces and take on Brussels for the afternoon. Instantly my stress melted into enjoyment as we had lunch together at a curbside cafe, sampled Belgian waffles, and walked along the imposing Grand-Place.

We made plans to check into our respective hotels and meet up again an hour later to explore the city by night. Unfortunately, it took me much longer than I had anticipated to find my hotel and check in (by longer I mean I was lost for over an hour), and by the time I found my hotel and got my phone charged enough to turn on, our meeting time was long gone. While I never knew how long the two girls waited for me, or how the rest of their travels went, I was incredibly grateful how a visa snafu and confusing streets led to a memorable day exploring a beautiful city with new friends.

LESSON 2:

Plan with your Type A side, travel with your Type B side

Shortly after my husband and I were married we took a backpacking trip through Europe, and while parts of it were meticulously planned out (Excel spreadsheet and all) we ended up altering many of our plans or ditching some of them altogether, and

found that some of our most memorable experiences happened when things didn’t go as we had hoped or planned.

For example, there was the time when mist and fog settled in on our hike through the Swiss Alps, and we decided to take a shortcut down a mountain with a cable car, watching a group of schoolchildren run off with our money with the promise to return with lift tokens (they did). Or the time on the same hiking trip when we learned that a shuttle that we were counting on to take to the top of a mountain pass was out of service for the winter, only to have a friendly local offer to drive us 40 minutes one-way up the pass, taking the time to tell us all about the region and even show us a secret waterfall. Or the time that I got hypothermia while hiking in Ireland, in August, and we ended up in an off-thebeaten-track pub drinking some of the best hot chocolate I’ve ever had while learning about the sport of Gaelic football from impassioned fans.

We did more planning, replanning, and backtracking on that trip than I had on any other. My debit card got eaten by an ATM. I ended up the hospital at one point. We decided to stay for an extended period in one city halfway through the trip because we were too tired to carry on. But rather than letting those things get me down, that backpacking trip taught me the importance of finding that balance between the Type A and Type B part of you, or the part of you that wants to plan and control everything and the part of you that goes along with

whatever comes your way. And let me tell you: my Type A side can plan a great trip, but it’s pretty bad at actually enjoying one.

While traveling, some things are bound to go wrong, and I’ve found that the best travels happen when you plan like an expert, but leave your Type A persona at the airport. Your Type B side will get a kick out of leaping into a rickety cable car, letting a stranger lecture you about Gaelic football, or simply staying longer than you’d planned in a certain town just because you fell in love with it so much. While a lot can be gleaned from preparation and research, there’s a certain serendipity in travel that you have to be open to experiencing, and that being accepting new experiences is when the true magic of travel happens.

Grand Marais Segway Tours It’s a Moose-Do Event!

Enjoy the fun of a Segway tour.

LESSON 3:

Know when to call it a day

Perhaps the biggest instance of misadventure came when my husband and I travelled to Nepal. We had arrived with the intention of staying with some friends we had in Kathmandu, while also taking a week to go on a hiking trip in the Himalayas. The hiking trip was challenging yet amazing, but during our time in Kathmandu I got so horribly sick that I could hardly get out of bed, and the times when I did get out of bed and ventured out of doors it was so oppressively hot that I became sick from the heat. While we had planned on staying for longer than just our hiking trip to spend more time with our friends, in the end I knew that my body had reached its limits and I had to go home. And so we found a

Your Segway tour will travel around the Grand Marais Harbor through the woods to the Lake Superior Shoreline, through a covered bridge, and glide by the North House Folk School.

The day I got hypothermia while hiking in Ireland, in August. We ended up in an off-the-beaten-track pub drinking some of the best hot chocolate I’ve ever had while learning about the sport of Gaelic football from impassioned fans. | RAE POYNTER flight and headed back to Minnesota several weeks early.

There can be a lot of disappointment in ending a trip early, or even feelings of personal failure, but on that trip I learned that it is so much wiser to listen to what your heart and body need rather than to attempt to “tough it out” in a situation that you know is not right for you. There is no

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shame in making the measured decision to call it a day. Was I glad I came home? Yes. Was I glad I went in the first place? Also yes. Am I glad for all the adventures I’ve had, mishaps and all? A thousand times yes. I have great memories of the things that went right. But I became a better traveler because of the things that went wrong.

To make a reservation or for more information visit our website:

GrandMaraisSegwayTours.com

or call: 612-708-5177

Downtown Grand Marais, on 1st Ave West across from Birchbark Gifts.

JHP ART GALLERY UPCOMING EVENTS Patricia DeVries

Off the Grid, May 28 - June 20 Opening - Friday May 28, 5-7 pm

Anna Repke Take Me North June 25 - July 18

During times of family change, caring and thoughtful representation can make all the difference.

YOU MATTER HERE.

John A. Spelman III

Artist and Printmaker: From Appalachia to Minnesota’s North Shore July 2 - September 5

An exhibition highlighting how Spelman depicted life in a small community along the North Shore from the 1930s until 1969 - including rural structures such as fish houses and logging camps that no longer exist.

DULUTH 218.722.4766 | CLOQUET 218.879.3333

The JHP Art Gallery is seeking volunteers for the summer, whether on the weekends or as a substitute, we would love to have new faces at the gallery! For more information, please call 218-387-2883 or email jhp@boreal.org.

JHP Art Gallery | 115 W. Wisconsin St, Grand Marais, MN 55604 NORTHERN WILDS

JUNE 2021

39

Strange Tales Steep Rock Lake: Iron Ore Mining and More By Elle AndraWarner

Life magazine, in a Sept. 1945 article, called Steep Rock Lake a ‘wilderness’ lake, with its waters “lapping quietly against a shoreline, ribbed with rocks and fringed with tangled pine forests.” It was in the bush about 140 miles northwest of today’s Thunder Bay (then Port Arthur and Fort William, known collectively as the Lakehead), about 40 miles from the Minnesota border and just north of the village of Atikokan, then a divisional point on the Canadian National Railway route to the Lakehead. It was a strange kind of lake with reddish water.

But geologists more than 100 years ago already wondered whether the reddish tinge signalled an iron ore deposit. In 1891, two unknown Canadian geologists doing a government survey identified traces of iron around the shoreline of Steep Rock Lake.

They staked claims, as did others. In the early 1900s, a geologist suggested the iron ore deposit could be under the lake. Someone did set up two diamond drills on winter ice in 1902 but then abandoned the site.

The problem? Too costly and at the time, impossible to extract.

Moving forward to 1930, prospector Julius Gifford “Jule” Cross (1888-1971) visited the site, was interested, but didn’t do more at the time. A graduate of Queen’s University where he was also a mining professor, Cross was born at Silver Islet on Lake Superior, the site of the world’s richest silver mine (1870-84) where his father had been the mine captain and later caretaker of the abandoned mine and town site. Life magazine describes Cross, saying “he mixes geological surveys and prospector’s gossip in the proper proportion to make mineral-hunting successful, then adds modern engineering to make it pay off.”

Dredge spur being trucked for installation on one of the dredges. | LAKEHEAD TRANSPORTATION MUSEUM SOCIETY Engineers said the water level of Finlayson was too high so the Seine could not drain into it. The problem was solved by cutting a tunnel below Finlayson and lowering the lake’s water level by 57 feet.

The de-watering of Steep Rock Lake itself has been called an extraordinary engineering and construction feat. The huge lake was sectioned into three ‘arms’ by dams: Lake A, B (largest ore deposit) and C. Pumping out of more than 80 billion gallons of water from Lake B began in December 1943 with 14 electrically-driven centrifugal pumps, mounted on barges, draining out 300,000 cubic feet a minute.

To run the electrical equipment, 10,000 H.P. of electrical energy was brought in by construction of power lines from Lakehead, 142 miles away.

Installing the dredge spur on “Clarence B. Randall.” | LAKEHEAD TRANSPORTATION MUSEUM SOCIETY

By 1937-38, Cross had partnered with Toronto-based Joseph Errington, pooled resources and bought up old claims around the M-shaped 3-mile-long and a half-mile wide Steep Rock Lake. They set up diamond drills on the ice during winter and found at least three large high-grade pure hematite ore bodies under the lake bottom—but how would they get the ore out and where would they get the money?

(RFC). The rest was from the Canadian and Ontario governments, stock sales to public and other investors. A stimulus to get the mine going was World War II and the huge demand for iron ore.

It would be roughly $18 million to develop the mine. Buying into the project was U.S. industrial tycoon, Canadian-born billionaire Cyrus Eaton, who invested and then helped get a $5 million loan from the U.S. Reconstructive Finance Corporation

The big problem was draining more than the 148-foot-deep Steep Rock Lake which was fed by the Seine River. Plans called for the entire river system to be diverted into Finlayson Lake (about 2 miles from Steep Rock Lake), but there was a glitch.

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The project required a huge water diversion and management including construction of 40 water control structures including 14 dams and three tunnels, and dredging of 210 million cubic metres of soft lake bottom sediments to expose the iron ore.

By July 1944, dredges began work, clearing from the bottom the silt, clay, gravel and rock that was on the ore body. Then, giant machines dug another 40 feet deeper for the open pit mine looking like an immense saucer the size of several city blocks. First ore was mined in September 1944 with full-scale production in May 1945. After 35 years in operation, with 88 million tons of ore mined and employing

1,500 at its peak, Steep Rock Iron Mine closed in 1979. A year later, Caland Ore Limited—which in 1953 had leased from Steep Rock part of the M-shaped lake for open pit mining of “C” ore deposit (East Arm)—also closed their mine (1960-1980).

UFO Hoax?

In 1950, Steep Rock made international news when a flying saucer supposedly landed on its waters and ‘humanoid creatures’ with metallic suits explored the shore but disappeared after spotting a couple fishing.

News of the sighting appeared in newspapers and books including Flying Saucers: Serious Business (1966) by Frank Edwards.

But it was supposedly a work of fiction by a mine employee created for the company’s newsletter “Steep Rock Echo” in 1950.

Ancient Antlers According to author Jon Nelson in his book, Quetico: Near Nature’s Heart, in April 1957, a large caribou antler was found on the shoreline in silt dredged from the bottom of Steep Rock Lake. Testing determined the age of the antler to be 9940+/-120 radiocarbon years (about 11,500 calendar years) and probably from a barren-ground caribou, which in modern times now live in the tundra of the north.

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NORTHERN WILDS

JUNE 2021

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REALTORS®: Mike Raymond, Broker • Gail J. Englund, GRI • Linda Garrity, Realtor Cathy Hahn, ABR/GRI • Larry Dean, Realtor • Jake Patten, Realtor • Jess Smith, Realtor

Red Pine Realty • (800) 387-9599 (218) 387-9599 • Fax (218) 387-9598 • info@RedPineRealty.com PO Box 938, 14 S. Broadway, Grand Marais, MN 55604

LAKE SUPERIOR PROPERTIES LAKE SUPERIOR – GRAND MARAIS Immaculate

3 bdrm/3 bath home within a short walk to downtown. Features timber frame cathedral ceiling with large open floor plan, stone fireplace and expansive windows overlooking the shoreline, and moods of the big lake.

Full lower level has great views from 2 bedrooms and family room. Covered screen porch, with a stone fireplace, is the perfect place for 3-season outdoor entertaining. Views to the lighthouse are spectacular! Comes completely furnished, including kayaks! MLS#6096604 $1,325,000

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MLS#6095252 $499,900 HOVLAND CABIN ON SUPERIOR.

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Over 340 feet of shoreline on Lake Superior, and 120 feet of additional shoreline on Carlson Creek! The cabin features vertical Aspen halflog exterior, with wood panel interior. The creek flowing through the property gives you your own spot to hook some spring steelhead. MLS#6090311

$280,000 BIG VIEWS ON FIVE ACRES. This cabin sits on

almost 5 acres of land and includes 543 feet of Lake Superior shoreline in the Big Bay area of Hovland. Whether or not you are looking to build your dream home or use this as is for a getaway you will have some amazing views on the Big Lake.

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MLS#6086940 $239,000 LAKE SUPERIOR – ENCHANTING BIG BAY.

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This lot has great lake views and looks east to the ridges running up the coast.

An old cabin is situated right along the shore. Nice home sites with access to power and Broadband. The woods is deep and enchanting with large spruce and moss covered boulders. End of the road privacy. MLS#6088024

$219,000

This original family cabin is well built and in good shape, tucked into a large private tract on beautiful Tom Lake.

52 acres of pine and cedar with 1287' private shoreline. Adjoining state land for plenty of room to explore. This is a rare find. MLS#6092390 $324,900

MLS#6092289 $204,500

This 1.76 acre lot has 214 feet of rugged rocky shore. Building site close to the water’s edge in mature spruce trees. South and east views of sun rises and moon rises. Secluded area adjoining state land. A great home site from which to watch the crashing waves. MLS#6095526

beautiful, accessible ledge rock shoreline! Lower level has abundant windows facing the lake. Enjoy the main floor bedroom with a sitting area. The wood fireplace is able to heat up the house and keep you cozy while keeping the electric storage heaters down low. Room to turn deck into a nice, lake facing den. MLS#6096089 $499,000

Open living concept. "Chef's" kitchen. Lake views. Beautiful "Thunder Bay" Amethyst fireplace will amaze you!

Location - short drive to Grand Marais. Afternoon tea at Naniboujou. Hike Devil's Kettle. Fishing the Brule! But even better - just a few level steps out your front door to the "Superior" Lake.

LARGE, PRIVATE RETREAT – TOM LAKE.

Beautiful, very private residential lot on Lake Superior in Chimney Rock Platted development.

Premier quality with stunning elevated and panoramic views of the big Lake. The over sized septic in and paid.

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INLAND WATER PROPERTIES

$199,900 LAKE SUPERIOR, BIG BAY, BIG VIEWS.

Dense spruce forest, moss covered boulders and privacy make this a classic Lake Superior lot. 200 feet of shore with partial driveway in place, shared road maintenance, power and Broadband ready to go.

Easy access from Hwy 61, secluded feeling location, adjoining state land.

SOLD

MLS#6094964 $172,900

INLAND WATER PROPERTIES LARGE TWO ISLAND LAKE RETREAT - GRAND MARAIS.

This 46+ acre property includes a peninsula with outstanding lake views. Wide creek and tons of wildlife. Privacy assured with over 1600 ft of lake front, plus over 2000 ft of creek. Literally walk to the BWCAW. Charming 4-season, 2 bdrm cabin with large dock and easy lakeshore access.

Property can be sub-divided. MLS#6087574 $845,900

TOM LAKE ESCAPE.

This cabin boasts 195 ft of gorgeous shoreline on Tom Lake, manicured lawn, and covered deck space on two sides of the house for relaxing and entertaining!

Lake draw water, a mound septic system and generator power. Additional land and lakeshore available for purchase. Year round access. MLS#6092306 $339,000

LEVEL LOT, NICE WOODS, EASY SHORE This Devil Track Lake

lot has easy access from a county road, power, phone and great building site. South shore, 200+ ft. frontage, great views. Build your home on the lake here!

SALIENG PE N D

MLS#6078259 $198,000 TOM LAKE LOT WITH DOCK.

Imagine owning over 650 feet of shoreline on a fantastic walleye lake!

The driveway is in and the dock is at the shoreline. Gentle slope with nice building sites. Electric and broadband are nearby, year round access.

MLS#6083761 $169,900

NORTH FOWL LAKE CABIN. Only

a lucky few get to own cabins here. Remote water access from the US side, or drive in to the landing on Ontario side. Stunning views, easy access to the BWCA. The 2 bdrm cabin is one of the nicest remote cabins you'll find. Includes a great sauna.

MLS#6023214 $139,900 GUNFLINT TRAIL LOT – LOON LAKE.

SOLD

This heavily wooded lot has 300 feet of shoreline on beautiful Loon Lake.

Views are pristine looking to Federal land across the lake. The shoreline is great, the home site is high with great views. Power, Broadband and year round road access. MLS#6095219 $135,000

TWO EXCEPTIONAL TOM LAKE LOTS. These

special properties offer opportunities.

One lot is a beautiful forested peninsula with cove, and the other has a nice mix of tree cover and open build sites. Accessible, yet away from it all. Build your dream here!

MLS#6092307 $97,000, MLS#6092308 $129,000

SALIENG PE N D

BORDER LAKE BEAUTY

Gunflint Lake lot with mature trees, 170 ft of classic rocky shore and spectacular views of the Canadian wilderness across the lake. Gunflint Lake is large, clear and a gateway to the BWCAW. Lot is on a year-round maintained road. Power and broadband available. Septic sites located. Retire, recreate or work from your lake home on this rare vacant parcel at the edge of the wilderness.

Additional land available. MLS#6096406 $199,900

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NORTHERN WILDS

INLAND WATER PROPERTIES HOMES & CABINS REALTORS®: Mike Raymond, Broker • Gail J. Englund, GRI • Linda Garrity, Realtor

PRIVATE Cathy TOM Hahn, LAKE LOT. 25 acres and

ABR/GRI • Larry Dean,GREAT Realtor • Jake Patten, Realtor Jess Smith, Realtor NEW! •HOME ON PRICE LAKE

Red Pine Realty • (800) 387-9599

671 ft of shoreline on a great walleye lake! Nice white pines, fantastic rock outcropping for your dock. Remote access - no road easements are in place. You can visit this spot by boat or snowmobile.

MLS#6083597 $99,999

WOW, LAKE PRIVACY AND HUGE REDUCED PRICE! 20 acres on beautiful Lost Lake, a private, remote wilderness

lake with only a few parcels. It holds the mystique of a hidden lake full of hungry trout. Privacy is guaranteed because all lots are 20 acres in size. This outstanding lot has huge white pines, a cabin site on a knoll looking south over the whole lake, and great accessible shoreline for your dock. Seasonal road access.

MLS#6094952 $99,900

SOLITUDE ON LOON LAKE. Three

great lots on the south side of Loon Lake. Fantastic shoreline, beautiful views, many nice trees. Located near the Gunflint Trail on a private road. Driveway in with power on the lot line. MLS#6089603

ESCAPE TO NINEMILE LAKE. Nice, quiet

lake between Tofte and Finland known for its recreational opportunities. 2.9 acres very near the BWCAW. Good snowmobile access to the Tomahawk Trail and miles of trail riding.

$94,900 PENDING, 6089604 $96,000, 6089606 $88,000

SALIENG PE N D

MLS#6085601 $59,900

DEVIL TRACK LOT. Deep woods, seclusion RIVER and nice views from this Tom This home is conveniently located Lake lot. This is the desired west only 6 miles from Grand Marais side of the lake with access (218) 387-9599 • Fax (218) • info@RedPineRealty.com and just off of the Gunflint Trail. from387-9598 the Camp 20 Rd. Enjoy a Includes 5+ bedrooms, a large peaceful lake property with good PO Box 938, 14 S. Broadway, Grand Marais, MN yard 55604 and open floor plan on the access. Adjacent land available. main level. There are 230' of river MLS#6085287 $43,900 frontage on the beautiful Devil Track River which is great for fishing stream trout or perhaps to find a place to sit and enjoy the sounds and views of the flowing river.

SOLD

HOMES & CABINS

TOP OF THE LINE LIVING.

Secluded 30 acres.

Magnificent 2 bdrm, 2 bath home features: marble tile floors, soaring cathedral ceilings, stone fireplace, a master bath with hot tub and sauna, marble stairs and local artist's work etched in the glass surrounding the loft. Incredible elegance and outdoor appeal. Attached 2000 square ft garage has huge boat storage bay, perfect workshop space and a guest space in the 2nd level.

MLS#6094773 $599,900 REDUCED

THE BALLY HOUSE B&B. Seeped in deep history and an abundance of charm and class, The Bally House Bed & Breakfast is now available. Not only does it have 4 guests rooms (each w/ their own bathroom), but the owner's home/quarters is spectacular itself. Absolutely turn-key. Updated throughout and lovingly maintained. Massive garage, lovely little stone garage, garden shed, unbelievable grounds.

MLS#6092798, 6092800 $649,000 LAKE SUPERIOR VIEW HOME

SOLD

Beautiful property with 4.45 acres and a nice Lake Superior view. Both levels suitable for single-level living, complete with all amenities and a 2 stall garage. Lower level is freshly remodeled, and rented out for $1,500/ month. Finely finished and equipped for entertaining, includes a wraparound deck with lots of room for grilling and enjoying the outdoors.

SALIENG PE N D

MLS#6096238 $489,000

BEAUTIFUL PRIVATE LOT ON HARE LAKE

Deep, private lot with maple, spruce and cedars, accessible shoreline and nice elevated building site. Power and cell phone service. This area is surrounded by U.S.F.S. lands near Finland and Isabella. Priced to sell!

MLS#6093661 $53,900

SECLUDED LOT W/ LAKE ACCESS LOT.

This 3.8 acre densely wooded lot has good access off a county road, and the Tomahawk Snowmobile Trail. Includes a 1.2 acre lot on Hare Lake. Perfect place to keep your boat and water accessories. The 2 lots are permanently joined by deed restriction. There is power and cell phone service..Only 20 minutes to Lutsen ski and golf! MLS#6094774 $44,900

REMOTE HIDE-A-WAY. Charming custom built 2 bdrm, 2 bath cabin tucked in the woods overlooking a beaver pond.

Screened porch for summer dining. A cozy Franklin stove warms the whole building. The full basement is a complete guest space. Generator power and over 100 acres to explore.

MLS#6029349 $244,000 SPACIOUS 4 BEDROOM HOME.

What a buy! 18 miles from Grand Marais. Large 4 bedroom home AND 4 car heated garage nestled in the woods on the edge of Hovland. Potential for downstairs apartment.

MLS#6094777 $239,900

SALIENG PE N D

MLS#6096272 $235,000

COMMERCIAL BIG OPPORTUNITY, MANY POSSIBILITIES

Prime commercial location in Hovland with 1000 feet of Highway 61 frontage. Large commercial space, with a small 2 bedroom home and 1 functioning rental cottage. Many new improvements and upgrades. Two other small cabins could be rented. Large 2-car garage plus 2 sheds. This site has been a centrally located historical business location and has many options for your entrepreneurial pursuits.

MLS#6095045 $287,000 PROSPERITY AWAITS - Fantastic

business/commercial opportunity right in the heart of downtown Grand Marais. Bring your ideas and become part of a supportive and welcoming community!

MLS#6094481 $189,000

GRAND MARAIS OPPORTUNITY. This is a rare opportunity to acquire vacant commercial property in Grand Marais, and your business options are nearly endless! Zoned Service Commercial/Industrial, any type of business is possible here.

Property includes a paved driveway and frontage on Highway 61.

MLS#6092309 $168,000 LARGE GRAND MARAIS LOT. Nice 3.60 acre commercial

lot with potential for multi family housing subject to city approval. Good location on the west end of Grand Marais just off Hwy 61. Easy access to the bike trail. MLS#6089284 $149,500

RIVER/CREEK FRONTAGE BRULE RIVER CABIN SOLITUDE- 1,300+ ft. of

Brule River frontage with 80 acres, a log/wood cabin, sauna/storage & outhouse. No techy devices needed...unplug! Paddle/swim/ fish...(hello, BWCA!!) The cabin is outfitted with a wood burning stove, propane on site, comfortable furnishings, an incredible cook stove, ample sleeping space and plenty of storage. MLS#6094305 $425,000

LARGE TRACT WITH CREEK.

This 319 acre parcel has ponds & creek frontage on the Flute Reed River.

Great for hunting or homesteading. Access is by unimproved easement from the Camp 20 Road, near county maintenance. The land may be split - take your pick of "40's"! MLS#6095106 $258,000

GREAT HUNTING LAND

Easily accessible via the logging road at Casper's Hill Rd and runs east through the 158 acres. Includes creek front footage, aspen, balsam and spruce stands. Abundant deer sign, and good grouse habitat. East side of property abuts Judge Magney State Park. Property is subject to SFIA land use covenants. MLS#6094370 $199,000

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REALTORS®: Mike Raymond, Broker • Gail J. Englund, GRI • Linda Garrity, Realtor Cathy Hahn, ABR/GRI • Larry Dean, Realtor • Jake Patten, Realtor • Jess Smith, Realtor

Red Pine Realty • (800) 387-9599 (218) 387-9599 • Fax (218) 387-9598 • info@RedPineRealty.com PO Box 938, 14 S. Broadway, Grand Marais, MN 55604

LAND/BUILDING SITES

RIVER/CREEK FRONTAGE SWEET HIDE-A-WAY ON CREEK.

Sit on your screen porch overlooking the Carlson Creek valley and listen to the babbling brook.

Cute 2 room cabin + loft is simple and designed as an easy retreat with no power or cell phones, just nature and the flowing creek. Warm wood stove and updated kitchen with beautiful hickory cabinets. MLS#6091758 $120,000

SPECTACULAR LAKE VIEW.

SALIENG PE N D DEEP WOODS, MONS CREEK.

Nice “40” with good tree cover and creek frontage, where you could launch your canoe. There's a great building site overlooking Mons Creek from a high point. Good road access, but private and secluded. The property has private deeded access to Lost Lake, which is a short walk away. Wilderness feel. New trail cut into the property so you can see the potential! MLS#6089091 $58,900

WOODS, WATER & SECLUSION.

Three 40 acre lots with 600 to 1000 ft frontage on Mons Creek. Also includes deeded access to Lost Lake. Private and secluded. MLS#6089089 $69,900

or MLS#6089091 $58,900 or MLS#6089090 $69,900 NICE HOME SITE NEAR GRAND MARAIS. Nice elevation and views from this 6.75

acre lot off of County Rd 6 just minutes from town.

Frontage on Little Devil Track River. MLS#6031740

$51,000

500’ ON MONS CREEK.

Mixed topography of beautiful rolling land with many great build sites on 25 acres. Old growth cedar, spruce, pine and birch. Abuts

state land. MLS#6029353 $37,000

LAND/BUILDING SITES GREAT HUNTING LAND.

Easily accessible via the logging road that starts at Casper's Hill Road and runs east through the majority of the 158 acres. Includes creek front footage, as well as aspen, balsam and spruce stands. Abundant deer sign, and good grouse habitat. Plenty of space to explore on an ATV or mountain bike. East side of property abuts Judge Magney State Park. Property is subject to SFIA land use covenants.

MLS#6094370 $199,000

NEW! HOVLAND HOMESTEAD 117+ ACRES Hurry out and pick up this

117.83 acre property that has lots of potential for a homestead or recreational getaway! Located about an hour from Grand Marais, it has access to electricity and broadband internet just at the end of the driveway.

Make your dream of living and working in the north woods a reality. MLS#6095932 $139,000

Expansive lake views and enchanting forest make up a unique 13 acre parcel.

Just 15 minutes from Grand Marais, and a short walk to Lake Superior's shore. Power and Broadband are available. Shared driveway leads almost to the property line. MLS#6090230 $132,000

INCREASINGLY RARE, LARGE RECREATIONAL PARCEL. 190 arces fully

surveyed. The perfect retreat. Has a rich variety of trees, ponds, high and low lands, some meadow land and wetlands. MLS#6029820 $129,000

LARGE WOODED ESCAPE. A rare 80 acre retreat or home site just off county road with power and Broadband nearby. Great location in remote area of Cook County with close proximity to Lake Superior and miles of trails and back roads to roam. Many good building sites. MLS#6090145 $109,900 HUGE POND-HUGE PRIVACY.

Large 45+ acre wooded parcel located across from Tom Lake. Huge pond/lake in the very center of the acreage.

MLS#6083920 $90,000 LARGE PARCEL NEAR SHORE.

This heavily wooded 12 acre parcel is within a short walk to the shore of Lake Superior. Great lake affect and plenty of privacy. Rough shared driveway in place. Close to Broadband and power. Older travel trailer included.

MLS#6090231 $87,900 10 ACRE LOTS NEAR GRAND MARAIS. Four 10 acre lots only a few miles from

Grand Marais on County Rd 48 and Bally Creek Rd. Some Lake Superior views and potential for more! Several driveways are in with buried electric along the northern border. New culverts, nice build sites, new survey.

MLS#6091811 $75,000 MATURE WOODS, LAKE VIEW, CLOSE TO GRAND MARAIS.

SALIENG PE N D

Great 20 acre parcel on County Road 14 with mature forest and Lake Superior views. Good area for a home or recreational property. Could be subdivided. MLS#6086641 $74,900

40 OF PINES NEAR TOM LAKE.

40 acres with good road access and an easy walk to the Tom Lake boat landing. Year-round road, power is possible here. Many great building sites. Nice forest of plated pine. Great recreational area. Adjoins state land. Easy access to trails and other lakes.

MLS#6095108 $69,900 HIDDEN GEM IN HOVLAND. Explore 40

SALIENG PE N D

acres of seclusion with dramatic views from the south facing bluff. Beautiful mixed forest and abundant wildlife. Small gravel pit for your future building needs. The neighbors have electricity and the road has been kept open all winter through a road association. MLS#6076192

$60,000 REDUCED

CREATE YOUR OWN NORTH SHORE HAVEN.

SALIENG PE N D

Beautifully wooded and conveniently located parcel, 11.03 acres, that would make a fantastic place to build your year-round home or cabin. Private, nicely buffered between "neighbors". Cty. Rd. 48 is accessible year-round and offers a lovely drive that offers that "Up North" feel that so many search for.

MLS#6095284 $67,900 FORTY WITH PONDS – COUNTY RD FRONTAGE. This 40 acre parcel has beaver

SOLD

ponds, adjoining federal land and easy access with frontage on County Rd 14. Just 15 minutes from Grand Marais. 1000s of acres of USFS lands on the west border.

END OF THE ROAD PRIVACY This deeply wooded lot has 6.08 acres and sits at the end of the road adjoining federal land. Good road access, power and Broadband. Only 10 minutes from Grand Marais. Nice high site for a home or cabin with plenty of privacy.

SALIENG PE N D

MLS#6095433 $54,900 DEEP WOODS LOT – CLOSE TO TOWN Five acre lot adjoining USFS land with

power/phone/Broadband at the lot. Great location near Grand Marais, good road access and very secluded location. MLS#6095430 $53,900

DEEP WOODS LOT NEAR GRAND MARAIS This high 6.08 home site has good road

SALIENG D PEN$53,900 MLS#6095431

MLS#6076727 $65,000 LARGE LAND, POND, LAKE RIGHTS.

access, power and Broadband. Nice elevation with mature forest. A super site for your home or cabin.

MLS#6086104 $63,900 LAKE SUPERIOR VIEWS – GREAT LOCATION.

Broadband and electric on a year round, school bus route! This is a mature, wooded 5 acre lot with spruce, poplar, birch, cedar and Balsam. There is ample space for building your new home. Notice the huge National Forest land on the back side of the property. This is a nature lovers paradise, deer, grouse, wolf and fox hanging out in your backyard. MLS#6095674

Densely wooded 60 acre parcel with beaver ponds and access to Lost Lake. Good seasonal road access, many great building sites and southerly exposure.

Five heavily wooded acres with driveway to a beautiful building site. Great lake view! Only minutes to Grand Marais. Nice mix of trees, quiet dead-end road, south exposure, power and Broadband nearby. Perfect for your home in the woods.

MLS#6086767 $63,000 GREAT LOCATION HOME SITES.

Just minutes from Grand Marais on black top County Rd 7 are two 5+ acre lots with easy access to power and Broadband. Good building sites. MLS#6094098

$62,900, MLS#6094099 $42,900 LARGE ACREAGE NEAR TOM LAKE.

Two parcels with 40 acres near year round road access and power. An easy walk to the Tom Lake boat landing.

Shared easement granted to build driveway into property. Many great building sites. Great recreational area. Easy access to trails and other lakes.

MLS#6095113, 6095114 $60,000 each GRAND MARAIS VACANT LOT. Nicely wooded parcel on quiet street in the west end of town. Three full city lots facing south with city street, curb and gutter, utilities near by. Short walking distance to the harbor. MLS#6093024 $59,900

LARGE LAND, MAPLES, LAKE ACCESS. This 67 acre parcel has high maple ridges,

a pond, and an easement to walk to Tom Lake. Many trails to ride and forest to explore. MLS#6085291

$59,900

WOODED SECLUSION IN GRAND MARAIS.

Several great wooded lots on the west side of Grand Marais, a mile from down town. Close to the bike trail with privacy on a dead end road. Septic and wells allowed, power and broadband available. MLS#6087223,

26, 28 $49,900 – 58,500

NATURE LOVERS PARADISE

$53,000 GREAT LOCATION – 5 WOODED ACRES Only 10 minutes to Grand Marais, this 5

acre parcel is heavily wooded with good road access.

Power and Broadband at the road. Nice mature forest. A perfect home site!

MLS#6095435 $52,900 BEAUTIFUL HOME SITE – NEAR GRAND MARAIS This 5.61 acre lot has

adjoining USFS land, mature trees and lots of privacy.

Just minutes from town on Maple Hill. Power/phone/ Broadband at the site. Ready for you to build your country home. MLS#6095429 $51,900

DEEPLY WOODED 5 ACRES

This nice 5 acre parcel has many good building sites, easy access to power and Broadband. Good road access and only 10 minutes to Grand Marais. A great location for a home or cabin near lakes, trails and wilderness.

MLS#6095434 $50,900 BUILDING SITE 10 MINUTES FROM GRAND MARAIS Deep wooded

lot with 5.31 acres. Power and Broadband. Good road access. Easy access to trails and lakes. Great spot to build your home in the woods.

MLS#6095432 $49,900

20 ACRES WITH LAKE VIEWS

Beautiful 20 acre parcel with lake views!! If it's hunting you want, good luck finding 20 acres that can compete.

Property borders reservation land on the north and east sides and Federal land to the south. The land is covered with beautiful trees and wildlife! Currently there is no road to the property, which is factored into the asking price. MLS#6094977 $49,000

SALIENG PE N D

BUILDING SITE OVERLOOKING MCFARLAND. This pine studded 7 acre

property has easy walking access to the county beach on McFarland Lake. Nice elevated build site with easy county road access. MLS#6085111 $43,000

FORTY ACRES NEAR FINLAND

Old homestead property in “Cramer” adjoining state land, and very close to Cramer Lake. No road access.

MLS#6095233 $34,900

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Talk to Terry!

Terry R. Backlund Broker/Owner Phone: 218-387-1501 Cell: 218-370-8977 Email: Terry@BacklundRealty.com

Frank Lehto Real Estate Agent Phone: 218-387-4955 Email: Frank@BacklundRealty.com

Lori A. Backlund Real Estate Agent 209 E 1ST AVE UNIT #3 GRAND MARAIS MN

New Listing

1886 CTY RD 7 GRAND MARAIS, MN

New Listing

34 HUNGRY JACK RD GRAND MARAIS, MN

Saleng Pendi

2 Bedroom 2 Bath 1000+ sq. ft.

Lake Superior view.

Underground parking.

MLS# 6095221 Price: $289,000

4 Bedroom 4 Bath 2500 sq ft Log Home 2 Car Garage with hobby space.

MLS#6096400 Price: $412,500

3 Bedroom Log Cabin 313 ft. lakeshore on Road Lake MLS#6093449 Price: $237,500

X20 CTY RD 6 GRAND MARAIS MN

5 SILVER FOX LOT GRAND MARAIS MN

XXX SUCKER LAKE RD, BIG SUCKER LAKE, NASHWAUK, MN

New Listing Great Location. 20 Acres.

MLS# 6095181 Price: $64,900

I Love Listings!



SOLD

New Listing

5 Acres with well MLS# 6093854 Price: $47,900

15.9 beautiful acres with 840 ft of lakeshore on Big Sucker Lake MLS# 6096525 Price: $139,900

5 N BROADWAY GRAND MARAIS MN

New Listing Commercial Building 2578 sq. ft.

Restaurant. Great location.

Possibilities MLS# 6095312 Price: $399,000

9 N BROADWAY GRAND MARAIS MN

Saleng Pendi

Commercial 50 x 82 lot. Fab location MLS# 6095295 Price: $139,000

For results list your property here For more details call or check my website Phone: 218-387-1501 Cell: 218-370-8977 Terry@BacklundRealty.com NORTHERN WILDS

JUNE 2021

45

MOLLY O’NEILL Agent

46

JUNE 2021

NORTHERN WILDS

SELLING YOUR NORTH SHORE HOME?

NORTHERN WILDS

JUNE 2021

47

Call TimberWolff for Your Fun Times on the Shore! Spring has Arrived! A Wonderful Personal Tour of Homes & Land!!!

Time To Walk the Land and See the Homes!

Local 663-8777 •

Toll free (877) 664-8777 DREAMING OF LAKE SUPERIOR? ON THE WATER, LAKE VIEWS! Info@TimberWolffRealty.com

E L A S ING D N E P

NEW! EXPANSIVE VIEWS OVER THE GRANDEST GREAT LAKE OF ALL!

NEW! BIRDS NEST UNIT AT EAST BAY SUITES ON LAKE SUPERIOR! 2 bedroom unit with Top floor privacy. Serene balcony overlooks a sweep of pebble beach stretching into the distance. Great rental history, Located in the heart of Grand Marais. Enjoy the 500ft of shared Lake Superior Shoreline or walk down the street to your favorite restaurant!

MLS#6095992 $335,000

This Tofte home has the best of both worlds: high and dry above the Big Lake with a unique perspective on the surrounding Superior ways. Head down to sprawling beautiful ledgerock: smooth, accessible, dynamic. Though, most will take the boardwalk path along the stream that rolls and tumbles home to Gitche Gumee. The home is all comfort and ease with a classy design sensibility. Lots of windows and decks to appreciate the natural beauty. A couple stone fireplaces warm the soul. Dreamy kitchen with granite countertops. Lot of rooms for friends and family. Roomy garage for all the gear and toys. Downstairs is full of glass toward the lake, too and has a wet bar and lots of space for games of cribbage, TV, or just hunkering down with one of Sigurd Olsen’s books away from the crowd upstairs. The current owners have everything dialed in just so: nothing to do but show up, relax, and take in the cool, pristine air of the North. Sold fully furnished. MLS#6096312 $759,000

SERENITY SHORES ON LAKE SUPERIOR!

Lovely entrance welcomes you in to a Spacious View of Lake Superior from a vaulted wall of windows in the Great Room. A fabulous connection to the Big Lake, you will be drawn to the windows just to soak in the views. Or walk out onto the large deck and enjoy the sounds of the lake. Walk the 100+ft of shoreline and feel your stress melt away.

MLS#6095570 $899,900

SUNRISES ON LAKE SUPERIOR!

D L O S

ENJOY THE WONDERMENT OF LAKE SUPERIOR! MLS#6095143 $249,900

MLS#6095093 $370,900

D L O S

MOUNTAIN TOP LIVING ON MINNESOTA’S NORTH SHORE! MLS#6086880 $650,000

E L A S ING D N E P

D L O S

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Call TimberWolff for Your Fun Times on the Shore! Spring has Arrived! A Wonderful Personal Tour of Homes & Land!!!

Time To Walk the Land and See the Homes!

Local 663-8777 • Toll free (877) 664-8777

Info@TimberWolffRealty.com

WILDERNESS HOMES, LAKE VIEWS, AND IN TOWN…READ ALL ABOUT ‘EM! NEW! SPACIOUS THREE BEDROOM HOME IN PEACEFUL LOCALE WITHIN GRAND MARAIS CITY LIMITS.

NEW! BEAUTY BY THE RIVER IN FINLAND!

Beautiful location overlooking the Baptism River, with plenty of space for you to relax. 600ft of shoreline and 2.5 acres gives you room to wander. The home is calling your name for those family gatherings or maybe perfect for that retirement spot. Two bedrooms on main level with unfinished basement to give you options for extra space. Wood burning fireplace gives extra ambiance and large decks give you amazing views of the river. Detached 2 car garage is perfect for storing all your seasonal toys!

Large city parcel with tremendous trees of various species lovingly planted and cared for over the years. Ample decks are shady under the sylvan overstory. The home is looking for a new owner with some fresh ideas, some sprucing up to make the place one’s own.

Just up the Gunflint Tr are the Pincushion Trails and a top-notch view of Gitche Gumee.

Basement is unfinished with loads of storage room and extra bathroom. Lot has potential for subdivision. MLS#6096339

MLS#6096554 $275,000

$310,000

S

OL D

NEW! GRAND MARAIS TO-BEBUILT HOME!

FUN TIMES EAST OF GRAND MARAIS!

This beautiful home welcomes you as you enter! From the spacious family room upstairs and relaxing rec room downstairs with tons of windows for natural light to the large deck overlooking the yard, you will have plenty of space to relax and enjoy your Up North home! Updated kitchen, flooring, and rec room. 3 bedrooms, two baths, space for the entire gang! 2 car garage with Attic storage, and a storage shed/workshop tops it all off! Beautiful landscaping includes apple trees, rhubarb patch, raspberry plants and grape vines! Visit today and start relaxing on the North Shore! MLS#6095185 $325,000

Great opportunity to purchase a New Construction To Be Built home in Grand Marais on a lovely wooded lot. Plans for a two bedroom home with tuck under garage already drawn up and ready for your design input!

MLS#6095517 $472,500

INLAND LAKE GETAWAYS! NEW! PIKE LAKE GETAWAY LIKE THE OLDEN DAYS! Super accessible, shared 282ft of shoreline on Pike Lake! The cabin sits very close to the Lake and offers wonderful Lake Views, or sit on the deck and listen to the loons. Very functional floor plan, all on one level and wood burning fireplace to take away the spring chills.

MLS# 6096148 $255,000

ESCAPE TO THE CABIN ON GUST LAKE!

Enjoy one of the best kept secrets in Lutsen: Gust Lake! Great potential to dial this property in and make it your own vacation spot! Electricity and broadband brought in, new roof and tons more updates! 3 bedrooms and 2 baths with walk out lower level and don’t forget the 150ft of shoreline!

Large sunroom with access to deck, Bunk house and large detached garage top it off! See it today and start enjoying the North Shore! MLS#6095648

$299,000

E L A S ING D N E P

CLASSIC LUTSEN LOG CABIN ON WHITE PINE LAKE!

Hand crafted log cabin, built as a getaway from it all…no power no fiber no plumbing, just sweet and simple. But as the times have changed, the power and fiber are nearby, and the crawlspace to the cabin is calling for that indoor plumbing to be installed! In addition to the cabin, there’s a large 2 car detached garage and a sweet log style sauna. While the exterior needs a fresh coat of stain, the interior is gorgeous, the hewn logs providing a warmth that only a log cabin can provide. Hardwood floors, exposed logs and vaulted ceiling make the interior very welcoming. Two main level bedrooms, with bathroom/composting toilet, and a huge great room open to the kitchen and dining area. A log stairs leads to an open loft for bunkroom style sleeping. Covered porch facing the pristine forest and White Pine Lake make this is a dreamy place to enjoy an afternoon snooze! The 319 feet of lakeshore is rocky and full of structure for those plentiful walleye! Install a long dock to reach the deep waters where swimming will be enjoyed all summer long. White Pine lake is a wonderful lake located off the Honeymoon Trail in Lutsen, altogether less than 10 miles from Highway 61 and the Caribou Trail.

E L A S ING D N E P

MLS#6096098 $299,900

Call TIMBERWOLFF REALT Y or visit w w w.timberwolffrealty.com for more information!

NORTHERN WILDS

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Call TimberWolff for Your Fun Times on the Shore! Spring has Arrived! A Wonderful Personal Tour of Homes & Land!!!

Time To Walk the Land and See the Homes!

Local 663-8777 • Info@TimberWolffRealty.com

Toll free (877) 664-8777

CAMPN’, HUNTN’, FUN GETAWAY LAND, INVEST IN YOUR FUTURE! LUTSEN AREA

SILVER BAY TO SCHROEDER AREAS

NEW! Beautiful building site in Lutsen!

Driveway in place and waiting for you to build your dream getaway!

MLS#6095877 $49,000 SALE PENDING!

24 acres on Blackwoods Drive, approx. 8 miles up the Cramer Rd from the Cross River in Schroeder!

Southern sloping maples, beautiful build sites!

Electric, fiber, year round access.

Turnagain Trail in Lutsen! Excellent location, minutes to Lutsen Mountains and Lake Superior! Birch forest, with some spruce and Balsam fir. MLS#6094217 SALE PENDING!

$99,900 MLS#6094707

Tait Pines Up the Caribou Trail! Named for the towering White Pines that weave throughout Tait Pines, these lots are a fantastic getaway from it all with year round access, electric along the road and fiber to some of the lots. Small lots surrounded by common space bordering the Superior National Forest. A Must See to understand the pristine beauty and canoe access to Tait Lake.

NEW! Beauty in the Maples!

10 acres to explore on the Cramer Rd.

MLS#6096178 $59,900

TOFTE AREA NEW! Relax in Wildwood Acres!

With Electric at the road and year round access all that is needed is your imagination to start building your getaway Up North!

MLS#6078839 $42,000; MLS#6028619 $67,500; OR BIG VIEWS MLS#6090031 $50,000; SWEET HILLTOP SITE OVERLOOKING WILLS LAKE MLS#6028619 AND OTHERS, JUST ASK!

Crosswinds in Tofte!

Several build sites available, high ground and excellent location!

Walk to Coho Café, or hike the Sawbill to Carlton Peak! Minutes to Lutsen Mountains Ski Resort, or Temperance River State Park is even closer!

Year round access, electric at road.

Steam Engine Road in the heart of Lutsen! Perfect for your low impact small home on these five acre parcels! Walk to Fika for coffee, grab your days groceries at Clearview and head out for a day of Fun on the Shore!

MLS#6096144 $29,500

MLS#6077951 $37,500 AND OTHERS, JUST ASK! Jonvick Creek RARE FIND with creek bordering common land, beautiful build site with distant Lake Superior view!

MLS#6077966 $69,900 AND UNDER!

MLS#6094704 $57,500 PENDING!

South Sloping parcels at LeVeaux Mountain!

Beautiful build sites, one parcel has a wildlife pond and the other views of Lake Superior from the top! Yr Round access, electric and fiber along the road, sensible HOA makes this a gem to build your dream North Shore home!

Caribou Hillside overlooking Caribou and Ward Lake!

Stunning fall color with maples everywhere!

Thoughtfully developed to maximize a great sense of seclusion while in the heart of the Caribou Lake area. Several sites available, but don’t wait, they are selling fast!

MLS#6089001; MLS#6089003 $67,000 EACH!

MLS#6078781 $40,000 AND OTHERS, JUST ASK!

NEW! 2.91 Acres hidden off the highway with Year Round Access!

Enjoy the quietness of the woods while still being close to many hiking and biking trails.

Lovely build site overlooking a pond!

Located in the Jonvick Creek area, this is a level build site with sensible HOA and a fabulous location. Nice for hiking, snowmobiling and recreating!

MLS#6095861 $39,900

GRAND MARAIS AREA

MLS#6084134 $32,000

NEW! Great lots in the heart of Grand Marais with city water and city sewer at the street!

Lutsen Build sites with shared septic and well just waiting for your little cabin ideas!

Looking for a site to build without spending an arm and a leg?

These sites are it! Well and Septic in place, just Build and Enjoy!

.24 ACRES $89,000 MLS#6095459 .22 ACRES $90,000 MLS#6095460 .27 ACRES $70,000 MLS#6095461

MLS#2309328 $39,000 AND OTHERS, JUST ASK ABOUT MINK RANCH!

NEW! Just Far Enough Out of town with 5.3 Acres and Driveway in place! MLS#6095743

Nice Caps Trail level land bordering the Superior National Forest! Everything you need in your build site, yr round access, electric and fiber at road, and a canoe launch to Tait Lake just a half mile away!

$74,900 SOLD

NEW! 19.23 acres with views of Isle Royal on a clear day, building area identified and Flute Reed River frontage!

MLS#6096200 $99,900

MLS#6092302 $31,900 SALE PENDING!

NEW! Rugged wilderness on Camp 20 Rd! 750ft of frontage on Flute Reed River with 19+ acres to wander on!

80 acres in Lutsen!

Nice for hunting and camping or to build your wilderness retreat! Wish we could say it was all high ground for this price, but it’s not but who cares, it’s 80 acres of your own land! Awesome wildlife!

MLS#6096150 $99,900 SALE PENDING! NEW! Come and live with the Wildlife!

39+ acres with 300ft of frontage on Flute River.

MLS#2312987 $99,900 SALE PENDING!

MLS#6096200 $64,900

INLAND LAKE LANDS NEW! 2.5 ACRES ON DEERYARD LAKE WITH 175 FT OF SHORELINE!

Electric and fiber within lot and driveway in place!

MLS#6095989 $189,900 SALE PENDING

WHITE PINE LAKE, LUTSEN…DREAMY!!

2.9 acres with 199ft of shoreline on White Pine Lake. Nice fishing and peaceful shores, mostly Superior National Forest lands encompass the lake. MLS#6096034 $185,000 SALE PENDING

VISIT US AT WWW.TIMBERWOLFFR EALTY.COM FOR PICTUR E SLIDESHOW! 50

JUNE 2021

NORTHERN WILDS

www.CBNorthShore.com Serving Cook County since 1971

140053 _ NORTH SHORE

(218) 387-2131 (800) 732-2131

101 West Hwy. 61 Grand Marais, MN 55604 info@cbnorthshore.com

O n Lake Sup e rior

1441 Croftville Rd

Here is a 2 bedroom, 2 bath home with its own piece of Lake Superior Shoreline on the peaceful Croftville Road. The great room is amazing with massive fireplace and floor to ceiling windows to take in the superior view. Wildflower gardens, deck, 2 stall garage, roomy 3 season porch top it off.

MLS TBD $539,900

3876 Cascade Beach Rd

This 2 bedroom cabin on 200+ feet of private Lake Superior shoreline is perfectly charming. Surrounded by mature spruce forest and sitting only steps from the rock and pebble beach. It is so cozy, but it is really all about the view and the sound of the waves!

MLS TBD $649,900

88 Troll’s Trail

This is what it’s all about! Enjoy the views and sounds of Lake Superior from inside or out this lovely 2-bedroom/2-bath home located on over 300 ft shared frontage on the Big Lake AND over 600 ft of Reservation River!

MLS 6096249 $329,900

G N DI

N E P 2884 W Highway 61

200 Stonegate Road

317 ft. of magnificent ledge-rock Lake Superior shoreline, located minutes west of Grand Marais. Numerous outcroppings and rock formations that create incredible wave action together with the accompanying sounds of crashing water.

This truly magnificent home sits on almost 5 private acres with over 700 feet of Lake Superior shoreline that varies from ledge rock to rocky beach. A Dale Mulfinger design, it was built by a local craftsman known for meticulous attention to detail.

MLS 6095857 $359,900

MLS 6095586 $949,900 NORTHERN WILDS

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INLAND LAKE HOMES & CABINS

NEW Two Moose Trail True solitude can be found on Wilson Lake in this stunning Mulfinger, architecturally designed 4 bedroom, 5 bath home that takes advantage of the many attributes of lake living.

This exquisite home is tucked away on a gorgeous 4.5 acre lot filled with trails, gardens, and multiple water access points along the 284.17 feet of user-friendly shoreline. Escape to this peaceful retreat where you can enjoy the great outdoors, explore trails summer and winter, or just enjoy the views….

This is a truly special place!

MLS 6096401 $899,000

G N DI

N E P 42 Soderberg Lane

SERIOUSLY! Check out one of the only grandfathered-in Boat Houses in Cook County. This lot features 412 ft of shoreline on Birch Lake with 3+ acres. Property includes an older rustic cabin, is fully surveyed, year-round access.

MLS 6088180 $199,900

1079 South Shore Drive

Amazing 3BR/3BA fully furnished home on Devil Track Lake!

5.28 acres, abutting Federal land, 169 ft of great lake shore.

Attached insulated and heated 20x24 garage is a great space to store your toys!

MLS 6095399 $485,000

G N DI

N E P NEW 190 N Loon Lake Rd Majestic forest surrounds this equally majestic 3 bedroom, 3 bath home all set on 14 acres with over 650’ of Loon Lake shoreline. Open concept, granite counters, beautiful fireplaces, large attached garage…it has it all!

MLS TBD $969,900

101 West Hwy. 61 Grand Marais, MN 55604 info@cbnorthshore.com 140053 _ NORTH SHORE

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NEW 8795 Old Gunflint Trail

This quintessential, turn-key Gunflint Trail gem is situated on 3.97 acres with tons of pine trees, creating a park-like setting and 229 ft. of stunning, accessible shoreline with ledge rock outcroppings on West Pope Lake. West Pope is very private & quiet.

MLS 6096492 $339,900

(218) 387-2131

•

(800) 732-2131

www.CBNorthShore.com

Home s & C abin s

D L SO NEW 419 5th Ave W

Check out this well built affordable priced home! In City limits and situated on a large sunny lot. Looking for one level living? Here you go! This home has a spacious kitchen, a generous living room, 2BR, 1BA, mudroom and detached garage.

$229,900 MLS 6096141

4640 North Road

Watch the deer while you are relaxing in this sunny 3 bedroom, 2 bath home with vaulted ceilings featuring some impressive, hand-crafted beams and large windows. 10A with insulated 2 car garage.

MLS 6095026 $239,900

G N DI

G N DI

N E P

42 County Rd 60

N E P

Listen to the murmur of the Devil Track River from this lovely, beautifully maintained 4 BR, 3 BA home. Spacious living room, dining room and master bedroom. Attached 2-stall heated garage and detached garage is a great space for a workshop or toys.

MLS 6092982 $449,900

G N DI

N E P 401 2nd Ave E

If you’ve been waiting for a 3BR home right in Grand Marais, this is it. Situated on a corner lot with a landscaped yard and a short walk to downtown. Top it off with an attached garage, greenhouse/garden shed and great little sauna! Check it out now

MLS 6094872 $259,900

1039 W 2nd Street

Here is the chance for log cabin charm with in-town conveniences and access to all the great activities Cook County has to offer! 5BR, 2BA home with log walls, beams, and columns are complimented by many south facing windows with partial Lake Superior views.

101 West Hwy. 61 Grand Marais, MN 55604 info@cbnorthshore.com

MLS 6095030 $399,900

(218) 387-2131

•

(800) 732-2131

www.CBNorthShore.com

140053 _ NORTH SHORE

NORTHERN WILDS

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LD

Land

INLAND LAKE LOTS

TBD Jackson Lake Rd

38A with unbelievable, top of the world panoramic views of Lake Superior, the surrounding hills, ponds & streams. New driveway in place and is surrounded by

State land on 3 sides.

MLS 6095246 $149,900

XX Camp 12 Road 40 Acres located right off of the Irish Creek Road.

Land is surrounded on three sides by State Land for added Privacy. Irish Creek flows through the property.

MLS 6095948 $49,900

12XX County Road 7 5+ acres on County Rd 7 only a half mile from the hospital. The privacy of a country size lot and the convenience of being in the city of Grand Marais.

MLS 6092003 $54,900

XX Ward Lake Road Beautiful 40 acres filled with maple trees! Build to overlook Deeryard Lake or stay tucked in the maple trees. Abuts thousands of acres of federal land and close to Pike Lake for fishing.

MLS 6095929 $69,900

1X South Shore Drive So many options with this 5+ acre lot! Mature trees in a country setting close to popular Devil Track Lake, the airport, and only minutes to Grand Marais.

MLS 6091923 $45,000

106X Devil Track Road Nine wooded acres 9 miles from Grand Marais fronting on a paved road makes for a great site to build your North country home or cabin. Deeded Devil Track Lake access.

MLS 6095671 $74,900

Jonvick Creek Sites 11 lots available from 1.5 - 4.8 acres In the heart of Lutsen, just off the Caribou Trail. Maples, Pines, and cedars in varied arrangements will make a great back-drop for your home or cabin. Each property adjoins public land making your space seem even more private. $29,900 $49,900

G N I D

PEN

1X Brandon Lane Beautiful lot just outside Grand Marais.

Fall River runs through this property.

Dramatic frontage!

MLS 6095813 $62,000 County Rd 14 Terrific and extremely affordable pieces of land with good high building sites and interesting game attracting low areas as well.

MLS 6086957 $38,900 XX County Road 67 Breathtaking views from this 2.7A lot that directly abuts State Land to the east and there is DNR owned Lake Superior shoreline to the south. Quite accessible to year-round access and all utilities.

MLS 6095245 $39,900

G N I D

PEN

NEW: XXX Broadway Avenue Affordable residential lot within city limits. Very close to all your needs.

Walking distance to the schools and quick trips to the grocery stores.

MLS 6095980 $39,900

G N I D

G N I D

1XX Ski Hill Rd Dreamed of a getaway on the North Shore? Over a half acre on Lutsen’s Ski Hill Road with the west side of the property overlooking Superior National Golf Course.

MLS 6093169 $59,900

PEN

Railroad Drive Lutsen Sweet 1.7 A building site located in the heart of Lutsen. Gently rolling topography, mature trees and easy building site.

MLS 6084050 $39,900

PEN

G N I D

2X South Shore Drive Location is everything! This 5+ acre lot is just minutes to Grand Marais with a country setting yet close to the action. Easily accessible from County maintained roads.

MLS 6091924 $45,000

PEN

Deeryard Lake

Tom Lake lot with over 200 feet of frontage and an easy slope to the lake! There’s a shed and a dock waiting for you to start your adventure.

MLS 6083377 $69,900

Greenwood Lake

Gorgeous south facing 2+ acre with 276’ of shoreline.

Features YR access, driveway in, picnic area and walking trails. Development shared ownership includes private boat launch and surrounded by federal lands.

MLS 6094281 $149,900

Greenwood Lake

Here’s your chance to have property on the incomparable Greenwood Lake. Over 200 feet of rocky shoreline. A cleared building site on a rocky knoll gives an awesome view down to the lake.

MLS 6095672 $129,900

101 West Hwy. 61 Grand Marais, MN 55604 info@cbnorthshore.com 140053 _ NORTH SHORE

JUNE 2021

Tom Lake

Just a little off the beaten path this 3.5 acres and 134ft of lake shore sits on Deeryard Lake. Build your cabin among the BEUATIFUL maples over looking the lake or close to the waters edge.

MLS 6095803 $155,000 REDUCED

23XX Lima Grade Are you searching for a private 20A on the Gunflint Trail and the feeling of your own private wilderness area? This is it! Lot is bordered by the BWCA, National Forest and the Poplar Creek runs through it.

MLS 6095243 $89,900

West Hwy 61 Attractive & affordable building site with 3+ acres & easy access right off of Hwy 61. Minutes from town and Close to Cascade River State Park MLS 6093939 $35,000

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Tom Lake

Affordable AND attractive lot on Tom Lake, complete with a solid driveway and cleared building site.

Very private with 1.6 acres and 189 ft of shoreline.

MLS 6090351 $64,900

NEW: 19XX Camp 20 Road Are you looking for an affordably priced 20 acre chunk of land? This property has added privacy since it directly abuts Federal land to the north.

MLS 6096381 $32,900 XX County Road 67 Gorgeous year round view of Lake Superior on this 2.7 acres with gently rolling topography with a gradual slope towards the lake. Truly a wonderful location to build that dream home!

MLS 6095244 $82,000

1XX Gauthier Road Build your off-grid north woods getaway on this beautiful 20 acre parcel with Lake Superior views! Seasonal access less than 2 miles from Highway 61 and an eighth mile from Superior Hiking Trail.

MLS 6095138 $49,900

Tom Lake

Wishing for an affordable inland lake lot? Here it is! Over 20A with 300’ of shoreline on Tom Lake. All the privacy you long for and close to the BWCA and Superior Hiking Trail.

MLS 6095017 $95,000

NORTHERN WILDS

Squint Lake

Nicely wooded 2 plus acre lot with 221’ of accessible shoreline on Squint Lake. Directly abutting USFS for added privacy and year round access just off the Gunflint Trail.

MLS 6096359 $79,900

(218) 387-2131

•

(800) 732-2131

www.CBNorthShore.com

CATCHLIGHT

duckling I had spent the morning photographing loons on a lake off the Gunflint Trail. In the process, I noticed an eagle trying to get this mom’s mallard ducklings. She fought off the eagle with fury and wasn’t about to let it get her young. When I got to that part of the lake I noticed way back under the brush mom was still protecting her babies, making sure the eagle was gone before coming out. This little guy was so cute looking out from between her legs.—Paul Sundberg NORTHERN WILDS

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WIN

A TRAEGER PRO SERIES 22

Wood Pellet Grill!

Enter to win a Traeger Pro Series 22 grill with your purchase of $100.00 or more at Cook County Home Center. Limit one entry per day. Giveaway begins June 1, 2021 and ends June 31, 2021.

COOK COUNTY

HOME CENTER

COOK COUNTY

Mon - Fri: 7 am - 5 pm • Sat: 8 am - 4 pm 1413 E. Hwy 61, Grand Marais • 218-387-1771  Toll-free 1-877-387-1771

Thousands of items available

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JUNE 2021

DELIVERY

www.acehardware.com - Shop Online and Get Free Shipping to our store!

NORTHERN WILDS