Along the Shore

This year marks the 75th anniversary of the Grand Marais Art Colony, the oldest art colony in Minnesota. | SUBMITTED

Grand Marais Art Colony celebrates 75 years

By Rae Poynter

GRAND MARAIS—This year marks the 75th anniversary of the Grand Marais Art Colony, the oldest art colony in Minnesota. For many years artists have been drawn to capturing this area’s natural beauty, and this summer brings a celebration of the Art Colony’s past and its growing future.

In the summer of 1947, artist Birney Quick started the Outdoor School of Painting in Grand Marais. Originally a summer program through the Minneapolis School of Art, in 1954 Quick was joined by artist and professor Byron Bradley, and together with other instructors they led summer art classes in Grand Marais until the early 1980s. During Quick and Bradley’s time, the Art Colony moved into the building that was formerly St. John’s Catholic Church, built in 1916.

“Birney was a plein air painter and Byron did sculpture, mixed media, painting and drawing,” said Art Colony director Lyla Brown. “Birney loved to paint and he also loved to have a good time, so they would have fish fries and people from the community would come meet up with the artists to hang out and have a good time.”

The 1980s and 90s brought new changes to the Art Colony. After Quick passed away in 1981, Bradley continued to operate the Art Colony until it became a 501(c) 3 nonprofit in 1984. Another turning point was the installation of a furnace in the building, enabling the Art Colony to move from being summer-focused to becoming a year-round operation. The Art Colony also partnered with other local organizations to help establish the Arrowhead Center for the Arts addition to ISD 166.

As the Art Colony has continued to draw artists to the North Shore, it has also needed to expand its facilities to allow for new opportunities. In 2005 a new studio building was constructed, which over the years has housed a print studio, staff offices, painting studios, ceramics, and lodging for student artists. Then in 2019, the buildings that formerly housed the North Shore Pharmacy and Dog Haus on Highway 61 were put up for sale and were purchased by the Art Colony in June 2019.

“Our studio building was becoming too small and we also wanted to increase visibility to the public,” Brown said. “Founders hall is also a great space for classrooms and for exhibitions, but you can’t have both going on at the same time. So, it was starting to become a bottle neck because we only had room for so many classes.”

Brown said that originally the plan had been to start looking for land within the city of Grand Marais to build a new building, but when the former pharmacy building came up for sale, they knew that commercial buildings didn’t come on the market very often, and that this was their chance to acquire a previously-built space with great visibility. Since the purchase, the Art Colony has been working on renovations, which they plan to have completed by June. The new spaces, Studio 17 and Studio 21, will house the printmaking studio, more classroom and exhibit space, accessible lodging space, and retail space.

This summer will bring a variety of 75th anniversary celebrations to the Art Colony. A historical timeline with artwork by Quick and Bradley will be on display June 10–August 27 in the original building. Meanwhile, Studio 21 will be hosting the 7-5 Exhibition, where seven artists from around the Great Lakes will display five works of art each. Community members, visitors, and anyone with ties to the Art Colony are also invited to participate in the Zine Project. A zine (pronounced zeen, short for magazine) is a self-published booklet, often with both text and images. According to the Art Colony’s website, “Zines are great tools for free speech, and anyone can make them no matter their age, artistic ability or location. This project invites you to express yourself with few boundaries.” Templates and instructions for the Zine Project can be found on the Art Colony’s website, or picked up at Studio 21, the Grand Marais Public Library, or Drury Lane Books.

More information about the Art Colony’s celebrations can be found at: grandmaraisartcolony.org.

Historic State Theater: A revival for the big screen

By Casey Fitchett

ELY—With almost 100 years of history, Ely’s Historic State Theater has had a noteworthy past. Built by Ely’s Swanson family and designed by architecture firm Liebenberg & Kaplan, the theater originally opened its doors in 1936. Unfortunately, after 72 years of operation, the theater was forced to shut its doors during the 2008 recession.

This theater’s tale is one of a comeback, however. In 2014, Alley A Realty saw an opportunity to redevelop and preserve the historic landmark. They purchased the building and worked with the State of Minnesota and the U.S. Department of Interior to restore the exterior and interior to its original condition. By the end of July 2016, Ely’s Historic State Theater held a relighting ceremony of the marquee and sign. After the non-profit came together in 2019, they were able to raise the funds needed to add the first screen and bring the theater to life. The impressive show of support came full circle in early 2020 when Ely’s Historic State Theater was ready to once again open its doors to the public.

Peter Schamber, the theater manager, has been with the organization since that re-opening day. He is the one responsible for daily operations, choosing the films and events, and the general running of the theater. As the organization operates as a non-profit, Schamber reports to a board made up of members of the community.

Because it is more than just a standard for-profit movie theater, it has the ability to serve as a gathering place for a wide variety of needs. They pride themselves on fulfilling their mission to be a ‘cultural hub of film, arts, entertainment and learning that cultivates a vibrant, healthy community.’ With almost 17,000 attendees to the 1,132 showings and 10 community events in 2021, it’s safe to say that the theater stays busy.

There certainly is no shortage of recent happenings to report. Event series like “States on Screen” (filmed performances from world renowned theaters like the Bolshoi Ballet, National Theater in London, Shakespeare’s Globe Theater, and more), live magic and comedy acts, and even a local school prom keep a steady flow of guests to the building.

Ely’s Historic State Theater is more than just a standard movie theater; it has the ability to serve as a gathering place for a wide variety of needs. | SUBMITTED

“One of our screens is essentially a dedicated movie theater, and our second screen is really more of a multi-purpose event space,” explains Schamber. “We view ourselves as an all-around entertainment venue servicing community in whatever capacity we can.”

Affordability and accessibility for people of all ages and financial means are additional driving forces for the non-profit. To accomplish this end, they take a unique approach to setting their ticket prices. Because the national film companies take a percentage of the ticket sales, they keep their prices as low as possible. The more the theater charges per ticket, the more they have to pay the film company. Instead, generous customers can add a donation on top of their low ticket price that goes directly to the theater. Beyond this effort to retain more of the ticket sales, the theater hopes that their customers will check out Ely’s other fantastic businesses.

“Another important aspect of our lower ticket price is that we hope the theater will draw people to town and we want those people to spend money at local businesses. By keeping our prices down, visitors can afford to spend more money at other shops or restaurants while in town, and it makes for an overall more enjoyable experience,” explains Schamber. “We view ourselves as an economic driver for the community, and I think the community does as well, which is why we’ve had strong support from local businesses.”

Purchasing concessions is another way hungry and thirsty theater-goers can directly support their mission. The cafe is open before, during and after theater events to both event attendees and the general public.

Despite the theater’s previous struggles, it hopes to be a cornerstone organization that impresses locals and visitors alike for years to come.

“We are hoping that people will be impressed with the facility, the non-profit’s fantastic job of raising funds, and the way we provide a first-rate experience,” says Schamber. “I hope people from the region will make the trip over.”

For more information visit: elystatetheater.org.

The sinking of historic James Whalen tug: Down but not gone

By Elle Andra-Warner

THUNDER BAY—The tug James Whalen— Thunder Bay’s first icebreaker—was built in 1905 by Bertram Engine Works in Toronto for owner Canadian Towing & Wrecking Company, Port Arthur (today’s Thunder Bay).

For decades, the 108-foot-long tug opened up shipping routes in Thunder Bay Harbour and on Lake Superior, slicing through thick ice. She plowed through storms; rescued marooned soldiers; ferried lighthouse keepers, their families and supplies to their stations at both the start and close of the navigation season; plus much more.

The historic 108-footlong tug James Whalen, built in 1905, lies submerged in the Kaministiquia River at the Kam River Heritage Park in Thunder Bay. | ELLE ANDRA- WARNER

Newspapers in both the U.S. and Canada often wrote about the tug. The Buffalo Enquirer from Buffalo, NY reported on May 20, 1907, “Marine men all around the lakes are praising work of the ice breaking tug James Whalen. The feats of this tug at and near Port Arthur during the past three weeks are nothing short of phenomenal.” The Winnipeg Tribune on May 4, 1929, wrote the Whalen was like a bulldog, not built-for-beauty. “She is built for bucking ice and towing heavy steamers. She has a nose like the rock of Gibraltar and when she hits the ice, the ice is broken.”

In 1924, she was sold to Domininion Towing & Salvage Co. Ltd. (Port Arthur), and five years later (1929) to Sin-Mac Lines Ltd., which at the time had the largest tug fleet on the Great Lakes. Later, she was owned by United Towing & Salvage Co. Ltd. (1936); J. P. Porter Co. Ltd. (1956) and Verreault Navigation (1977) which renamed her “Denise V.”

When the city of Thunder Bay took ownership in 1992, her name reverted back to James Whalen. She was towed to Thunder Bay and moored on the Kaministiquia River at Kam River Heritage Park as a tourist attraction. She has been there for the past 20 years, aged but still a beautiful and important touchstone to a rich Lake Superior transportation history.

Unfortunately, sometime during the first weekend in May, the sturdy historic tug— now weather-beaten by heavy rains and somewhat neglected—took on water, listed to the side, broke her moorings, drifted and sank. The toughie that she is, she didn’t sink all the way though; instead, she’s now resting on the bottom of the riverbank ridge. The hope is she doesn’t slide into the deeper part of the river. Floating booms have been installed around the vessel.

For decades, the James Whalen tug opened up shipping routes in Thunder Bay Harbour and on Lake Superior, slicing through thick ice. | ELLE ANDRA-WARNER

What happens now? Well, she will have to be moved as she can’t stay in the river. The city is accepting proposals from local companies on raising the city-owned tug. In the meantime, support is growing from the community to have the James Whalen moved to the Lakehead Transportation Museum (LTM) site at Pool 6 dock.

“For years, our organization has been trying to save and refurbish the tug, and place her in front of our museum ship, the former Canadian Coast Guard icebreaker Alexander Henry,” said Charles Brown, the LTM president. “It would seem fitting, the port’s first and last icebreakers together.”

Stay tuned; the story of the James Whalen is not yet finished.

Iona’s Beach: The singing beach

By Joe Shead

TWO HARBORS—It’s not hard to feel insignificant as you stand along Lake Superior’s shoreline, gazing out into a seemingly endless sea of blue. Yet one seemingly insignificant person—who cared about the lake and its stunning shoreline—had the power to save one of its most interesting beaches.

Iona Lind fell in love with the pink stones found along the beach that later was to bear her name. The smooth, rounded stones— some mere pebbles, others as large as a grapefruit—make music if you’ll only stop to listen. As the waves roll in, they pick up these pink rhyolite stones, rearrange them and gently set them down in a sound sort of like a million marbles settling together. Some have described it as a tinkling sound; others claim Lake Superior is singing.

As you walk along the uniquely colored igneous rock, it’s almost like striding across a child’s ball pit. The rocks clatter and roll underfoot, giving off a hollow sound, making you think you might slip underneath them into an abyss at any moment.

Also known as the Singing Beach, Iona’s Beach is an 11-acre Scientific Natural Area located near Two Harbors. | JOE SHEAD

This one-of-a-kind crescent-shaped beach was formed when a 30-foot rhyolite cliff with felsite bedrock just to the north began to erode. Over time, the cliff has been battered by angry seas and cracked by frost action, causing it to slowly crumble into Lake Superior. The salmon-colored stones wash into the lake, where waves grind them and polish them into smooth, palm-sized rocks before throwing them up onto the shore. Just 300 yards south of the cliff, a dark headland of basalt walls in the rhyolite stones and keeps them from washing farther south.

The sights and sounds of this beach were so captivating for Iona that she and her husband, John, decided to settle along the shore here and open a resort in the mid- 1930s. The Linds operated Twin Points Resort for more than 50 years. In its heyday, the property sported cabins, a restaurant and even a grocery store. However, in time, John passed away and the Lind children elected not to continue operating the resort. So, Iona decided to close the resort and donate her beloved beach to the DNR so everyone could enjoy the sights and sounds of the smooth, pink stones.

The site, located right along Highway 61 between Gooseberry Falls and Split Rock Lighthouse, was made into an 11-acre Scientific Natural Area to preserve this rare, undisturbed area.

Today, the Twin Points Protected Access boat ramp serves as the parking lot for those wishing to access Iona’s Beach. The Gitchi-Gami State Trail runs through the parking lot as well, if you want to hike or bike along the lake. From the parking lot, it’s an easy two-minute walk down a blacktopped path that changes to gravel to reach the beach.

If you’ve got a few minutes, the next time you’re passing through, take the time to stroll down to the beach. Turn a pink rhyolite stone over in your hand and ponder the awesome power of the lake that rounded these stones. Most of all, pause to listen to the sound of the rocks as the waves pick them up and lay them back down. Is the sound a tinkling or more of a clattering? Or is Lady Superior actually singing? You decide.