Northern Wilds March 2021

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At home in the Northern Wilds If it is true that home is where the heart is, then home is the Northern Wilds for many folks, whether they live here or not. Last year, the steady migration of new residents to our region accelerated as workers who were sent home from the office due to the pandemic discovered that they really have no need to return. Working from home is a new reality for many office workers. When your boss and coworkers are suddenly just a Zoom call away, you may find you are free to pull up stakes and move to where your heart is. We’re hearing many folks are deciding to do just that.

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.

Aside from Indigenous people, the Northern Wilds has always been populated by people who came here from somewhere else, even if their family arrived a few generations before yours did. Some new arrivals find their niche in the woods, while a few discover they really don’t care for the remoteness or cold winters and move on. Either way, there is always a lively real estate market for both homes and undeveloped land. Local real estate agents say that market has been especially lively in the past year, so much so that they have a reduced inventory of homes and properties to sell. Contractors have been busy as well with new home construction and remodeling projects.

In this issue, we take a closer look at what it is like to move to the Northern Wilds as either a permanent resident or a cabin owner. (Hint, either way, it’s a good thing.) You also find stories about the challenges of drilling a well on the North Shore and landscaping your yard with plants suitable to the climate. As always, our columnists provide a mixture of tales. Chuck Viren visits with the Sioux Chef of Minneapolis to learn about cooking with food native to the area. Erin Altemus recounts how a mishap in the John Beargrease Sled Dog Marathon may have cost her the race, even though she still had a strong fourth-place finish. Julia Prinselaar shares some musings on why we need cold winter weather. Elle Andra-Warner tracked down cities and towns from around the world that have the same names as Northern Wilds communities. And Gord Ellis gives us the low-down on late winter ice fishing, reminding us that even if spring arrives in March on the calendar, it is unlikely to show up in the north anytime soon.

Actually, we’re ok with that. The longer days and milder temperatures make March the best month to get outside and enjoy winter activities. Have fun while it lasts!—Shawn Perich and Amber Pratt

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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

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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

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VOLUME 18, ISSUE 3 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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Not only can porcupines tell apart the tree species in the Northwoods, they also know exactly which species have the highest protein contents and the fewest toxins at each stage of spring. | EMILY STONE

Early signs of spring NORTH SHORE— Have you ever stood in a snow-covered field, tipped your face toward the sky, and reveled in the warmth of the sun’s rays on your skin?

That sunshine is warm seems like a given, but the timid December sun is wan and weak. It’s only as days lengthen toward the equinox (this year on March 20) that sunshine regains its strength.

Sometimes, that’s all we get. March can be blustery—still filled with blizzards of heavy snow. Then the combination of melting sun and cold nights forge crusty drifts so robust that they can support an adventurous skier who likes to glide among the trees and over wetlands where no trail would ever go when the ground is thawed.

By late February, red squirrels are running low on stored food, so they turn to the nutrient-rich buds of spruce trees. | EMILY STONE

That crust can cause issues for some critters. By late February, red squirrels are running low on stored food and the crust prevents them from digging deep-

er. So they turn to the nutrient-rich buds of spruce trees. Their harvest method is messy, though: bite off a twig, turn it around and nibble the bud, and discard the rest of the twig right onto the freshly groomed tracks of a ski trail.

Skiing through the sun-warmed woods provides a window into other spring activity, too. Fisher and fox tracks quilt the hillsides as these critters travel widely in search of mates. Foxes leave scent marks on trailside lumps and little fir trees— trying to get a bit of height so that a passing breeze will better waft the smell along. Their urine has a distinctively skunky odor. Of course, at some point the skunks wake up, too, and it becomes harder to know for sure who has left their calling card.

Above the snow, tree buds bask in the warming sunshine, and sap begins to thaw and rise. Aspens are some of the

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The harvest method of a red squirrel in a spruce tree is messy: bite off a twig, turn it around and nibble the bud, and discard the rest of the twig onto the freshly groomed tracks of a ski trail. | EMILY STONE

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Use your giving power to help fight food insecurity. Simply visit your local branch, pledge a monthly donation, and we’ll take it from there. Or, sign up using our eBranch app. northshorefcu.org/hungerheroes

Signs of spring include the buzz of a bee and the fuzzy buds of pussy willows starting to pop. | EMILY STONE first buds to show a plumper silhouette against the blue sky. I usually don’t notice their change until the even fatter shape of a porcupine nibbling on their twigs catches my attention.

Porcupines are some of the most talented botanists in the Northwoods.

Not only can they tell apart the tree species, they also know exactly which species have the highest protein contents and the fewest toxins at each stage of spring. Trees on sunny roadsides may be further along in their seasonal sequence than their relatives in a shady forest, so porkies are extra visible as they satisfy their hunger.

Spring sun also changes the chemistry of sugar maple buds, and they are another one of porcupines’ first spring snacks. As sap rises, the buds swell. Packed inside the overlapping layers of toffee-colored bud scales, tiny leaves and twigs begin to expand.

At the height of their nutrition (which happens just as the syruping season ceases), sugar maple buds have more

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protein than enriched breakfast cereal.

Of course, by that point, many of us are blurry-eyed and smoke-cured from long days and nights of boiling down the maple sap into syrup.

Spending time in the sugar bush (or anywhere outside) means that we get to hear—or feel—the very first drumming of a ruffed grouse like a vibration in our chests. As soon as a few fallen logs have tipped their cap free of snow, these birds start their springtime display for the ladies. Chickadees join in, with ever-more-frequent whistles of “Hey Sweetie” in the sunshine.

As we trudge through increasingly slushy snow—the kind that makes a perfect mold of animal tracks—we might also come across the five-toed tracks of a black bear, stretching his legs after hibernation. At dusk, the “beep, beep, beep” call of a migrating saw-whet owl might cut through the damp air.

At dawn, the konk-la-ree call of redwinged blackbirds seems to hasten the thawing of wetlands. As ice blackens

and melts, I strain my ears to catch the first rough quacks of wood frogs and the jingle bell chorus of spring peepers.

And above those wetlands—silent but beautiful—the fuzzy buds of pussy willows start to pop—first with the gray fuzz of the female flowers, and then with the golden, pollen-drenched pompoms of the males.

Above it all, we listen for the honking V’s of geese returning north. Aldo Leopold wrote, “One swallow does not make a summer, but one skein of geese, cleaving the murk of a March thaw, is the spring…a migrating goose, staking two hundred miles of black night on the chance of finding a hole in the lake, has no easy chance for retreat. His arrival carries the conviction of a prophet who has burned his bridges. A March morning is only as drab as he who walks in it without a glance skyward, ear cocked for geese.”

So, it’s time to tip your face to the sun, cock your ear toward the sky, and revel in the early signs of spring.

Piles of shredded cones are called middens and they’re made by red squirrels. | JOE SHEAD

Squirrel middens NORTH SHORE— If you’re hiking through a coniferous forest, particularly in winter, you might notice piles of reddish-brown debris standing out starkly against the snow. From a distance, you might think an animal has been digging up dirt from the frozen ground, but look closer. It isn’t dirt, but rather, thousands of scales from spruce, fir, hemlock or pine cones.

These piles of shredded cones are called middens and they’re made by red squirrels. (No, they’re not “mittens,” but wouldn’t a squirrel wearing mittens be adorable?) These hardy little mammals stay active all winter and their middens provide places to store and retrieve their food, even when the snow is deep.

Beginning in late summer, red squirrels (also called pine squirrels) climb into coniferous trees where they nip off cones. The cones drop to the forest floor and squirrels carry them in their mouths to a central location in their home range.

Red squirrels are very territorial. (I’ve watched them at my bird feeder and if one squirrel is feeding, the next one to show up has to wait. If he tries to reach the feeder, too, the two squirrels almost always get into a vicious wrestling match that never lasts more than a couple seconds, but sends sunflower seeds scattering everywhere!)

A squirrel’s territory can be up to about 4 acres in size. Squirrels create their middens at the base of good cone-bearing trees.

A squirrel ascends the tree above the midden and climbs out to a branch to perch. There, it holds a cone with its front feet and rapidly gnaws off the cone scales to get to the seeds inside. The scales pile up on

the ground below, forming a midden. A large midden can be a couple feet deep and measure 10 feet wide or more, but most will be only 2 or 3 feet wide and a foot deep. The accumulating pile of cone debris creates a cold storage area for their food. Squirrels gather up new, unopened cones and bury them in the pile. The debris keeps the cones cool and locks in moisture, which keeps the stored cones from opening and losing their seeds. The cones will stay in this state indefinitely, as long as they stay cool and moist. Over time, the midden grows progressively larger, as squirrels eat through more cones, year after year. A large midden may contain up to 15,000 cones. Look closely and you’ll see tunnels into the debris pile that squirrels use to store new-found cones and retrieve their lunch. Depending on the size of the cone, squirrels may chew through 50 or even more than 100 cones a day, eating the seeds stored inside.

ESCAPE TO THE GUNFLINT TRAIL

Most of the food stored in a midden consists of cones, but in areas with mast trees, squirrels may store acorns or other nuts within the midden as well.

With so much food all centrally located, it’s easy to see why squirrels are so protective of their turf. If a squirrel dies, however, a lucky squirrel seeking out a territory may hit the jackpot and find a midden with a full refrigerator for the taking.

The next time you’re walking through the conifers, keep an eye out for squirrel middens. Red squirrels may not be beavers, but they’re just as busy as they gather and stockpile their winter food. Given their high activity level, their large food caches and their propensity for preparation, you could say they are the busy beavers of the coniferous forest.—Joe Shead

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Plants, pollinators and deer

Local landscaper shares tips for North Shore homeowners GRAND MARAIS— March is here, and with it comes the official beginning of spring. While warm weather may still be a ways off in the Northern Wilds, this time of year many people start to think ahead and plan for gardens, tree planting and other landscaping to be done when the snow finally melts. While the North Shore is a uniquely beautiful region, the harsh winters, wildlife and soil types can pose a challenge for those looking to landscape their property. But unique challenges also yield unique rewards. Alisa Berns is the owner of Taproot Landscaping in Grand Marais. With 11 years of landscaping experience, she shares tips and ideas for homeowners looking to beautify their properties this summer.

While some may be eager to dive right into landscaping and planting their favorite plants, Berns says that the first step is to get to know your property, as different parcels of land can have vastly different characteristics even within the same region.

Taproot Landscaping owner Alisa Berns [RIGHT] has 11 years of landscaping experience. | ALISA BERNS

Finland’s 46th Annual St. Urho’s Celebration Schedule of Events St Urho: Survival Mode

“As a landscaper, when I go to a site I get a lay of the land first,” Berns said. “Before starting a new project, homeowners should observe their property for a period of time to get to know it well. Dig around in the soil and see what kind of soil you have. What trees do you have? Is your property sloped or flat? Do you get standing water anywhere? Once you know what you’re working with you can make decisions based on what works well.”

For North Shore residents, an important consideration is your property’s microclimate: properties near Lake Superior are in growing zone 4, while properties farther inland are in zone 3. Plants that thrive near the lake may struggle farther inland, and vice versa.

After observing the land, the next step is to pick plants. One goal is to cultivate a

wide variety of plants that bloom at different times of the year, creating a garden that not only looks beautiful from spring through autumn but also offers several months of food for pollinators. And unless you are an expert gardener, choose plants that are low-maintenance. If a plant is in the right place it should not need much pampering.

“Keep in mind that low-maintenance is not no-maintenance,” Berns said. “The forest always wants to fill back in, and no matter what you plant, you have to be willing to weed and do other upkeep. Certain plants are easier than others, but there’s no such thing as a garden you can plant and forget about.”

Apart from maintenance, Berns also urges homeowners to consider the importance of habitat gardening, and keeping wildlife in mind when designing your landscaping.

Each garden has the potential to be its own ecosystem, with blossoming plants that provide food for pollinators, and rocks, driftwood or fallen trees that provide shelter and attract insects and birds.

“It’s important to remember that your property is not an island,” Berns said. “It’s a part of something bigger, part of the larger regional ecosystem.”

While homeowners may want to attract pollinators and birds, attracting other animals—like deer—can be a nuisance. Although articles circulate online touting lists of deer-resistant plants, Berns said it is important to know that “deer-free” is a myth, and left unprotected, deer will try any plant.

Despite being adventurous eaters, there are some tactics that work to deter deer.

As deer have very good noses, Berns recommends using a spray like Plantskydd which smells bad to them, and to spray it every six weeks on your plants during the grow-

St Urho’s Weekend will be quite a bit different this year.

There are no indoor social activities at the Community Center this year.

Instead there will be a combination of online/livestream events as well as outdoor events, the main one being the

Parade at Noon on Saturday March 20th.

The Calendar of Events will be updated online here:

www.friendsoffinland.org/st-urho-2021-schedule Also check out our Facebook page for livestreaming:

www.facebook.com/sturho

We ask that you wear masks and keep your group small so as to keep everyone safe so we can be together again next year. We will also be livestreaming the parade for folks to watch from home.

Let’s save our toilet paper and our grapes from those evil grasshoppers.

We all know they hoarded the supplies others needed to survive.

We fully understand the world isn’t out of the woods yet and that’s why we ask you to be safe.

Supported by the Silver Bay Area Tourism Association and Welcome to Finland

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Try and choose some plants that provide food for pollinators. | ALISA BERNS “A lot of gardening knowledge comes from failure. You’ll try something and it will fail, but you’ll start to grow an intuition of what works and what doesn’t. Be willing to tinker with and move things, and have the curiosity to investigate why something does or doesn’t work,” says Berns.

For those looking to learn more about landscaping and gardening, local UMN Extension offices provide many helpful tips and resources. More information about native plants can be found through the Minnesota DNR Native Plant Encyclopedia, available for free online through the MN DNR website.

—Rae Poynter

Finally, homeowners interested in landscaping should get familiar with native plants and keep an eye out for invasive spe-

cies. Construction sites, with disturbances to the land and construction fill brought in from far away, are perfect places for invasive plants to grow. Invasive plant growth can be mitigated by smothering disturbed land with plastic for a season, and then working in topsoil and compost the next season. From there, native seed mixes can be planted to promote new growth.

Whatever you decide to plant, Berns said it is important to approach gardening with patience and a willingness to learn.

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Unless you are an expert gardener, choose plants that are low-maintenance.

If a plant is in the right place, it shouldn’t need much pampering. | ALISA BERNS ing season. In the winter months, when snow-cover makes food scarce, deer will often turn to eating trees and shrubs. Winter fencing protects small trees and shrubs that are vulnerable to deer decimation. Deer are creatures of habit, and by fencing off food sources in the winter and making your garden smell bad in the summer, deer will begin to establish their regular routes away from your property to look for food elsewhere.

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Single fixtures or entire home, no job too big or too small!

Give him a call, get your lighting done right the first time.

218 475 2656 or pinecrestomg@boreal.org Jim Miller, Lighting Designer/Supplier in Hovland MN

Lighting done right, the first time!

Got Fencing?

We know North Shore deer and young trees don’t mix, but what can a landowner do?

Apply now for the North Shore Forest Collaborative’s reducedprice fencing to protect young long-lived trees (like white pine) on your North Shore property, within three (3) miles of Lake Superior. New: First 25 legacy applicants who get their neighbor to “first-time register” get one extra fence roll FREE! Applications due by April 15, 2021. Apply at: n o r t h s h o re fo re s t . o rg .

Spread the word on North Shore forest fencing!

Help revitalize the North Shore forest!

This program is made possible through generous support from the Weeke’s Family Foundation.

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Drilling a well on the North Shore GRAND MARAIS— Drilling a well is a huge challenge on the North Shore.

Unlike places like the Twin Cities metro area where, according to the Minnesota Department of Health’s Well Owner’s Handbook: A Consumer’s Guide to Well Water in Minnesota, residents typically “draw water from sandstone and limestone rock formations which underlie glacial deposits,” wells on the North Shore by in large draw water from unpredictable “fractured rock formations” such as granite.

Because of these geologic differences, well depths on the North Shore are much less predictable than those of wells that are drilled further south, and, since most people are charged by the depth of their well, that unpredictability can make for a budgeting nightmare.

“Down in the metro area,” says Don McKeever, COO and vice president of McKeever Well Drilling based in Schroeder, “drilling companies know to within 5 feet how deep they’ll have to drill before they start, whereas up here there’s just no way to know for certain until you drill.”

“There are a lot of people who think, ‘Oh it’s just a well, it’s just a big hole in the ground,’” continues McKeever, “but really there is so much more to it than that.”

So, for someone in need of a well on the North Shore, what is the first step?

The best place to start is by reaching out directly to a local North Shore drilling company. Drilling companies with experience drilling wells in this area are going to best understand the unique geological layout of the North Shore and anticipate a project’s needs and challenges before they arise.

Thankfully, there are a number of excellent, time-tested well drilling companies along the shore that have been providing and maintaining clean drinking water to homeowners and businesses for decades.

In the Thunder Bay area, NWO Well Services Ltd has been servicing Northwest Ontario for 60 years. They work on both residential and commercial projects that range in size from small scale private homeowner wells to multinational enterprises.

For good-to-know well drilling information on topics such as the difference between a dug well vs a drilled well, or the potential up-

sides to drilling a well in the winter instead of the summer, the NWO “Well Owner Info” page on their website (nwowellservices.ca) is as good a place to start as any.

South of the border, Rasmussen Well Drilling Inc in Two Harbors, and McKeever Well Drilling in Schroeder, are two experienced companies that have been drilling wells for decades on the North Shore.

Both Rasmussen and McKeever have an in-depth understanding of what it takes to find water underground in a terrain defined by its fractured rock formations. Each company serves an area that spans most of Northeastern Minnesota, and they both offer complete water systems, water testing, and hydrofracking services in addition to well drilling. McKeever also provides geothermal vertical loop drilling services to the area.

Contact information for Rasmussen Well Drilling Inc can be found on their website rasmussenwelldrilling.com, and for McKeever Well Drilling at: mckeeverwelldrilling.com.

After reaching out to a local drilling company, the next step is to start making a plan.

“I start by asking each new client A LOT of questions,” says McKeever, “to help the customer start seeing the big picture. It’s important that we understand not only what they want today, but what they think they’ll want to build in the future.”

According to McKeever, understanding the “big picture” is important to ensure that the well gets installed in the “most affordable location.” When planning for a well, McKeever encourages clients to take into consideration things such as sewage planning, meeting setback requirements, and keeping the well accessible.

“We put a lot of effort into pre-planning,” says McKeever, “because that’s what will save the customer time and money. Ultimately we have no control over what’s under the ground.”

“Sure,” continues McKeever, “I have a general idea of what to expect based on nearby wells, scientific data, and my ‘gut feeling,’ but until we actually drill the quantity, quality, and depth of the water is going to be unknown.”

A big part of the “pre-planning” process also involves coming up with an estimate for

Bear Island

Surveying

In the Thunder Bay area, NWO Well Services Ltd has been servicing Northwest Ontario for 60 years. | SUBMITTED the well, something that McKeever accomplishes by taking stock of nearby wells and using the deepest one as a “budget number.”

In addition to taking data on nearby wells, McKeever and his team provide rock samples to the Minnesota Geological Survey every 10 feet at each dig. Not only does this practice provide the Minnesota Geological Survey with invaluable data to create more detailed maps of the area, but it allows McKeever to drill better quality wells.

LLC.

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“What we use this information for are areas like Hovland,” says McKeever, “where wells run a higher risk of encountering brackish water, or saline water. Using this information, we’re able to stop drilling before we hit that ‘bad’ water and can then hydrofrack above it.”

All told, the most important thing to do when building a well on the North Shore is to reach out early to a drilling company, and plan before you build.—Eric Weicht

SPONSORED BY COOK COUNTY HOME CENTER

Building a better community, one home at a time Cook County is a great place to live, if you can afford to do so. The housing market is limited, and compared to elsewhere in northern Minnesota, high priced. For many year-round residents in the local workforce, home ownership is an unachievable goal.

Sisters Anna and Sarah Hamilton, longtime residents and business owners, are aware of the challenges so many folks face, and they decided to do something about it. Creating Hamilton Habitat, a nonprofit dedicated to building affordable homes, they recently completed their second home in Grand Marais.

Hamilton Habitat is providing low-cost homes in Grand Marais for “deserving, hard-working people.”

A Community-Funded Project Both homes were 100 percent donationfunded. Cook County Home Center has provided all materials at cost. Rob and Jennifer Nosker of Nosker Plumbing donated all their time and materials.

Thompson Fuel donated two heaters and the installation. Below is a list of donors.

“Our objective is to give deserving, hard-working people a chance to buy their own home,” says Anna. “There is nothing like having your own space.”

Property purchase and home construction are entirely funded through donations of money, material, and labor. An anonymous donation of $100,000 allowed Hamilton Habitat to get started. The sale of homes and ongoing donations allow the organization to proceed from one home to the next.

To keep costs low, Hamilton Habitat orders the shell of a 16’ x 40’ home with a covered porch, siding and a roof that is delivered and placed on a foundation. Inside, there is a spacious, combined living and kitchen area, a large bathroom and one bedroom.

Local contractors are hired to complete the home. Spray foam insulation is added in walls, attic, and the crawl space. Once finished, the house has insulated windows, quality cabinetry, a propane furnace, and hardwood floors. The new homeowner provides appliances and furnishings.

The first house arrived in Grand Marais three weeks after it was ordered and quickly completed. A young couple that was ready to leave the area because they couldn’t find a house were the purchasers of the first Hamilton Habitat home. Due to the pandemic, delivery of the second home was delayed until Nov. 20, but local contractors got right to work and finished it by late January.

“Everyone pitched in,” Anna says.

“Things can happen quickly if you have everyone lined up in advance.”

The second house was bought by a Grand Marais restaurant employee who had been living here for 15 years and was unable to find an affordable home. Both buyers are exactly the sort of folks the Hamilton sisters want to help out.

“We’re hoping to get people that want to stay here into homes,” Anna says.

“Many are working multiple jobs to sur-

Anna Hamilton stands at the door of a home recently completed by Hamilton Habitat. vive. They are the people who keep this town going. They deserve to have a little piece of the pie.”

Hamilton Habitat has their eye on a property in Grand Marais with room for four new houses, which will reduce infrastructure costs and allow for shared property maintenance.

“With multiple homes, the contractor is able to stay in one place and we can make progress on completion much faster,” Anna says.

The long-term goal is to complete two new homes per year. Ultimately, Anna said they would like to create an elder village for folks 55 and older. The homes would be one level with a shared green space so the homeowners could have pets and get outside with them.

The contractors who made it happen: • Cook County Home Center (All materials at cost and mucho support)

• Joanne Krause

• Paula Gustafson & Donna Kamuth

• Alen Heine

• Kathy Adams

• Rockwood Lodge & Outfitters

• Wedum Foundation $4,000

• Jean Trumbauer

• Sandra & Jack McHugh

• Jaymee Jackson

• Dan Nelson

• Cathy Terry

• Daniel & Laura Hauge

• Wendy Johnson

• Grant & Laura Parcells

• Annie Possis

• Smith Construction

• Network for Good fundraiser $600

2021 Donations to date

• Craig Brown (sheetrock)

• Anonymous donors

• Smith Spray Foaming

• Kristen K. Regehr

• Nosker Plumbing

• Network for Good fundraiser $570

• Skadburg Masonry • Thoresons • Tim Lederle (Wetland help) • Mackey Electric • Charlie Trovall (survey)

• Austen Graham (painting) • Devyn Deschampe & Stacy Houglum (muscle) • Red Beard (tree cutting)

• Mighty Cause Charitable Foundation • My Sisters Place

• Pattie Beyer • Theron Olmen • Network for Good fundraiser $250 • Cook County Home Center: interior doors • Janet Simomen

• Nancy

• Carl Madson (Rockwood Lodge) web-site work and editor

• Fred Anderson

• Thompson Fuel

• Matthew Petz Giguere

• Anonymous donor $100,000

• Mary Harrelson

• Marland and Nancy Hanson

• Lloyd Gilbertson

• Pat Zankman

• Juli Bishop • Janet Rose

• Grand Marais State Bank (for always supporting our projects)

• Dale & Jan Smith

• James Johnson

• Rebel Girls Catering

• Laura Parcells

• Nina Simonowitcz

• Penfield, Inc.

• Janet Silcox Evans

• Carolyn Davis

2020 Donors

Hamilton Habitat homes are deed-restricted to ensure they remain owner-housing. They cannot be rented, either for residential or vacation rental. The organization hopes to one day be financially able to sell houses on a contract-for-deed until the buyer builds enough equity to secure a mortgage.

• Linda Blaine & John Ottis

While Hamilton Habitat is the entity that makes this affordable housing happen, it takes a community to build a home.

• Pam Dixon

“Sarah and I are so grateful for all the support we’ve received from the community,” Anna says. “We’re grateful to be part of this community ourselves.”

• Mary Deschampe

• Rena Rogers & Mary Lou Sorenson

• Linda Blain & John Ottis

• Anonymous donor $5,000 • Kristen Anderson & Janet • Unknown donor at Trail Center • Sandra McHugh • Network for Good fundraiser $2,250

Contribute to the next project, “Jasper Hill,” by making a donation at Grand Marais State Bank or mail a donation to: Hamilton Habitat Inc., PO Box 1354, Grand Marais, MN. 55604.

Visit the web-site at hamiltonhabitat.wordpress.com or visit Hamilton Habitat on Facebook.

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SPONSORED BY SOLAR UNITED NEIGHBORS

Considering Solar Power on your home or business?

Save money and learn by joining a solar cooperative

Lots of folks contemplate powering their home with solar electricity, but getting started in doing so can be a daunting task. It’s hard to know where to begin your research, especially if you don’t know someone who has experience with solar and can give you advice. That was Keith Peterson’s predicament when he considered installing solar panels on his home in the Iron Range community of Britt.

“I had thought about installing solar,” Peterson said. “But when I started to look at the detail, it was a little bit intimidating.”

To learn more, he attended a presentation from Solar United Neighbors, a nonprofit organization that helps communities form solar cooperatives. Peterson decided to join the local cooperative, which was free and had no obligations, so that he could get more information to guide his decision making and take advantage of the co-op’s collective purchasing power for cost savings.

The co-op sent out requests for proposals for solar installers to bid on the groups business. Peterson volunteered to be part of the small group that then discussed and selected the bids for the co-op with help from Solar United Neighbors.

“There’s lots of options in panels, inverters, and racking systems,” Peterson said.

“It was nice to sit down with an expert to go over the bids.”

Once the co-op members chose an installer, Peterson approached them for a bid on his home. He was under no obligation to make a purchase. The bid process starts with the solar installer helping you decide if solar is appropriate for your home. For instance, you don’t want to put solar panels on a roof you know will need replacement within a few years. Your solar array will be connected to the electric grid and the solar power that you produce but don’t use in your home is diverted to the electric grid and your power company pays you for it.

“Most months of the year, we produce more power than we use,” he said. “Lake Country Power buys the electricity from us for a little less than the rate I pay to buy power from them.”

Currently, he has a 10-12-year payback on his investment. His panels are guaranteed to be 95 percent efficient for 25 years.

He was also able to take advantage of a tax credit that covers 30 percent of his entire solar costs.

“It was a great way to go,” Peterson said of his experience with the co-op. “We were able to make a decision that was best for us.”

That’s the way it’s supposed to work, says Bobby King, an organizer with Solar 14

MARCH 2021

Keith Peterson’s rooftop solar array powers his home. He sells excess electricity to his utility company.

United Neighbors. The organization has completed solar co-ops in northern Minnesota in Bemidji and on the Iron Range, and now has a new Duluth and Arrowhead Coop that is open to residents and businesses in the city of Duluth and surrounding St. Louis, Lake, Cook, Carlton and Pine counties.

Joining the Duluth and Arrowhead Solar co-op not only allows you to take advantage of shared expertise and cost savings, but will also let you learn about tax credits and low interest loans and federal grants that may be available. The financial incentives may be especially attractive to small farms and rural businesses.

While some homeowners choose to store their excess energy in batteries to use when the sun isn’t out—a necessity in an off-grid location—most choose to be attached to the grid and share their excess power with the

local utility through a process called net metering.

“When the sun is out and you are producing energy, the electricity you don’t use literally goes to your neighbors,” King said.

The best thing about net metering is the utility pays you for the excess energy you produce, which at the very least reduces your electric bill and helps you recoup your investment in solar. King says most home solar systems have an eight- to 12-year payback. Best of all, as electric rates rise, so does your payment from the utility.

For many folks, the payback on their investment is just one benefit of going solar.

Switching to solar with the advice and purchasing power of a cooperative means they have joined a community of like-minded neighbors who are committed to a renewable energy future.

ABOUT SOLAR UNITED NEIGHBORS OF MINNESOTA We Minnesotans are practical, and know a good idea when we see it.

Solar is an opportunity for us to reduce our bills and create an energy system that benefits us. From our homes to offices to cabins, we’re spreading solar across the state.

OUR VISION We envision a clean, equitable energy system that directs control and benefits back to local communities, with solar on every roof and money in every pocket OUR MISSION We’re a community of people building a new energy system and rooftop solar is the cornerstone. We help people go solar, join together, and fight for their energy rights.

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Get Started On the North Shore, the Cook County Local Energy Project is an excellent place to begin your search for information about going solar, improving your home’s energy efficiency and to explore clean energy career options. CCLEP is the local partner with Solar United Neighbors and a contact for joining a solar cooperative. You can contact CCLEP coordinator Jessy Carlson via email at: localenergy@boreal.org.

Join the Duluth and Arrowhead Solar Co-op The co-op is free to join and there is no obligation to go solar. Once you join, Solar United Neighbors will do a satellite roof review of your home and let you know how suitable it is for solar. Once a solar installer is selected, they will prepare a proposal for your home at the co-op price. Solar United Neighbors staff are always available to help and answer questions. Join online at: solarunitedneighbors.org/ duluth.

SPONSORED BY CF DESIGN

The Line is Everything the potential for tension and compatibility. To design anything, in fact, one must “Draw the Line” somewhere, ethically and artfully. My lines come to projects from my heartfelt belief in the line’s capacity to make life better through design.

In geometry, the LINE is length without breadth. There are timeLINES of history and culture: a LINEAGE. In poetry, the LINE is a verse, a grouping of words, with or without meter. In geology, a LINE is a seam, a furrow with dimension.

In drawing, the LINE is a mark, a stroke, a gesture. In architecture, a LINE is hard won, it feeds the appetite of the design process, and it is enchanting in all its forms. In design, to me, the LINE is everything.

The first class I attended in the field of Architecture was out of curiosity, when I returned to college after four years, looking for a new direction. The class was a survey course in Ancient Architectural History. There were over 400 people in the class and as the instructor diagrammed lines and shapes over terrain and maps, she told stories of abstract dreams of cultures and lands looking for the promise of settlement. In those lines and words, was the shape of a story between the ideas of “Place-making” and the beat of my heart. Forty years on, and I am still in love with the process of Place-making.

To begin Place-making—to create architecture, there is pen and paper, thoughts of scale, transparency and boundary, solidity and emptiness.

There are also existing lines of topography, textures, patterns and new lines to be added that carry

Architectural lines representing the inside and outside of spaces—that give them surface—also shape light. With the shape of light, comes texture, color and an appreciation of material. Why on earth, then, do we typically not teach this magic to our young students? In Copenhagen, a first grader can identify the furniture making and lighting designs and principals of Arne Jacobsen, Hans Wegner and Louis Poulsen but, in America, we rarely foster a passion for design in school kids. There is less art, less “making,” less unharnessed creative play, and less belief in the magic of the Line and its stories.

When given the simplest of tools: cardboard, glue, paper, and safe cutting tools, along with a story told about a place, rich in description, activity and observation, 3rd and 4th graders can make places of their own acute imaginations—with remarkable and sophisticated outcomes. Like all good architecture, there is a resulting narrative, abstract representation, scale, delight and beauty.

Moreover, there is a passion and a joy in the discovery that the messy process of design and of place-making—a thoughtful, and self-enriching exercise that is accessible to all—DOES make life better and is valuable to their ability to think creatively as they grow up.

I am interested in residential projects at any scale. If you imagine you would enjoy a conversation about your land or your structure, architecture, design or, perhaps, your own LINES, let us have a discussion.

—Cheryl Fosdick

230 E. Superior Street Duluth, MN. 218. 722. 1060 cheryl@cfdesignltd.com www.cfdesignltd.com NORTHERN WILDS

MARCH 2021

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Points North Don’t take the wild for granted By Shawn Perich

Somewhere on the North Shore of Lake Superior between the Ontario communities of Terrace Bay and Marathon, there is a woodland caribou. Likely there is more than one, but no one knows for sure just how many there may be. What is known is that over the last two decades this caribou population, which has existed in these environs since the retreat of the last glacier, is dwindling away. They have already disappeared from a former stronghold, the wilderness peninsula of Pukaskwa National Park. Now some worry they may vanish entirely from Lake Superior’s shores.

One of those worriers is Gord Eason, a retired wildlife biologist who worked for the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources. In 2018, he and a handful of other concerned citizens, along with the Michipicoten First Nation, convinced his former employer to perform a rescue mission to trap caribou from Lake Superior’s Michipicoten Island, where they were being wiped out by wolves that had crossed a rare ice bridge just four years earlier, and airlift them to predator-free islands. It is fair to say the provincial actions to save the caribou kicked into gear after the animals’ plight was reported in a New York Times story.

This winter, Eason and the other advocates have tried to draw attention to the remaining mainland caribou, to have the provincial government perform a winter aerial survey (the only way to find and count them) of the population. They believe these caribou should also be captured and moved to predator-free islands to save them and their unique genetics. So far, their efforts to motivate the government into action have been unsuccessful.

From my American perspective, the official lethargy to perpetuate what is clearly an endangered and iconic caribou population is difficult to comprehend. In contrast, U.S. wildlife biologists and the National Park Service undertook extensive studies and then acted to trap and transfer gray wolves to Isle Royale National Park when the resident animals fizzled out due to inbreeding. That project received a ton of media attention and broad public support.

I’ve been told one reason the provincial government largely ignores Lake Superior caribou is because it would be required to maintain a habitat corridor to connect them with resident caribou populations that exist about 100 miles further north.

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In 2018, caribou such as this one were captured from a Lake Superior island where they were being wiped out by wolves and airlifted to predator-free islands. | CHRISTIAN SCHROEDER Caribou are creatures of old forests. Lands where logging occurs, which is nearly everywhere north of Lake Superior, become better habitat for moose and deer, which bring with them predatory wolves and a parasitic brainworm fatal to caribou and moose, but not whitetails. The one-two punch of abundant wolves and the parasite is too much for caribou to endure. And leaving a corridor of old trees is too much for the timber industry to endure.

Eason and other advocates argue that suitable, unlogged habitat to support a significant, isolated caribou population exists along the North Shore. Not only that, but caribou are part of the lake’s original biota.

Since Canada has chosen to preserve Superior’s pristine shores with a national park, a national marine conservation area (one of the largest protected freshwater areas in the world) and expansive provincial parks, it stands to reason the native fauna should be protected, too.

There is precedent for doing so. Over the past 20 years, Ontario has done a remarkable job of restoring native coaster brook trout. Beginning in the 1950s, fisheries agencies in the U.S. and Canada embarked on an ambitious and still ongoing effort to control invasive sea lampreys, which nearly wiped out Superior’s native lake trout.

Minnesota’s efforts to restore native lake sturgeon in the St. Louis River, begun with

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stockings in the 1980s, has resulted in a growing, naturally reproducing population. Along Minnesota’s shores, public land managers and property owners are planting white pine to ensure the continued survival of this towering native conifer. It can even be noted that when the U.S. placed gray wolves on the Endangered Species List, their last remaining stronghold in the Lower 48 was Minnesota’s North Shore.

We’re lucky to be in a place that, even after 400 years of European expansion and development, has remained stubbornly wild and resilient in spite of human alterations to nearly every aspect of Lake Superior’s aquatic and terrestrial habitat. But we need to appreciate that Superior’s inherent wildness is not something we can take for granted. We are the beneficiaries of more than a century’s worth of concerted conservation

Shawn Perich’s POINTS NORTH online

efforts to protect pristine landscapes, keep the water clean and perpetuate native flora and fauna. Those conservationists—and there have been thousands of them over time—have recognized Lake Superior and the surrounding environs as an outstanding natural resource. They were willing to invest their time, their political capital and their money to make sure it stayed that way. When necessary, they were willing to confront the forces of development in courtrooms or the political arena to defeat the works of man that would destroy the works of Nature.

While over many decades we’ve benefited from the conservation efforts of many, at any given time, there have never been more than a dedicated few. Most folks are busy going about their own lives and are often unaware of the intricacies of the nat-

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

g n i n i D Find Local

Woodland caribou are native to the Lake Superior region. Just a few remain on islands and the mainland along the lake’s northernmost shore. | CHRISTIAN SCHROEDER ural world or how human endeavors can threaten its existence. Relatively rare are the individuals who have the knowledge, passion and courage to make conservation happen.

I worry that the interest in conservation is at a low ebb, which is why there is less outcry than there ought to be over the fate and future of Lake Superior’s caribou. Per-

haps our urbanized society has become so detached from nature that too many fail to see the North Shore as anything more than a scenic backdrop for an “outdoor lifestyle.” If that is true, we do so not only at the peril of the caribou, but of ourselves. If we chip away at the natural wonders that make Lake Superior such a special place, it may not be long before it is no more special than anywhere else.

Flair Airlines expands with new destinations including Thunder Bay EDMONTON, ALBERTA— Flair Airlines, Canada’s only independent ultra-low-cost carrier (ULCC), is expanding service and will bring low fare air travel to 18 Canadian destinations by summer. Service to four of the new destinations will begin in May with more added in the coming months as non-essential travel within Canada safely restarts.

Flair’s expansion focuses first on growing its domestic network. Flair’s network will expand beginning on May 1 as service is added to Ottawa, ON; Kitchener-Waterloo, ON; Halifax, NS; and Saint John, NB. Flair will add service in June to Thunder Bay, ON; and Charlottetown, PE; in July to Victoria, BC; and in August to Abbotsford, BC. “Canadians have been paying too much for too long, and we are changing that with our ULCC model that makes getting around Canada affordable,” says Stephen Jones, president and CEO. “Providing affordable air travel within Canada is the first step in restarting travel and tourism, and Flair is uniquely positioned with the efficiencies of our low-cost model. When non-essential travel returns, Flair will be there to reconnect families and provide the low fares that have long been denied to Canadians.”

Flair anticipates tourism and travel to begin restarting in the spring and summer, and the focus on domestic service in 2021 enables the ULCC to provide more low fare options across Canada.

“We strongly support the need for restricting non-essential travel as Canada works to bend the curve. Flair was one of the first airlines to reduce our network and focus exclusively on essential domestic travel,” says Jones. “We are confident, as travel returns, there is a strong market for low fare travel choices from a socially responsible Canadian airline. Flair’s ULCC business model doesn’t have the overhead and costs associated with legacy organizations and networks, and this allows our efficiencies to be passed along in our pricing.”

Flair is poised to show Canadians the real benefits which other areas of the world have experienced with ULCC service. One-way fares on several of the new routes start as low as $39. In addition, Flair provides complimentary COVID Coverage, allowing passengers to easily change their travel plans given the continued uncertainty caused by the pandemic. Bookings are now available for the newly announced routes for May through October 30, at flyflair.com.

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It

had been a busy day.

There was the morning’s cabin closing, with plenty of opportunity to practice our signatures on the numerous purchase documents. There was the loading of the truck and utility trailer with all the items we wanted to take to the cabin. Then there was the unloading and carting in of those same items, as well as cleaning up after the previous owner.

But evening came. A Scotch poured and a martini mixed, we moved to a window. Outside, an expanse of amber wild rice spread across the lake to the nearby islands, waving in the breeze. The lowering sun lit the white and Norway pines on the largest island, basting them with warmth, turning their cool green to olive, the needle strewn ground beneath a rustic red. And if that weren’t lovely enough, an azure sky and lake (where water could be seen through the rice) framed the scene.

Mary Jo’s martini clinked my Scotch.

“Here’s to the first night at our cabin,” she offered.

“To our first night,” I responded.

The cabin provides plenty of opportunities to see wildlife. This marten is a regular visitor.

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And we grinned like Cheshire cats.

THE DREAM I know when it all began.

It was 1986. Mary Jo and I were living in a two-room cabin in the Boundary Waters wilderness near Lower Basswood Falls. The cabin, built of logs by the Civilian Conservation Corps during the Great Depression, had served as a base for U.S. Forest Service crews ever since. A simple two room design, it consisted of a kitchen/dining area with a wood cookstove and table, and a larger bunk room with an old pot-bellied woodstove and a few rickety bunks. Primitive as it sounds, it was luxurious in comparison to tenting for the summer. For that’s how long we would be there: three months patrolling an area from Upper Basswood Falls to Curtain Falls as volunteer wilderness rangers.

When, at last, we had to leave, we agreed that someday, if we were lucky, we’d have such a cabin of our own.

Ah, but life gets busy. Years went by.

Still, the dream lingered. A pile of boxes grew in the basement containing utensils, plates, blankets, towels and tools that were no longer needed or used at home, but would be “great for the cabin.”

In the meantime, we paddled nearly every route in the Boundary Waters and Quetico. Fished Montana and Wyoming.

Cabin life will include skiing, snowshoeing and ice fishing this winter.

On those trips we wondered aloud about how a cabin might tie us down, how, having invested in one, we’d feel obligated to use it to the maximum, rather than do these other wonderful things. And so the years ticked by.

Mary Jo and I will do our best to see that cabin time has no clock.

The years brought other things. Decades of rough wilderness travel yielded a spinal fusion for one of us, a hip replacement for the other. Years also brought a sense of urgency—with more of them behind us than before us, maybe it was time that the cabin dream became a cabin reality.

THE SEARCH That’s when the search began in earnest, and not without surprises. Surprises like how million dollar “cabins” now dominated many northern lakes. Surprises like how few real cabins there were left, something folks of modest means might afford. Even raw land was shockingly expensive.

Were our expectations unrealistic? They were pretty straightforward. First, it had to be something a teacher and writer couple could afford. Thus, the McMansions were out (not that we’d want one). Second, after spending a lifetime in wilderness, we wanted to be on a lake that still retained some semblance of it. Sure, we knew there’d be neighbors. But surely there had to be a cabin we could afford on a lake that had and would retain public, undeveloped shorelines.

The search took two years. Many listings, though affordable and adorable on the realtor websites, looked undesirable from Google Earth. The satellite views revealed that the once remote little cabins now sat surrounded by second homes. The once narrow forest road that led to the lake was replaced by black top highway that encircled it. It began to look as if our expectations were indeed unrealistic. We were a couple decades too late!

Persistence paid off, though. Two properties came to the front, one in northern Wisconsin, the other in northern Minnesota.

Each had pluses and minuses.

Wildlife is abundant at the cabin and I was able to photograph this lynx.

In the end, it was the Minnesota property that we chose, the one that had a view of a pristine shoreline identical to the canoe country we had so long loved. The cabin itself is simple—two little bedrooms and a great room with kitchen on one end, living area on the other, and a wood stove in-between. To that original 20x24-foot space, a more recent small addition had been built, with a sun room to the lake side, and a ¾ bathroom to the side. With half-log siding outside, and cedar and pine indoors, it had “cabin” written all over it.

We fell in love, made several offers, and in the end, it was ours.

CABIN TIME “What are your plans today?” Mary Jo asked.

“I don’t know. I’ll take it as it comes. I’m on ‘cabin time’ dear,” I replied.

It takes a while to make a dwelling your own and the cabin was no different. Mary Jo cleaned. I repaired. There is still plenty of both yet to be done, but then we’ve only owned it for five months. Even after, it will

Mary Jo reads a book in our new rustic cabin. remain a cabin. A simple cabin. A little rustic and imperfect.

Yes, the dock will get new planks. The plumbing will be insulated for winter use.

Single pane windows will be replaced with something cold weather worthy. Doing these will bring satisfaction. Those things, though, will need to take their place in line.

Take their place because we did not buy the cabin as a project. Wait their turn because there is only so much time left, only so much time to learn this area’s secrets. I need to know where the walleyes live, the loons nest, the osprey hunt, and the moose travel. There are brook trout streams to explore, grouse woods to tromp, smallmouth bass to raise to a surface lure.

we will paddle and fish and pick berries in summer. I will hunt ducks and grouse in autumn. We will ski and snowshoe and ice fish in winter. Eat when hungry, sleep when tired, hunker down when weather demands, venture out when it beckons pleasantly. Read a book. Catch a fish. Repair a screen. Take a nap. Make kindling.

Watch the Canada jays. Enjoy the visiting marten.

We’ll take it as it comes.

And we’ll do our best to see that cabin time has no clock.

The cabin is a means. These are the ends.

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3 families, 3 stories Finding home on the North Shore

BY RAE POYNTER

Their love for the outdoors prompted the Korwin-Kuczynski family to move from North Dakota to Duluth. | SUBMITTED

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or many visitors to the North Shore, the thought of what it would be like to move to such a beautiful area is an enticing question. And for some, that question is so enticing that it becomes a reality.

Three different families who recently moved to the North Shore share what their journeys have been like, including the challenges and unexpected joys along the way.

One such family is Brady and Ellie Korwin-Kuczynski, a young couple who moved from North Dakota to Duluth in 2019. For both of them, a passion for the outdoors and a desire to be close to nature were key factors in their decision to permanently settle in the area. Brady, who grew up in Brainerd, and Ellie, originally from northcentral Wisconsin, both developed a love for nature through their upbringings. Their individual journeys took them to Fargo, where they met. Though they appreciated the adventure of living in Fargo, they both began to feel a deep desire to move back to a place that felt more like home and that would enable them to grow in their passion for the outdoors.

“I really missed the hills and woods,” Ellie said, “and Brady missed being around lakes. We 20

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had been to the same few parks near Fargo multiple times and were really looking for something more.”

While they wanted to be near wilderness, it also was not practical for them to live somewhere too remote since Brady’s work as a civil engineer necessitated being somewhere with a larger population.

“We wanted to live somewhere close enough to visit our parents, which really narrowed down our choices to Minneapolis or Duluth,” said Brady. “And from there it wasn’t much of a choice—Duluth really felt like the right place for us.”

And so in the spring of 2019, the Korwin-Kuczynskis made the move to Duluth with their two young children. One of the things they most enjoy about Duluth is how easy it has been to connect and build friendships with others who are interested in the outdoors. Ellie joined a mom’s group that gets together for outdoor adventures with their kids. The opportunity to raise their children with an appreciation for the outdoors is one of the things they love about the community.

“It was very refreshing to come here and find people who

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wanted to go camping with us, or who would tell us about mountain bike trails or places to go fishing. We found a lot of people who like to do the outdoor things that we like doing, and who were happy to help us figure out how to do that with kids,” Brady said.

One challenge they faced was finding affordable housing. With an extremely competitive housing market and more expensive rent than in Fargo, the Korwin-Kuczynskis rented a small apartment as they began the search for a home.

“Brady started his job that May and then we house shopped all summer, which was challenging since things were going so quickly,” Ellie said.

But after many months of house hunting the search paid off, and the Korwin-Kucynskis bought their first home. Happy to have found a city that feels like the right fit for them, they plan to keep exploring more of the area and taking on bigger adventures.

Like the Korwin-Kuczynski family, Lesa and Mike Hofer of Grand Marais were drawn to living on the North Shore because of a deep love for the outdoors.

Both were familiar with the area

The Korwin-Kuczynski family enjoy a day on the Superior Hiking Trail. | SUBMITTED

since childhood, and for Mike, his vision of moving to the area began when he visited Trout Lake with his father as a third grader.

“I remember really vividly we were in the boat, and I looked around and thought ‘I’m going to live up here,’” he said.

That dream of living on the North Shore began to fall into place when Mike and Lesa met in the summer of 1999. They visited the North Shore together that autumn, and almost immediately they started talking about finding a place in the area. A year later they purchased 55 acres of land outside of Grand Marais, and began visiting on the weekends as often as they could, leaving the Twin Cities after work on Friday evenings and arriving late in the night at their land. For the first 18 months they owned the land, the Hofers had a six-person tent they would set up, even during the winter.

“We really enjoyed that first year and a half, and had a lot of memorable experiences,” Mike said. “One morning we found ourselves in the midst of a pack of wolves that was trying to ambush a herd of deer.

It sounded like a stampede. We poked our heads out of the tent and saw the wolves, and then just as quickly as they arrived, they were gone. It was really amazing.”

Mike went on to take a timber framing course at North House Folk School, and they built up a timber-framed cabin on their land. The Hofers continued to visit on the weekends and talked about the possibility of moving to their cabin permanently someday. That opportunity came in the summer of 2017, when Lesa was offered a job at Great Expectations School in Grand Marais. While Mike was not quite ready to leave his job yet, Lesa moved to the cabin that August and lived there for two years while Mike finished his job in the Twin Cities.

“That was a really special time for me.

The cabin is rustic, with no running water and a long driveway, but I got to learn how to do things I had never done before,” Lesa said. “And at Great Expectations I felt like I was finally with my people. I really love the people I work with and really respect them.”

Two years after Lesa moved to the cabin, the timing was right for Mike to leave his job, and the two of them have been enjoying the simplicity and deep sense of community they have found in Grand Marais.

Mike has been following his passion of making maple syrup, and has formed good connections with other maple syrup makers in the area.

“When we wanted to move up here, we moved up for the scenery and beauty and more of a simple life, but now we’ve really found it’s the people and sense of caring that really make this our home,” Lesa said.

For Nelson French of Silver Bay, retiring to the North Shore has brought him closer to an area that he has poured much of his time and energy into. French worked on the establishment of Tettegouche State Park in 1979, and as director of The Nature Conservancy oversaw the Palisade Valley addition in the early 1990s. Now as a Silver Bay resident, he gets to enjoy the beauty of the area he spent much of his career improving.

Originally from Hibbing, French’s career brought him to the Twin Cities area,

Mike and Lesa Hofer were drawn to living on the North Shore because of a deep love for the outdoors. | SUBMITTED and moving to Silver Bay is a return to his northern Minnesota roots. Building his own home had long been a dream, and when he and his wife Marilyn found their land, they built a log home on the property, where they have been living since 2011.

“My wife and I had decided that we wanted to be on the North Shore in our later years, and here we are,” French said.

“We were very familiar with the area so we found property that was close to this area that I know and love, and that I feel good about with my work of continuing to make it a nice place.”

When the house was complete French spent several years commuting from Silver Bay to Duluth for work. These last three years he has been retired and has been able to fully enjoy becoming part of the Silver Bay community. In addition to outdoor activities like snowshoeing, fishing and canoeing, both Nelson and Marilyn are both actively involved in the community, with Marilyn working at the Veteran’s Home and French lending his knowledge and experience to several committees, including the Silver Bay Economic Development Authority, the Planning and Zoning Commission, and the Silver Bay Business Park Advisory. He was also recently named Vice President of the Friends of Tettegouche State Park.

“We’re fitting into the community well and finding it a great place to be,” French said.

Moving forward, French sees opportunity for Silver Bay, a region with some of the North Shore’s best ATV and snowmobile trails and an increased interest in activities like hiking, biking, rock climbing and kayaking. The access to high-speed internet also makes the North Shore a potential destination for young professionals who can work from home.

“I would encourage anyone who is interested in moving to the area to seriously

Originally from Hibbing, Nelson French’s career brought him to the Twin Cities area, and moving to Silver Bay is a return to his northern Minnesota roots. | SUBMITTED look into the lifestyle and what it’s like to live in such a rural area,” French said. “But if you want to move out of an urban environment to live in a place where you can

walk out your door and go snowshoeing, definitely consider the North Shore.”

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By Breana Roy

Signs of Spring According to the calendar, the first day of spring is Saturday, March 20. While it’s doubtful that Mother Nature will follow suit in the Northern Wilds, we know that spring is just around the corner—even if there’s still snow on the ground. So be sure to keep an eye out for signs of spring.

Felted flowers by Grand Marais artist Elise Kyllo. To see more from Kyllo, visit: worksinwool. com. | ELISE KYLLO

“The Uncommon Loon” by Duluth artist Jordan Sundberg. To view more from Sundberg, visit: tincupdesignco.com. | JORDAN SUNDBERG

Ely artist Joe Baltich created this piece, titled “Little One.” See more from Baltich at: joebaltichart.com. | JOE BALTICH

“Spring in Lake County” by Dave Gilsvik. You can find more of his paintings at Sivertson Gallery in Grand Marais. | DAVE GILSVIK

Aaron Kloss created this piece, titled “Tiny Blue Jays.” To view more of his work, visit: aaronkloss.com. | AARON KLOSS

“Gooseberry Falls” by Dan Wiemer. His work can also be found at Sivertson Gallery in Grand Marais. | DAN WIEMER

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John Beltman working a pole lathe. | SUBMITTED

Woodworking BEHIND THE CRAFT: By John Beltman Ask someone where they got their chairs and my bet is that seldom, if ever, will anyone respond that they came from such and such trees. That would sound silly, unless, of course, you’ve noted the trend in the food industry to name the orchard, the apiary, or the plot of ground from which a menu item was “sourced.” Few of us can identify the wood from which our wood products were made let alone the forest or plantation from which the wood was harvested. We say instead, if asked, “That chair was my grandmother’s” or “We bought them in a secondhand store,” or more often the answer is simply “Ikea.” in the case of the handmade Windsor chairs that I specialize in, it takes a forest to build a chair. Lest you take me too literally, not an entire woodlot to make a single chair, rather a variety of species.

Windsor chairs are an interesting example of engineering in which a lot is being demanded of the wood. The species of wood must be carefully chosen. Windsor chairs are defined by the construction type rather than by the specific chair. The seat is a solid, wide plank of wood with holes drilled to accept the legs. The back is socketed into holes drilled into the seat and stretchers are socketed into the legs. All the joinery on the Windsor chair is round tenons into round holes. This makes for a

chair that can be made using simple hand tools with readily available materials from the local woods.

As Windsor chairs became wildly popular in this country by the end of the 18th century, they evolved to a uniquely American style, with or without arms, and various configurations of chair backs, some with complex bent parts. Most Windsor chairs have turned legs, stretchers and arm posts lending to distinct regional variations and styles specific to the maker.

What all handmade Windsor chairs share in common is a design engineered to be strong yet flexible and lightweight. To accomplish this, handmade Windsor chairs are made from different species of wood for different parts of the chair, depending on the demands of that chair part. The beauty of a Windsor chair is in the silhouette as opposed to the color or grain of the wood.

Although available species vary from one place to the next, the wood of choice for chair seats in North America is eastern white pine (Pinus strobus), prevalent across a range of climates along the east coast westward to the Great Lakes. This species has, since earlier times, been prized for wide, clear planks which are easily sculpted into a commodious seat. It has greater stability than most other northern

Ask John Beltman where the wood for his chairs come from and he’ll tell you the exact location of each ash swamp, pine stand, or logger’s landing. | SUBMITTED

Minnesota coniferous species. Basswood (Tilia americana) has similar characteristics and is also well-suited for carving seats.

It’s common across the northeastern United States and has the further advantage of being stronger than white pine.

While both of these woods make for a good seat, they are too soft to meet the demands of the chair back, which is called upon to withstand the forces of not only the user leaning back in the chair but also twisting and turning. For the chair back, the best woods are stringy and tenacious. Having the capacity to bend, these woods flex under use but also respond well to steam bending, readily assuming the complex shapes required of the continuous armchair and bow-back designs.

Good choices for chair backs are ash, either Fraximus negra or americana. Hickory is strong, but not common to northern Minnesota. While northern red oak (Quercus rubra) meets most of the criteria, my personal favorite is white oak (Q. alba) or the subspecies more commonly found in northern Minnesota, bur oak (Q. macrocarpa). Bur oak has strength with enough flex to resist breaking and takes well to steam bending.

Stringy and tenacious species present difficulties when turning legs, stretchers and arm posts. Windsor chair designs

were first developed at a time when lathes were human powered, the spring pole lathe being the tool of choice for early chair builders. (Modern lathes have evolved with enough weight and horsepower that in combination with modern abrasives just about any wood can be forced into a chair leg.) Because chair legs are thicker and stiffer, they don’t require the stringy toughness of the chair back.

The most sought-after woods for turning possess creamy smooth grain. Choices in northern climes include primarily birch (Betula papyrifera) and the maple family (Acer). Birch is more readily available; maple has the advantage of being somewhat stronger.

By carefully choosing wood which meets the specific demands of each part of the chair, a chair can be built of locally harvested materials using traditional tools and methods. Ask me where my chairs come from and I’ll source for you the exact location of each ash swamp, pine stand, or logger’s landing.

John Beltman is a lead woodworking instructor at North House Folk School, where traditional craft is taught on the shore of Lake Superior.

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Melissa Boman’s bold use of color transforms a wintery Lake Superior sunset. | SUBMITTED

An avid fly-fisher, Boman produces detailed studies of her quarry, such as this brook trout [ABOVE] and steelhead [BELOW]. | SUBMITTED

Nature, in Detail CREATIVE SPACE: By Shawn Perich Growing up in Duluth’s Lincoln Park, Melissa Boman was often somewhere on the banks of Miller Creek.

and Conservation Biology. And she continued to draw, often detailed portraits of creatures large and small.

“I spent a lot of time outside,” she says.

“Mom said I always had dirty hands as a kid.”

“I worked in charcoal and graphite,” she says. “I was intimidated by color. But when you are outside, it is hard to miss the color in nature. That led me to try the challenge of painting.”

The outdoors remains central to her life, both in her professional work as a wildlife biologist specializing in small mammals and bats, and in her intertwined pursuits as an avid fly angler and artist. Her growing body of work includes paintings and drawings that reflect the natural world.

Boman began drawing in middle school, discovered she had a knack for it and began developing her skills. In high school, she got more into music and art, which meant she spent more time inside and became disconnected from nature. In college, she started in architecture, but found it wasn’t a good fit. She also began volunteering at the Wildwoods wildlife rehabilitation facility in Duluth, which led to a change in her career path.

“I fell in love with learning the natural histories of critters and getting back to nature,” she said.

She changed course in college, earning a biology degree from the University of Minnesota’s Department of Fisheries, Wildlife 24

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Her acrylic paintings are vibrant and detailed. A ruby-throated hummingbird perched on a lichen-encrusted branch shows the fibers of individual feathers and the intricacy of varied lichen species. The cheek of a steelhead trout is awash in a rainbow of hues.

“I now love colors that pop, she says.

“That’s what makes my art stand out.”

All of her work and the colors it contains are inspired by the natural world.

“A Lake Superior sunrise is like no other,” she says. “Even in the depth of winter, color is there if you take the time to notice it.”

Perhaps channeling her inner child, Boman prefers time outdoors to time online. She enjoys looking for wildlife and the tracks critters leave behind, as well as studying the tiny world of mosses, lichens and fungi. She is hopeful that the in-

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A wildlife biologist by profession, Boman’s artwork is rooted in nature and inspired by her love of the north. | SUBMITTED crease in participation in outdoor activities brought about by the pandemic will continue to encourage people to get out more often to enjoy nature and enjoy the little discoveries they can even make in their own backyards.

The studies of steelhead and brook trout in her art derive from her love of flyfishing.

She likens fly fishing to art, because you must be wholly immersed in both activities, paying attention to detail.

Her interest in fly fishing is wide-ranging.

“Last summer, I caught 29 species on the fly,” she says. “including shiners, carp, quillback, goldfish, pike and bass.”

Currently, Boman’s work isn’t shown in any galleries, partly due to the challenges brought about by the pandemic. She plans to have her work in Duluth’s Dovetail Café next winter. Her work can be found on her website, melbomanart.com.

NIPIGON ICE FEST

Feb. 19-March 5 Ontario’s longest running, premiere ice climbing festival in Nipigon will be held virtually this year. Between Feb. 19 and March 5, choose your own adventure; get outdoors and climb.

Take photos and use the hashtags #mylocalice and #nipigonicefest. Then, take part in the online auction between March 5-20. There will also be a live (virtual) Nipigon ice fest event on March 6. To learn more, visit: outdoorskillsandthrills.com/ nipigonicefest.

WOOD MONTH

This year, Wood Week has gone virtual and become Wood Month this March.

Join the North House Folk School in Grand Marais in the virtual woodshop for a series of free presentations from near and far. You’ll explore technique, cultural history, tools and interesting current work with Mary May, Curtis Buchanan, Barn the Spoon, Daniel Lundberg, Joshua Klien, Jarrod Dahl and others. Held Thursday evenings and Friday mid-days on Zoom.

BYO wood shavings. A full schedule and registration are available online. For more information, visit: northhouse.org.

NICE GIRLS OF THE NORTH SECOND SATURDAY MARKETPLACE

March 13, Saturday Located at the Masonic Lodge (4731 Gladstone St.) in Duluth, Nice Girls of the North is a group of local women artists and crafters. Held from 10 a.m.-3 p.m., each monthly marketplace event includes guest artists and a new variety of handmade products such as jewelry, wall art, soap, cards, makeup, clothing, photography, bags, bibs, yarn, embroidery, pillow cases, knit items, heirloom dolls and stuffed animals, baked goods, and jams. Strict safety measures are followed which limit the number of people in the building at a time, masks are required, and sanitizer is provided. There is a convenient central checkout and credit cards are accepted. To learn more, visit: nicegirlsofthenorth.com.

Hosted by 23rd Veteran, the Nearly Naked Ruck March in Duluth will take place Saturday, March 27. | DALLAS SMITH PHOTOGRAPHY “Rae” Klesser on March 26 from 4-8 p.m. titled “Feathers, Fur and Foliage / My First Two Years in Grand Marais.” This free event is open to the public and it will be catered by Rebel Girls of Grand Marais.

Covid safety precautions and opportunities for social distancing will be implemented.

Rae will have many of her original paintings, as well as prints and lesser expensive items, available for purchase. There will be opportunities to meet, greet and talk with Rae about her work.

Rae lives just with her husband, four dogs, a cat and chickens in the north woods in a home she designed herself. She loves living on the North Shore of Lake Superior and draws her inspiration from the natural beauty of the area. She is a mixed media artist with emphasis on watercolor for the last five years. Rae believes that there is always time for making art and adding creativity to life. She is drawn to ravens and has recently added several raven paintings to her exhibit collection. In addition, she will be highlighting several nostalgic locations and features of Grand Marais in her work. To learn more about the event, visit: facebook.com/joyandcompanymn.

St. Urho’s weekend in Finland will include a parade at noon on Saturday, March 20. | SUBMITTED

VIRTUAL WINTER FUNDAYS

March 14 and 28 Because of COVID-19, this year’s family-friendly Winter FunDays programming in Thunder Bay will be held virtually for free. On Sunday, March 14, join Club Cultural Francophone de Thunder Bay as they share their recipes and show you how to make your own maple syrup treats. Then on Sunday, March 28, take part in the Passports to the Past event.

Join the Thunder Bay Museum by grabbing your passport and traveling around Thunder Bay to visit and learn about important landmarks around the city. There are 10 different places to visit, a map to follow, and a passport with stickers to mark off where you have been. When you are done, visit the Thunder Bay Museum and show your passport to receive a small prize (you must register for a passport by March 19 to participate). To learn more, visit: thunderbay.ca/winterfundays.

ST. URHO’S FINLAND CELEBRATION

March 19-21 St. Urho’s weekend in Finland will be a bit different this year. There are no indoor social activities at the Community Center. Instead, there will be a combination of online/livestream events, as well as outdoor events, the main one being the parade at noon on Saturday, March 20.

The parade will also be livestreamed for folks to watch at home. This year’s theme is Survival Mode. Please wear a mask and keep groups small. For an updated list of events, visit: bit.ly/sturhos2021. To livestream the event, visit: facebook.com/ sturho.

RACHEL RAE KLESSER ART OPENING AND RECEPTION

March 26, Friday Joy and Company in Grand Marais will hold an art opening and reception for Grand Marais artist, Rachel

NEARLY NAKED RUCK MARCH

March 27, Saturday Hosted by 23rd Veteran, the Nearly Naked Ruck March in Duluth is a hike that raises money to help veterans transition back into society. However, this isn’t an ordinary hike; you must carry a pack full of weight (20 lbs is recommended for those who are new to rucking). If you load your rucksack with canned goods and clothing, you can drop it off at the finish line for local veterans in need. This year, you can sign up to participate in-person or virtually; rucking in-person will be first-come, first-served based on when you register. The in-person hike begins at 11 a.m. at Skyline Parkway, which is a 1-mile loop. Anyone in-person that hikes 10 miles (10 loops), will receive an “All the Way” patch. The route will also include a water stop, snacks, music and more. To register or learn more, visit: 23rdveteran.org.

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SUMMER IS A PE

TO KEEP LEARN

The Soul of our Communities Nonprofit organizations contribute greatly to our quality of life in the Northern Wilds.

But they can't do their work without our support.

Please consider these organizations for your charitable contributions.

Between r animal-tra canoeing, somethin time you o

F

North Shore Area Partners

wolf-ridge.org

Gitchi-Gami Trail Association

nsapartners.org

ggta.org

The Living At Home Program of the Beaver Bay, Finland, Isabella, Little Marais, Silver Bay and surrounding area, works to support citizens age 60 and older who wish to remain independent in their own homes.

Wolf Ridge inspires environmental learners and leaders through immersion, adventure, and field study. Our mission is to develop a citizenry that has the knowledge, skills, motivation, and commitment to work together for a quality environment.

Cook County Community Fund

Dorothy Molter Museum

The GGTA works with MnDNR and MnDOT to promote and plan for a premier paved trail connecting the communities, state parks, and points of interest along the North Shore of Lake Superior from Two Harbors to Grand Marais. With your help, we can support this great trail on our great lake!

Community Partners communitypartnersth.org Helping older adults and their caregivers age successfully in the Two Harbors area for over 20 years. Offering programs such as weekly Grocery Delivery, Assisted Transportation to medical appointments and vaccinations, Caregiver Support, Friendly Phone Calls, Information and Referral, Intergenerational Opportunities, and more!

North House Folk School northouse.org Our mission is to enrich lives and build community by teaching traditional northern crafts in a student-centered learning environment that inspires the hands, the heart and the mind.

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Wolf Ridge Environmental Learning Center

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cookcountycommunityfund.com The Cook County Community Fund works to enhance the quality of life in Cook County by empowering local non-profits through philanthropy, education, and collaboration. In 2020 your donations have helped fund $22,000 for local non-profits for Cook County focused projects.

Gunflint Trail Historical Society gunflinttrailhistoricalsociety.org The GTHS serves to preserve the cultural history of the Gunflint Trail, to acknowledge the significance of the natural environment and its influence on Indigenous people to recent inhabitants, and to provide opportunities for exploration and education at Chik-Wauk Museum and Nature Center.

rootbeerlady.com Preserving and interpreting Northwoods wilderness heritage through learning opportunities inspired by Dorothy Molter, the last non-indigenous resident of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (BWCAW); inspiring those who will become the stewards of that heritage, history and landscape.

Care Partners of Cook County carepartnersofcookcounty.org Care Partners of Cook County provides vital support and services to help clients and their families address the transitions of aging, serious illness and end of life with safety, dignity, and confidence.

The North Shore Dish Lessons from The Sioux Chef By Chuck Viren

The Indigenous people who populated the boreal forests of this region traveled to encampments where they would grow or gather foods based on their seasonal availability. Summer was a time for growing the three sisters (corn, squash and beans), autumn was spent harvesting wild rice and hunting, during the winters people snared animals, hunted, fished, and also utilized their stores of food. Around March came Iskigamiige-giizis in the Anishinaabe language, the maple sugar moon. Families return to the same sugar bush stands year after year, marking the end of the harsh winters and an opportunity to socialize while gathering and preparing this life-giving sweetener.

Prior to contact with European colonists, maple sugar was the primary sweetener in Indigenous cuisine. Maple sugar, it should be noted, is less refined and healthier than white sugar. According to Sean Sherman, The Sioux Chef, it has a lower glycemic content and contains important minerals such as calcium, iron and magnesium.

Sherman, who is Oglala Lakota and grew up on the Pine Ridge reservation in South Dakota, was well on his way to a successful career as a chef in the Twin Cities when he took a year off and traveled to Mexico. It was during this stay, while immersing himself in the culinary traditions of Mexico, that he saw his life’s work unfold. He recognized that many of the culinary traditions he was witnessing had survived efforts at cultural assimilation and were alive in that region. It was then that he sought to reconstruct the culinary traditions of pre-Columbian Indigenous people, traditions that had been virtually destroyed by governmental programs that included boarding schools and the delivery of commodity foods. He saw the connection between eco-systems, food and culture.

Sherman began researching pre-colonial food sources through the study of ethno-botany and by interviewing Native American elders. In his James Beard Award-winning cookbook, The Sioux Chef’s Indigenous Kitchen, he states, “I could see that long ago the tribes were sovereign over their food systems, maintaining food security through a rich knowledge of the land and its food resources.” These food resources were well managed, and the food was healthy. These studies and the development of a cuisine based on pre-Columbian food sources, has become his life’s

Through their organization, Native Traditional Indigenous Food Systems, Sean Sherman and his partner Dana Thompson have opened Indigenous Food Lab at the Midtown Global Market in Minneapolis. | DANA THOMPSON NORTHERN WILDS

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POPLAR H AUS G U N F L I N T

T R A I L

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Takeout & Indoor Dining Thursday-Sunday 12pm-8pm

Sean Sherman’s cuisines do not utilize any food sources not available before Columbus’ expeditions. Therefore maple, along with other tree saps, has become a primary sweetener in his recipes. | MARCUS NILSSON FOR THE NEW YORK TIMES work. This has led to the development of the non-profit, Native Traditional Indigenous Food Systems, which promotes Indigenous foodways education and facilitates Indigenous food access. Sherman states his organization provides 10,000 meals a week to nine different tribes.

I recently spoke with The Sioux Chef and asked him specifically about the use of maple as a sweetener in Indigenous cuisine.

He prefaced his remarks by saying that as a boy growing up on the Pine Ridge Reservation, he did not have access to maple trees. Much of his research, though, has involved Indigenous cuisine in Minnesota, where maple sugar has long been an essential food source.

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As his cuisine does not utilize any food sources not available before Columbus’ expeditions, maple, along with other tree saps such as birch and box elder, has become a primary sweetener in his recipes. Maple syrup or sugar can be substituted for sugar in recipes. Sean says maple sugar rounds the flavor of foods by opening up the flavor profile. He uses maple syrup in his teas, such as cedar tea, and in his berry sauces.

He also uses it in his braising liquids—he says to add them when cooking the liquids down. Another popular recipe is his sweet potato maple soup. In general, Sherman says that maple is a staple in their kitchen.

The Sioux Chef also uses maple in his desserts. While dessert was not an integral part of Indigenous mealtimes, Sherman has developed recipes that are not overly sweet but wholesome such as sunflower cookies and autumn harvest cookies, which combine nut, wild rice or corn flour, nuts, berries and maple syrup or sugar.

Another unique use for maple that finds its way into many of Sherman’s recipes is maple vinegar. This is made from the last of the sap harvest, which contains less sugar. When set out, it naturally ferments.

Sherman says he adds it to soups to give it a sour taste and is also used in food preservation. According to his book, The Sioux Chef’s Indigenous Kitchen, it is less acidic than most vinegars and “makes a terrific salad dressing and seasoning for sauces, soups, stews, and pan-fried stews—anything that needs brightening up.”

Wild Cedar and Maple Tea Cedar is a sacred tree and, like sweetgrass and tobacco, is part of many ceremonies. It’s used to purify homes, in sweat-lodge ceremonies, and as a medicine.

The tea of simmered branches is used to treat fevers and rheumatic complaints, chest colds, and flu. This brew is delicious warm or cold and is simple to make. Just simmer 2 cups of fresh cedar in 4 cups of boiling water for about 10 minutes until the water becomes a golden color.

Strain off the cedar and sweeten with maple syrup, to taste.

From The Sioux Chef’s Indigenous Kitchen by Sean Sherman with Beth Dooley. Copyright 2017 Ghost Dancer, LLC. All rights reserved. Used by permission of the University of Minnesota Press.

The Sioux Chef has not been idle. He has traveled the globe in his mission to educate others about the benefits of Indigenous cuisine. Through their organization, Native Traditional Indigenous Food Systems, Sherman and his partner Dana Thompson have opened Indigenous Food Lab at the Midtown Global Market in Minneapolis.

This lab includes a non-profit restaurant and serves as a native foodways classroom.

They also conduct research and provide food for native communities.

In May, The Sioux Chef plans to open a new restaurant in a historic building on the waterfront in Minneapolis near the Stone Arch Bridge. It will be named Owamni.

The name reflects the Dakota name for the place below the St. Anthony Falls where the water swirled. The restaurant will include a park forage collaboration. According to Sherman, foraging was a big part of the Indigenous food systems. Indigenous people had a vast knowledge of the plants around them. To Sherman, food is very place-based. Plants, cultures, and the seasons influence the cuisine. In the Sioux Chef’s Indigenous kitchens, he strives to “make food taste like where we are.”

Relationships

Green Lights and Red Flags

By Hartley Newell-Acero and Amy Schmidt When we talk about “relationships,” it’s often assumed that we mean romance.

While those kinds of attachments play a large role in many people’s lives, they’re certainly not the only relationships worth contemplating. We have other connections: family, friends, co-workers, supervisors, neighbors, and all of those associations can have relational “green lights” or “red flags.”

It’s important to know which behaviors are green lights and which are red flags so that you can choose to engage in relationships that are edifying and healthy.

While it is normal to maintain a different level of relationship with different people (consider the differences between your relationship with a co-worker verses a best friend), relating in a healthy way often looks similar no matter the relationship. Why? Because healthy relationships are characterized by “green flag” behaviors.

Respect is a critical green flag. Respect is demonstrated when we talk to someone kindly and truthfully and when we act in ways that show we value their time and

opinions. Trust, too, is important. When we trust someone, we believe that they have good intentions and we feel safe with them. They’re dependable, and we know that they’ll act in our best interest, even when we’re apart. Good communication is also a relational green flag. Being straightforward, even if it’s uncomfortable, in ways that the other person can absorb and understand, is good communication.

A relationship founded on good communication means you talk frequently, openly, calmly, respectfully and rationally.

Even the best relationships will occasionally suffer from red light behavior. | STOCK

Now for the red lights. These behaviors signal danger and should prompt us to both avoid these actions in ourselves and take necessary precaution against those who inflict them on us.

to talk or not listening when they do. Dishonesty can show up both as knowingly telling untruths, or withholding information. Contempt can be camouflaged as sarcasm, being condescending, hurtful humor, insults, or making fun of someone.

It sends the message of one person being superior and the other being inferior. Lack of appreciation is signaled by not noticing someone’s efforts, not expressing gratitude, or neglecting to acknowledge someone’s contributions.

Lack of communication means shutting down discussions with emotional distance (the silent treatment), anger, or changing the topic. It can also mean dominating conversations, leaving others with no time

Again, this is only a smattering of red light behaviors that we should look to avoid when relating with others. Rigidness, lack of empathy, suspicion, impatience…the list goes on. It is good practice to regularly take

This is a mere handful of the green flags.

For a more exhaustive list, check out this article from Psychology Today (bit.ly/psychologytodayarticle).

stock of our relationships and ask ourselves whether we or others are demonstrating any of these toxic behaviors. If the answer is yes, take steps to right the wrongs. And be gracious with yourself and others. No relationship is ever perfect. Truth be told, even the best relationships will suffer from the occasional red light behavior. Commit yourself to humility and the art of apology and forgiveness. If you feel, in anyway, physically or emotional threatened by a relationship, seek professional help. The Violence Prevention Center (218-387-1262) is a good place to start.

Note: Written by staff members of the Sawtooth Mountain Clinic, in collaboration with Cook County Public Health and Human Services.

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Northern Trails Late Ice Options By Gord Ellis

For some of us, the end of winter is often greeted with a sigh of relief. As an angler, it is tempting to just pray for open water and wait out the disappearance of ice. However, late winter can provide some of the best ice fishing of the year, with longer days and warmer sun. Here is a guide to some of the best fishing opportunities available before the ice recedes.

Walleye: As spring approaches, walleye

start to move towards spawning areas.

This means fish scattered throughout a lake during the winter, start to stage in bays and at river-mouths. Late winter walleye are generally hungry, and especially enjoy a larger chub or sucker minnow in the 3 to 4-inch range. Use a tip up or ice fishing rod on a balance to fish a large minnow. Use a single #4 treble hook below the dorsal fin, with enough weight to keep the bait from swimming too far.

When a walleye takes the bait, let it run before setting the hook. That ensures the fish has the bait in its mouth. Jigging a medium minnow on a quarter ounce glow, orange or chartreuse jig is another great option. Always check local fishing regulations before ice fishing late winter walleye. Some lakes have sanctuary areas located near river-mouths and bays.

James Smedley with a late ice splake. | GORD ELLIS sively. Big pike are lazy and don’t want to chase an over-active bait. You can jig for pike with spoons and jigs, but always use a steel leader and medium to heavy gear.

Brook trout: Northwestern Ontario has

Whitefish: One of the fish that is es-

pecially active at late ice is the whitefish.

These fish are quite common in northwestern Ontario and are delicious on the table. On Lake Superior, and in large inland lakes, whitefish are found in a wide variety of habitat, from shallow bays to deep water. Most of the catchable whitefish are in the 20 to 40-foot depths in the back end of bays over sand, rubble and weeds. Whitefish like shiny objects, so jigging spoons such as the Williams Whitefish, Hopkins Smoothie, Swedish Pimple and Jigging Rapala all work. Silver is the colour and lighter spoons of one quarter to half ounce are the best bet. White, 3-inch tube jigs will also catch whitefish, especially if a small stinger hook is added. Whitefish will often swim around and dart at spoons and tubes before finally hitting. Sight fishing whitefish in clear water can make for an exciting experience.

Northern Pike: Like walleye, pike spawn in the spring and they will also stage in bays and river-mouths in anticipation of open water. Good late winter pike fishing depths generally range between 10 and 20 feet. Northern pike are nearly al30

MARCH 2021

Brook trout caught on a jigging Rapala. | GORD ELLIS ways hungry, but the larger specimens are much more liable to take a large bait. Pike are sight feeders, but also have a keen sense of smell. An oily dead-bait such as a herring or Portuguese sardine will release a lot of scent and attract the big girls. Tip-ups are a great presentation for pike as you can set them like a trap. Rig the bait with a quick

NORTHERN WILDS

strike rig which is two small treble hooks attached to a wire leader. This allows you to set the hook as soon as the pike takes the bait and avoids deeply hooked fish. Set the bait about 3 to 6 inches off the bottom. Live sucker minnows can also work, but trim the tail and use a heavy weight to keep them from swimming too aggres-

dozens of stocked trout lakes. Some of these lakes are close to roads, others more remote. In late winter, the longer day and milder temperatures make it much more pleasant to go on a winter brookie adventure. Brook trout perk up as the days get longer and will be more active than they are in the deep freeze of January. Focus your attentions in shallow water of less than 10 feet. Brook trout gravitate to any stream or springs, but can be found in shallow back bays, off points and around beaver houses. Brook trout will hit a wide variety of presentations including colourful bucktail jigs, spoons such as the Little Cleo and Jigging Rapalas. You can also set a minnow or worm or both on a set line.

There are times brook trout will show a definite preference for live bait, but it’s impressive how many times I’ve had brookies smack spoons or jigs and leave bait untouched. Sight fishing brook trout can be a super fun way to spend some time on the ice. Just throw a jacket over your head and look down the hole. Nothing makes the heart leap like seeing a four-pound brookie coming in for a look at your jig.

Splake: Splake are a hatchery created cross between lake trout and brook trout.

These fish are stocked in many lakes in the northwest and can grow to quite a large size. Splake are fun to catch and among the very best of fish to eat. Like brookies, splake get quite active in late winter and strap the feed bag on. Many splake feed on smelt or perch. Both of those food fish are spring spawners, and the splake follow them to the creek mouths and bays where they stage. Splake are generally found in deeper water than brook trout from 15 to 30 feet. They love to hit a jigged lure with spoons, Jigging Rapala, tubes, bucktail jigs and lipless cranks all being splake producers. A set-line with a live minnow on a quarter-ounce jig is always worth a try.

Splake are a schooling fish, so if you find one, there are generally more,

Catch and release: One final note. The

larger walleye and pike that are caught in the spring are egg wagons. These large, prime spawners should be released. Keep the smaller males, as they are better eating.

Always be safe and careful in late winter and carry ice spikes in case—God forbid— you go through. A floater snowmobile suit is a great idea. Enjoy the late ice bite. It’s a great time to be outside.

Late season ice fishing. | GORD ELLIS

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Wild Traditions Reflections on a Changing Climate By Julia Prinselaar

As I write this on an evening in early February, one of the coldest nights of the year is approaching. The City of Thunder Bay is under an “Extreme Cold Warning,” bringing windchill values to minus 40°C overnight. The risk of frostbite and hypothermia is palpable.

As most people prepare to stay indoors and keep warm during the cold snap, I think about the creatures who inhabit the boreal forest. The thick skins and coats of fox, beaver, moose and deer enable them to survive the harshness of winter through to the longer days and warming temperatures that lie ahead.

At this time of year, in early February, morning temperatures can hover around minus 20°C—exciting times if you’re a hide tanner. Cold weather is favorable for thinning the hide of a thick-skinned animal like a moose to prepare it for tanning at a later stage.

Skins can be thinned throughout the year, but many tanners in northern climates prefer to scrape the hide while frozen. A moose’s hide can be a quarter-inch thick in some areas, so when the skin is frozen, sharp tools are able to shave the skin more easily.

But such a task requires consistently cold temperatures and I have been eagerly awaiting a period of cold weather that lasts a week or more. Instead, early January brought mild and inconsistent temperatures that even climbed above freezing—not nearly cold enough for frost scraping.

A relevant book to read on a cold winter’s day, activist Sheila Watt Cloutier advocates for Indigenous climate justice in her memoir, The Right to Be Cold. | JULIA PRINSELAAR My relationship to winter and the personal excitement it brings reminds me of a memoir written by Sheila Watt-Cloutier titled, The Right to Be Cold. For more than 25 years, Watt-Cloutier has committed her life to speaking publicly about the effects of climate change on the Arctic environment and advocating for the rights of Indigenous peoples in the far north. Through her own experience as an Inuk woman, she documents the loss of traditional skills and knowledge that, in some cases, has occurred in the course of a single generation.

The Inuit are a hunting culture. As Watt-Cloutier explains in her book, values such as patience, endurance, courage and good judgment are all taught through the skills of successful hunting.

“It is the wisdom of our hunters and elders that allowed us not only to live but also to thrive. As you are taught how to read the weather and ice conditions and how to become a great hunter…you learn how to become focused and meticulous, for your family depends on these skills for survival. This is the wisdom our hunters and elders have shared with our children for generations, and this holistic approach to learning is an essential part of Inuit culture,” she writes.

“But this important traditional knowledge has begun to lose its value as a result of dramatic changes to our environment.

This wisdom, which comes from a hunting culture dependent on ice and snow, is as threatened as the ice itself.”

In the Arctic and indeed all over the world, the land is inextricably linked to a people’s cultural identity. What happens when their environment is on the brink of irreversible change?

On the Canadian east coast, data from the federal Department of Fisheries and Oceans shows that the sea surrounding coastal Labrador is warming at an unprecedented rate. Winter is on average six weeks shorter than it was historically, and the region’s sea ice is about a third smaller than it was a decade ago.

For the people of Rigolet, Canada’s southernmost Inuit community, vanishing ice and unpredictable seasons means they are being forced to adapt in ways they never have before. Shrinking ice packs and

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changing weather patterns has made travel to traditional hunting grounds increasingly unreliable.

The social impacts of climate change are becoming more visible. Watt-Cloutier recalls several members of her community losing their connection to the land and falling into alcohol abuse and domestic violence.

“I share these stories,” writes Watt-Cloutier, “to show how quickly in my own life, in less than twenty years, the tumultuous changes from the outside were affecting the very core and soul of the grounded, reflective, caring hunter spirit of our men.”

Ashlee Consolo, director of the Labrador Institute in Happy Valley-Goose Bay, echoes her statements.

“The land is not just the land for them.

It’s family, it’s kin, it’s part of you. Every aspect of Inuit culture grows from the land,” she writes in The Guardian. “When you’re the first generation that can’t do that anymore, that can’t follow your ancestors on to the land, think about how devastating that can be from a cultural standpoint…

These changes are disrupting hundreds of years of knowledge and wisdom and connection to the land. That’s a scary thing for humanity,” Cunsolo said.

One year into the global coronavirus pandemic, and I am more thankful for the Northern Wilds of my home than ever before. The land has given me space to exercise and be socially distant from others when needed. More importantly, I find a

BY JOE SHEAD WHY GO: Two Island Lake is only about a half-hour drive from Thunder Bay. It’s a good action lake for smallmouth bass and northern pike and you’ll be on paved roads for all but the last mile.

ACCESS: To get there from Thunder Bay, travel west on Dawson Road (Highway 102) and turn north onto Dog Lake Road (Highway 589). Continue north on Dog Lake Road for roughly 25 km/15.5 miles, then turn left onto Two Island Lake Road. Dog Lake Road is paved, but you’ll have to travel about a mile on gravel as you turn onto Two Island Lake Road. The boat launch is on the southwest side of the lake, just to the west of the long peninsula that extends north from the south shore. The parking lot has space for about four rigs. The launch is fairly shallow, but most average-sized fishing boats should be able to launch here.

GAME SPECIES PRESENT: Smallmouth bass and northern pike.

VITALS: “The appeal to Two Island Lake is that you can be to the lake within about a 30-minute ride from Thunder Bay and be catching fish within eyeshot of the public access

deep sense of purpose when I have things to do that connect me to the landscape around me, whether I am scraping moose hide for days on end, planting my garden in the spring, paddling along the coast of Lake Superior or hunting and gathering wild foods. The land is my teacher, my playground, my source of inspiration and spiritual sustenance.

But as a settler who lives in a city and embraces Western customs and values, who was not raised in a hunting or fishing family that relied on wild land for survival, it’s easy to exercise my privilege and take these things for granted. After all, grocery stores with fresh produce are only minutes away. And I join many others in feeling a sense of grief and futility in the wake of a changing climate.

As Sheila Watt-Cloutier says, the world needs to realize that our environments, our communities all around the world are not separate, and that our shared atmosphere and oceans, not to mention our human spirit, connect us all.

“It is imperative to change the dialogue about climate change and the environmental degradation of our planet,” she writes.

“This will require us to move how we conceptualize this issue from the head to the heart, where all change happens.”

point,” said Davis Viehbeck, conservation officer for the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources. “The lake has lots of rocky structure, making it a great smallmouth fishery. Anglers should use caution when navigating the lake for submerged hazards, especially in the north arm.” Viehbeck added that anglers catch good numbers of smallmouth bass, averaging 1.5 to 2 pounds and pike averaging 3 to 5 pounds. “Suspending jerkbaits like #8 and #10 X-Raps, tube jigs in brownish tones, crayfish imitation baits, Senko-style stickbaits and topwaters are all you need to catch both the plentiful bass and pike in the lake,” he said.

Viehbeck added that the lake is fairly developed, as local lakes go. Smelt are present, but despite a failed stocking attempt decades ago, there are no walleyes in Two Island.

Moose hide, frost-scraped in February. | JULIA PRINSELAAR

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BONUS BROOKIES: On occasion, anglers catch brook trout in Two Island. “The brookies are kind of like unicorns, but when you get them, they’re big,” Viehbeck said. He suspects these fish enter the lake from a creek at the north end of the lake.

nd Two Isla

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Lake Rd

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

MARCH 2021 33

MUSH LAKE RACING DOG BLOG

BY ERIN ALTEMUS

Beargrease 2021 When you’re running in lead, everyone wants an interview. If only I could have been more coherent. | ANNA HENNESSY With 1400 training miles on the team, no training injuries and healthy leaders, I felt confident going into the race. The trail was short of a good snow pack, but a snowstorm the night before the race added 4-5 inches, enough to slow the teams down— almost annoyingly so, but you get what you’re given. The first few legs went well.

The team screamed in and out of checkpoints (the worst at Two Harbors where I couldn’t hook down, fell over on the sled and was almost dragged away before signing out). I knew I was in the mix of the top times. It was my intention to stick to my run/rest plan, so when I hitched up and left Finland after three hours rest, I was surprised to find I was the first team out. I hadn’t intended to “take the lead” but there we were, making the first set of tracks—paws and sled runners toward Sawbill. I expected someone to catch me, but no one did. I’ve been on the other side of the line—waiting for a team to come into a checkpoint. A headlight appears in the distance, red blinker lights flashing on the lead dogs. Someone yells “Team!” and everyone scrambles into position. At Sawbill, there’s no internet or cell coverage. They didn’t know which team approached as they couldn’t see the trackers. It’s an enthusiastic greeting from the volunteers when you are first in.

Being first in also meant I would leave Sawbill first after the mandatory rest. This year at Sawbill there was no infamous “bacon tent” for mushers to warm themselves and eat a meal. As this checkpoint is unassisted, I made my own packet of noodles in the water I boiled on my cooker. I spent my four hours of mandatory rest taking off booties, feeding dogs, putting down straw, moving Roxy away from Teddy because he wouldn’t stop flirting with her and moving Pinto away from Nancy because she was cranky. I fed dogs again. I put my sleeping bag next to Nancy and took a 45-minute nap. I made coffee. I rebooted dogs, packed up their blankets, readied my sled and left the checkpoint with the help of volunteers, on time at 7:04 a.m., 14 minutes ahead of Ryan Redington.

The run to Trail Center has historically been a tough one for me and the team. The 34

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my headlamp scanned the trail for signs of the team. I ran up Pine Mountain, huffing, puffing, and cursing this twist of fate. My head and heart were heavy with the knowledge that I had just killed my race.

At this point we were just two miles from the turn off to our kennel and I was sure the dogs would run home. I was sure family, friends and race fans were watching my tracker on the computer screen as it veered toward Mush Lake. Thirty minutes later, I was finally at the top of Pine Mountain and another team came up behind me.

I thought the musher was Bailly Vitello and I introduced myself. “I know who you are,” he said. I kept talking to him like he was someone I didn’t know. I jumped in this musher’s sled and we came to the junction where a trail turned toward our kennel. I could see no sled tracks to the left, the dogs had stayed on the race trail.

[LEFT] Handler Anna cares for the dogs at Trail Center. | MARK HENNESSY [RIGHT] Erin soaks up some sun at Mineral Center with 30 miles left to go in the

race. | ANNA HENNESSY

team has run 100 miles and were not yet into the race rhythm. The time of day is not great—daytime runs always feel slow.

Dogs just get “wonky.” My main leader Beezus was slowing down so much I had to take him out of lead. Finally, I realized he couldn’t be in point either (just behind the leaders). I rearranged dogs several times, finally moving Beezus to wheel, the position right in front of the sled. I thought I might have to drop him at Trail Center, but he eventually rebounded. With all this stopping I expected Ryan to pass me, but save for one glimpse of his team on a long flat stretch of the Lima Grade, he didn’t, and we were into Trail Center first.

For the past two legs, I was running into Cook County and in lead. Everyone in Cook County seemed to know it. At every road crossing, people I didn’t know were cheering for us, calling out my name. It was a great feeling, but I kept telling myself the race miles ahead were many, and anything could happen.

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Now I know that I was not technically in first place. If you added run times, first place belonged to Ryan or Erin Letzring at that point, but the race was going well.

Ryan and Erin passed me going to Devil’s Track, but it was still close. I woke from a nap at Devils Track at 5 a.m., pounded coffee and jumped back on the sled. We were still in this race. The team left Devil’s Track yipping and with good speed. Beezus was back in lead for now. We were on our home turf. We’d be passing the kennel turn off in 10 miles and I wanted Beezus in lead to pass the kennel without issue. I had switched sleds at Devil’s Track to a lighter sled, hoping this would help us keep speed, but the sled was quite wobbly. Somewhere on the G-trail, south of Pine Mountain, my sled slid into the brush on the side of the trail and I was knocked off. I don’t know how; I was hanging on. It was so quick.

The sled and team just disappeared, not heeding my calls to “Whoa!”. I started running, glad I had changed my heavy boots for lighter ones. I was sweating. Still dark,

We continued on, this musher pushing me up a big hill in his sled. Another half mile downhill and I found my team. The snow hook had jumped the sled and caught.

Everyone was fine. I thanked this musher who I quickly realized was Ero Wallin, so I felt like an idiot as we know each other and I had been talking to him like a complete stranger. I ended up passing Ero and later dropping my ski pole which he kindly picked up and returned later. There were several other mishaps on the run to Mineral Center, including carrying a tired dog in my sled, but I knew that 40-minute loss of time had cost us dearly.

The last leg of the race flew by. The trail was smooth, the dogs jazzed. The timing was perfect from day into night. We finished strong in 4th place. I can’t help but think about the what ifs. I’d like a redo so I could hang onto my sled a little tighter. Mostly I’m grateful to have brought 9-year-old leaders Beezus and Nancy to another finish. The two of them have run two Beargrease 120s, and six marathons.

They were never dropped. They have made mushing easy (well, mostly) and it’s hard to imagine running this race without them.

I had spectators cheering for us over the many, many miles of this race and the enthusiasm was truly contagious. Thank you!

Gidaanikeshkaagonaanig Gidaanikoobijiganinaan Following the Ancestor’s Steps

Nimishoomis Moos (Grandfather’s Moose)

By Sam Zimmerman My Nimishoomis (Grandfather) was a wonderful storyteller. I spent a summer with him before high school and he would tell me different stories about growing up in Gitchi Onigaming (Grand Portage) and Gitchi Bitobig (Grand Marais). I remember sitting with him in his small kitchen eating lunch that he had made for us while he talked about moos (moose) hunting, running snare lines, and about our family’s history. After he would finish his stories, I would take off to go explore around Two Harbors with my new friend (who later on became my brother, but that is a different story) who lived across the street.

After I went away to college on the East Coast, I would come home two to three times a year to visit my Nimishoomis. Even when he was in his 90’s, he would recall memories of biboon (winter)

storms, moos hunting (even telling me how he tripped a moos once), and how cheap gasoline was in his youth.

I completed this piece on what would have been my Nimishoomis (Grandfather’s) 103rd birthday to honor him and his moos hunting stories. There are 103 stars in this piece to commemorate his birthday. I recently just completed a new painting with 104 stars and plan to make this an annual tradition on his birthday as a way to celebrate his life and love of family.

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

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Happy Flights

By Jeff Hicken The adventure was Steve’s idea. My larger-than-life, Falstaffian brother-in-law had gone to the All-Canada Sportsmen’s Show the winter before and met the tour operator. Our destination was Neultin Lake, a giant of 880 square miles, which straddles the border between Manitoba and Northwest Territories, about 900 miles north of Winnipeg. At 60 degrees latitude, it was farther north than any of us had been.

Hard to believe, there’s another two thousand miles to the North Pole.

For us, the trip promised trophy fishing—trout, northern pike and Arctic grayling. A few weeks before departure, the six of us, Steve, Fred, Larry, Ed, Miles and I, piled ourselves into a minivan and headed down to the sporting goods store. We were flush with excitement and cash. Lots of friends and colleagues had given us advice on fishing strategy. “You gotta get the ‘Five of Diamonds,’” my lawyer friend David Conn said. It’s a yellow spoon with five red diamonds painted on it. “Kills the lake trout.” Fred insisted on the Red Eye, another trout lure. Ed had it on good authority that the Daredevle—a red and white painted piece of metal—couldn’t fail. We walked down the aisle tossing the merchandise in the baskets. Those colorful lures are designed for the fisherman more than the fish, I think.

We loaded back in the minivan, headed to the bar to talk over our plans. Suddenly, a mindless driver in the opposing lane crossed over directly in front of us. We were forced into the ditch, rolling over and over. When we finally stopped, someone from the back shouted—“Everyone okay?”

Incredibly, we were, except for Ed’s van, which was a wreck. It was a dark portent for our adventure.

Soon it was August 15—time to go. A six-hour drive from Minneapolis to Winnipeg. Overnight in a motel, and onto an Air Canada 737 for the two-hour flight to Lynn Lake, Manitoba—the northernmost post of civilization in the province. The tour operator had a cab waiting to take us to the lake, where a dozen seaplanes were lined up to transport fishermen to various camps. We hardly saw the little town, although eventually, and unexpectedly, we would.

We were led to a Dehavilland Twin Otter—the workhorse of the Canadian outback—which was tied to the dock. The guide introduced us to Colin, our pilot. He was a wiry Welshman with a curious bare spot on the side of his head. It was, we discovered later, the result of his walking too close to a prop. He was painfully shy.

As we flew northward over the tundra, there was hardly a sign of civilization, ex36

MARCH 2021

Lloyd’s of London sent an accident investigator a few weeks after the accident. Here he is holding a nice trout that we should have caught. | JEFF HICKEN

Still wet, we are about to board the rescue plane behind us. I’m in front with hands on knees. Behind me L-R: Steve Schmidt, Ed Davenport, Peter Weiderschein, Larry Baden, Miles Davenport, Fred Soucie and Colin Ware. | JEFF HICKEN

cept for an occasional abandoned trapper’s shack. In a couple of hours, we splashed into a serene bay and pulled up to our destination. It consisted of two large tents and an outhouse on the end of a sand bar. There was a camp guy waiting for us—Peter.

“Throw the groceries in the hole,” Peter said. We had meat, potatoes, carrots and the like, and the hole was chiseled out of the permafrost—better than any refrigerator. He pointed to our tent—it had bunks for six, a wooden floor and a propane heater. Surprisingly, we used the heater only once, because the weather was sunny and temperate—mostly in the 60s, or even the low 70s.

We asked Peter about the fishing. “You’ve got three boats and plenty of gas. Your compasses won’t work. We’re too close to the Magnetic North Pole, so don’t get lost.”

We did, of course. The lake was populated by hundreds of islands, which made line-of-sight navigation impossible. We had walkie-talkies, but they weren’t reliable.

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One day, Larry and I were catching some good-sized northerns. Before we knew it, it was 9 p.m. That far north, the daylight lasts into the early morning hours, but the sky was darkening. We didn’t know where we were. “Call someone on the walkie-talkie,” I said. There was no answer. We pulled up to an island and climbed to the top, hoping to see the camp, but all we could see were more islands. We motored one way and then the other until sometime after midnight, we finally saw the tents off in the distance. I was so relieved I felt like crying.

Another day we took the three boats and motored miles away to a river, hoping to catch the exotic Arctic grayling, a small but savage fighter known for leaping out of the water before giving up. As we looked to the shore, we saw piles of caribou antlers.

“They come down this far south in the winter,” Peter said, “then they shed them before they head back north in the spring.”

A couple of guys complained about Peter.

“What does he do all day while we’re out

here on the boats? I thought we’d have a guide.” They were right. Peter was back in camp, talking on the radio with his girlfriend in Saskatoon. He’d gather tinder for the fire from the scraggly pygmy pines, or clean the mess tent, but never went fishing with us.

We didn’t catch any trophies, like the ones pictured in the brochure. I’ve actually pulled in bigger trout just off the shore of Lake Superior. We fought some ferocious northerns—a little larger than the ones in Minnesota. Northerns were nothing new to us, though. The grayling were a treat, but that was only for a day. It was the camaraderie, and the uniqueness of the far north environment, that made the trip memorable.

A storm rose on our last full day—wet, windy and cold. Our serene bay was socked in, so we stayed in the tent, reading books and swapping stories. Tomorrow would be getaway day, but that was all right—we were starting to miss our wives and families. For me, I’d be arriving home on my wedding anniversary.

“I just got a call on the radio,” Peter said at about 10 the next morning. “The pilot’ll be here in an hour.” Although the rain had ended, the storm raged on, and the wind blew harder, creating whitecaps even in our little bay. Colin managed a landing, though, and we loaded up and got in the Otter. Looking at the skies, I wondered.

Shouldn’t we have seatbelts? Why isn’t our

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pontoons above. I grabbed one and held on.

The engines revved up, pushing us across the bay. Plenty of room here for a takeoff, it seemed. But Colin saw it differently—motoring us around the point into the main lake, where we were bouncing on 4-foot waves. My normally gregarious companions had become silent. I speculated that Colin needed the waves to get a good lift— after all, we’d packed a lot of heavy gear. The engines roared and we were off. What a relief!

A plane with pontoons won’t sink.

I didn’t know that before. I saw some of my friends, also hanging on, and started counting heads. I also saw our pilot, Colin, who was separate from the others.

Suddenly, there was a powerful gust of wind, tilting us violently to the left. “We’re going down,” someone shouted. A wing, or a pontoon, had caught the tip of a wave, and we went nose first into the lake.

We flipped upside down, our gear crashing on top of us. Water rushed into the cabin. I lost sight of my companions, who, I learned later, escaped out the back door. I’d been thrown forward, into the bulkhead. The back of my neck hit metal and I was disoriented. The engines had stopped.

Underwater it was silent.

It’s often said that time slows down in a crisis, and that’s how it was. My first thought was this: I’m going to die. I’m 33 years old. I have a wife and three kids. Little Liza’s only six months old and I’ll be nothing more than a myth to her. Then it occurred to me—why not try to get out of here?

The water was clear and I could see the empty cockpit ahead. I raised my head, found a pocket of air, took a deep breath, and started swimming.

Eventually, I popped out of the cockpit door, gasping for breath. Our overturned plane was below me and the

Then there was a large splash— it was big Steve! One of our group, Miles, was drifting away and sinking.

It looked like he’d given up and was ready for death, but Steve swam to him and pulled him back. That heroic act snapped us out of our stupor, and we started acting as a team.

We were at least a mile from shore, in freezing cold water. Did anyone know we were there? A couple of guys yelled for help, but it seemed futile to me.

That’s when we saw Peter. He’d commandeered one of the 16-foot fishing boats and was heading toward us. He crashed into the fierce waves, sending spumes of water into the sky every time it hit a swell. He circled the small boat around us, but because of the high waves it started to swamp.

We swam out to him and started bailing, by hand.

“I didn’t hear you fly over the camp, so I figured something was wrong,” he yelled over the wind and the rolling waves.

Finally, we boosted Ed and Miles into the boat, and Peter headed toward a rock reef near our protected bay, where they were perched until Peter returned to shuttle the next two, Larry and I, away from the plane.

When we got to the reef, I noticed my boatmate Larry. He was hunched over and his skin had a grayish pallor.

Exposure can be as fatal as drowning and there was no shelter for us. I was worried about those who were still back at the plane, but even more so about Larry.

Eventually we all made it back to camp. Because of the excitement, I hadn’t even noticed the cold, but now we were a shivering crew of survivors.

We zipped up the tent, pumped up the propane heaters, and Peter cracked open his secret stock of Scotch whiskey. “It’s on the house,” he said. By the time a rescue plane reached us, we were drunk as lords.

Three hours later we were in Lynn Lake, meeting with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, which had already started an investigation. The rescue plane had brought some flight suits for us to wear, but a call to the Hudson Bay Company store produced a manager who unlocked the doors so we could get dry clothing.

Someone found us some rooms in a scruffy motel until the next morning. We found a bar full of locals.

The burgers were juicy and the beer was sweet. We shared our versions of what had happened, reveling in our own accomplishments and teamwork, like soldiers who had won a battle. It seemed like each of us had a different experience, but Fred summed it up.

“Steve, you saved our lives.”

Our exploits were written up in the metro media, and for years thereafter, people would ask us about the accident. Frankly, it took me a while to get over it, but, eventually, I was back in Canada, flying on float planes and, finally, having some luck with the big ones.

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MARCH 2021 37

NORTHERN SKY MARCH 2021 By Deane Morrison, MN STARWATCH

Winter may seem endless by the time March rolls around, but this month the sun and the day length are both climbing at top speed.

At the latitude of Grand Marais, the day length is increasing by more than three minutes a day. The rate of change peaks at the vernal equinox, which this year arrives at 4:37 a.m. on the 20th. At that moment the sun crosses the equator on its journey north.

Saturn and Jupiter are reentering the morning sky, but they won’t get high enough for easy viewing till at least midmonth. However, on the 5th, binoculars may help you catch Mercury immediately to the left of Jupiter in the sun’s foreglow, just above the east-southeastern horizon. A better bet that morning is the last-quarter moon hanging above the red star Antares in Scorpius.

The moon spends the third week of the month crossing the evening sky. On the 19th, it visits Mars as the red planet glides above the V-shaped Hyades star cluster.

Next to the Hyades shines Aldebaran, the eye of Taurus, the bull. On the 22nd, the

moon appears below the Gemini twins Pollux (the brighter) and Castor.

On the 25th a hefty gibbous moon appears in the spring constellation Leo, the lion. The moon sits in the Sickle of stars outlining the lion’s head, between Regulus, Leo’s brightest star, and Algieba, a double star system that also contains a planet. On the 28th March’s full moon rises in Virgo.

As twilight fades, brilliant Arcturus, in Bootes, the herdsman, comes out to the left of the moon.

The faint zodiacal light glimmers in the west after nightfall during the first half of the month. A finger of light pointing up from the horizon along the sun’s path, this phenomenon is caused by sunlight glinting off dust in the plane of Earth’s orbit.

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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Undiscovered Country A Novel

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Set in northern Minnesota on a cold November afternoon, Jesse Matson finds his hunting partner—his father—sprawled on the forest floor, dead from a rifle wound.

Authorities rule it a suicide, but Jesse isn’t convinced. Haunted by the ghost of his dad, and compelled by recently unearthed secrets, he wrestles with questions of justice and retribution. In this fast paced and suspenseful novel, author Lin Enger tells the story of a young man trying to hold his family together in a world suddenly turned upside down. The novel is a reinvention of Shakespeare’s Hamlet and it will easily draw you in.—Breana Roy

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By Beth Probst BookBaby, 2021, $19.99

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By Natalie Warren University of Minnesota Press, 2021, $24.95

Inspired by Eric Sevareid’s book, Canoeing with the Cree (1935) about paddling 2,000 miles (3,219 km) north from Minneapolis to Hudson Bay, in 2011 two friends Natalie Warren and Ann Raiho took on the challenge to recreate the route documented as completed by paddlers only three times. If successful, Natalie and Ann would be the first women to canoe the marathon journey. And they did it in 85 days, canoeing through two countries, four major rivers and the world’s eleventh-largest freshwater lake, the 258 mile (416 km) long Lake Winnipeg.

Written in a storytelling style by Natalie, it’s about adventure, danger, fierce storms, winds, portages, running rapids, wild animals, friendship, humour and a window into the people and communities living along the urban and wilderness waterways. Natalie writes they felt it was essential to connect with the communities to “learn more about their history, culture and relationship with the land and the water.”

Natalie and Ann reached their goal of paddling to Hudson Bay and after returning to Minnesota, they spent some time at Ann’s family cabin on the Gunflint Trail.—Elle Andra-Warner

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Strange Tales Same Name, Different Place By Elle AndraWarner

Growing up on the Canadian shore of Lake Superior in Port Arthur (originally named “Prince Arthur’s Landing” for Queen Victoria’s third son, Prince Arthur; amalgamated in 1970 with Fort William to form the city of Thunder Bay), it never occurred to me that there was another city somewhere with the same name as my hometown. It seemed kind of strange that others also lived in a “Port Arthur” and even weirder to discover there were five other such places: Like Port Arthur, Texas (home of the largest oil refinery in U.S.), a seaport in China (named in 1860 after British Royal Navy Lieutenant William Arthur, now Lüshunkou District in city of Dalia), Tasmania (historic convict colony, now a World Heritage site), Finland (in Turko District); and a small community in Wisconsin.

Here’s a glimpse of a few other places in the Northern Wilds of Minnesota and northwestern Ontario that share their names.

For starters, there is Duluth, incorporated in 1857 and named after French explorer Daniel Greysoln Du Luth (1636-1710), the first known European explorer in the area. Today it is Minnesota’s fourth largest city with a population of 85,618 (2019).

Did you know it was in Duluth that pie à la mode—pie topped with ice cream—was invented in 1885 by Swiss-born John Gieriet, who had been in charge of food for two U.S. presidents before becoming owner of Duluth’s Hotel La Perl?

But there’s also a Duluth in Georgia, which in 1873 got its name supposedly as a joke after a classic speech in Congress, “The Untold Delights of Duluth” where Georgia’s Rep. J. Proctor Knott mocked the Minnesota city and its completed railway project. Kansas also has a small town named Duluth and there’s a flag stop in Nebraska with the same name.

So, what does the northeastern Minnesota city of Ely—known as the Gateway to the Boundary Waters Canoe Area—have in common with eels or the cathedral city of Ely, England? Mining attracted the first settlers in Minnesota about 1865 and the city was named for mining executive Samuel B. Ely who lived in Michigan and financed the railroad to Ely in 1888. He was a descendant of family who arrived in America in the 1600s from the city of Ely, England which took its name from “Isle of Eels,” named for eel-like elongated fish called 40

MARCH 2021

Ely, Minn. is known as the Gateway to the Boundary Waters Canoe Area. It was the Vermilion gold rush that brought the first settlers here in 1865. The city was named for mining executive Samuel Ely, whose ancestors were from ancient city of Ely, Cambridgeshire, England. | JON DAVIS

The current Ely Cathedral was started in 1083 in Ely, though its origins date back to AD 672 when the abbey was established by an Anglo-Saxon princess.

Located 80 mi (129 km) from London, Ely is England’s second smallest city (pop. 20,112) and is said to be one of the country’s most haunted. | VERBCATCHER

Upsala, Minnesota (pop. 427 in 2010), lays claim to being “Minnesota’s Friendliest Little City” and is named after the city of Uppsala in Sweden. | SKVADER

eelpouts (aka burbot) found in the island city’s surrounding wetlands. There are two other U.S. cities named Ely; one in Nevada (former stagecoach stop, mining city and home to historic “Ghost Train of Old Ely”) and the other is a small city in Iowa.

There are two Two Harbors in the U.S., one a Minnesota city along Lake Superior’s North Shore and the other, on California’s Santa Catalina Island. The Minnesota city was formerly two communities (Agate Bay and Burlington) on two bays, incorporated as City of Two Harbors in 1907. It’s where 3M (Minnesota Mining & Manufacturing Company) began and where in the early 1900s, two cigar factories produced about 30,000 cigars a month. California’s Two Harbors is a small resort village on a narrow strip of land, once nicknamed “Isthmus Movie Colony” for being the site of many Hollywood movies. A herd of around 150 North American bison roam wild in the area, remaining from the 600 that arrived in 1924 for the filming of Zane Grey’s novel The Vanishing American.

With the arrival of Finnish settlers starting communities both in Minnesota and northwestern Ontario, it is not surprising both communities were named “Finland” about 400 miles (643 km) apart. In Minnesota, Finland is located about 6 miles (10 km) inland from Lake Superior’s North Shore and northeast 39 miles (63 km) of Two Harbors. While Canada’s Finland was a thriving community of Finnish immigrants in the early 1900s about 28 km (45 km) northwest of Fort Frances, only a trace of it now remains.

Claiming the title “Minnesota’s Friendliest Little City” is the city of Upsala, settled in the 1870s by Swedish immigrants (though the first settler was Danish) and named after Uppsala, Sweden, a university city that started out as a trading post.

NORTHERN WILDS

California’s Two Harbors is a small resort village on a narrow strip of land where in the past many Hollywood movies were made. In 1924, a herd of 600 bison were brought to the island for the making of a Zane Grey’s western novel and today, about 150 bison are still there. | D. RAMEY LOGAN Aerial view of Two Harbors where the global company 3M (originally named Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company) first started in 1902. Located 20 miles northeast of Duluth, Two Harbors is also home to the famous Edna G tug and the oldest operating lighthouse in Minnesota. | WIKIMEDIA Across the U.S.-Canadian border less than a two hour drive west of Thunder Bay is another Upsala, a small town established in 1882 as a railway stop and also named for Sweden’s city of Uppsala.

Hometowns in the Northern Wilds with parallel namesakes elsewhere in the world

includes Tofte; Hovland; Grand Marais; Silver Bay; Terrace Bay; and, Beardmore. Years ago, in a discussion with a friend (also a Canadian immigrant) about where is one’s hometown—birthplace, where you grew up or are residing now—he said, “Anyplace I hang my hat is home” (also the name of a song).

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INLAND LAKE HOMES & CABINS

D L SO 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.

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D L O S

G N I D

14x Bloomquist Mtn Rd Ten acres of mature trees including huge White Pines! Sloping lot with lots of southern exposure for sunshine all year long.

MLS 6075850 $47,500

XX LeVeaux Ridge Beautiful and affordable lot, with electricity, phone and broadband on site, abuts to State land for added privacy!

Close proximity to many recreation options!

MLS 6093481 $22,500

XYZ Maple Hill Rd 6+ acres with quick and easy access to all the charm of Grand Marais with excellent build sites. This parcel features nice tree cover and a roughed in path/ driveway.

MLS 6089729 $44,900

117 Timberwolf Lane Check out this stunning 4.6 acre lot with stunning views overlooking 5 Mile Rock. Mature trees, great topography, surveyed - ready for you to build your home or cabin!

MLS 6090694 $79,900

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

PEN

D L O S

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

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

MLS 6092003 $54,900

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

13XX County Road 7 Want to be in Grand Marais, but have the space and privacy of a country lot?

This 6 acre lot is it!! The driveway is already in waiting for you to build your dream home MLS 6092002 $69,900

XX OLD SKI HILL ROAD 3+ acres just minutes from town on a quiet county maintained road with a nice mix of trees. Easy access to snowmobile trails and fun at Pincushion Mountain.

MLS 6088343 $45,000

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

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

D L O S

Jonvick Creek Sites 12 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 DI

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13X Timberwolf Lane

Lake Superior views from this 5 A lot are spectacular! It fronts highway 61protecting your southern view and is accessed YR from the north by a well-built shared driveway.

MLS 6094156 $84,900

G N DI

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 $49,900

Lar ge Ac r e age

N E P

1xx High Ridge Drive Schroeder

15 acre lot high on the ridge is ready for your dream home or weekend getaway! Views of Lake Superior to the south and valley to the north.

MLS 6082812 $94,900

Camp 20 Rd

170 acres that has been replanted with pine trees.

Rolling topography, many building sites and hiking trails. Gravel pit and a small wildlife pond.

State land to the south & east.

MLS 6074422 - $149,900

NORTHERN WILDS

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Celebrating 50 Years Serving the North Shore

YOUR GOALS ARE OUR #1 PRIORITY

VIRGINIA DETRICK PALMER

BOB CARTER

370-0211

drydoc@boreal.org

info@austinsisland.com

AIMEE LUICK

KALI BLOMBERG

387-2131

370-9260

JULIE JOYNES CARLSON

virginia@cbnorthshore.com

office@cbnorthshore.com

RICK AUSTIN

370-9054

388-9434

370-8068

kalisblomberg@gmail.com

juliejoynescarlson@gmail.com

B UY I N G O R S E L L I N G ?

Contact us today to discuss the current market conditions and how it affects you.

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

44

MARCH 2021

NORTHERN WILDS

(218) 387-2131

•

(800) 732-2131

www.CBNorthShore.com

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

SALIENG PE N D

SUPERIOR LOCATION, WATERFRONT IN GRAND MARAIS.

Situated on 160 ft of stunning shoreline with awesome views of the east bay and Artist Point, this early homestead has great commercial potential, or use as a residential home. The large 2 bdrm, 3 bath home has many options for an Inn or B&B. Two garages, one with living space above, plus a charming shed. MLS#6090933, MLS#6091122

$650,000 HOVLAND CABIN ON SUPERIOR.

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. MLS#6086940

LAKE SUPERIOR – ENCHANTING BIG BAY.

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

STUNNING PANORAMIC VIEWS.

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 $799,500

TOM LAKE ESCAPE.

Over 340 feet of shoreline on Lake Superior, and 120 feet of additional shoreline on Carlson Creek! The cabin features vertical Aspen half-log 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

$249,000

INLAND WATER PROPERTIES

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. MLS#6092289 $204,500

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

LARGE, PRIVATE RETREAT – TOM LAKE.

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

CEDAR LOG CABIN MCFARLAND LAKE.

Two bedroom cabin, large deck, cathedral ceiling and open floor plan. Log guest cabin, storage buildings, log sided sauna and new outhouse to code.

Wilderness views from 150 feet of shore, good for swimming, newer dock. Comes partially furnished. MLS#6090709 $229,000

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 UNIQUE OPPORTUNITY ON TOM LAKE.

Two classic cabins and a boat house are situated on three gorgeous lots along a secluded stretch of shoreline. Power and broadband nearby, propane on site. Note: List price includes a $25,000 allowance payable at closing for installation of power and broadband! MLS#6091716 $150,000

SOLD 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 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

PRIVATE TOM LAKE LOT. 25 acres and 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.

SALIENG PE N D

LEVEL LOTS, NICE WOODS, EASY SHORE.

These Devil Track Lake lots have easy access from a county road, power, phone and great building sites. South shore, 200+ ft. frontage, great views.

Build your home on the lake here! MLS#6033181

SALE PENDING, MLS#6078259 $198,00

MLS#6083597 $99,999

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

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

www.RedPineRealty.com • Locally owned and operated since 1996 • info@RedPineRealty.com NORTHERN WILDS

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

SALIENG PE N D

Cathy Hahn, ABR/GRI • Larry Dean, Realtor • Jake Patten, Realtor • Jess Smith, Realtor THE BALLY HOUSE B&B. Seeped in deep history and an abundance of charm and class, • Fax (218) 387-9598 • info@RedPineRealty.com (218) 387-9599 The Bally House Bed PO Box & Breakfast is now938, 14 S. Broadway, Grand Marais, MN 55604 available. Not only does it have 4 guests rooms (each w/ their DOWNTOWN LUTSEN own bathroom), – MOVE IN READY! but the owner's home/quarters is spectacular itself. Absolutely Affordable Living, many turn-key. Updated throughout and lovingly maintained. Massive conveniences, access to recreation garage, lovely little stone garage, garden shed, unbelievable grounds. and views of Lake Superior. Open MLS#6092798, 6092800 $649,000 living concept with 3 bedrooms

RUSTIC HOVLAND RETREAT.

Red Pine Realty • (800) 387-9599

LARGE TOM LAKE LOT. Gently sloped 4.34

acre lakeshore lot with some incredible views. Situated in a quiet and peaceful bay. Tom Lake is a good fishing lake with access to power/electric and broadband.

MLS#6091084 $87,900

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.

MLS#6085601 $59,900

GREAT PRICE LAKE LOT. Deep woods,

seclusion and nice views from this Tom Lake lot. This is the desired west side of the lake with access from the Camp 20 Rd. Enjoy a peaceful lake property with good access.

Adjacent land available.

MLS#6085287 $43,900

BEAUTIFUL PRIVATE LOTS ON HARE LAKE.

CLASSIC LOG HOME – SCENIC MOOSE VALLEY. Beautifully crafted, 4 bdrm log home on 81 acres with a mountainlike setting. Large kitchen, large walk out basement, huge heated garage with work shop, two historic cabins used for storage, small creek and thousands of acres of adjoining state forest to explore. MLS#6089088 $446,000

SALIENG PE N D

BEAUTIFULLY CRAFTED TIMBER FRAME HOME

A monster-size pole barn with a rec room inside, a wood burning sauna, a charming wood shed... all on 36.30 acres of wonderful wooded land.

Quality, style, warmth & uniqueness abounds. Short drive to downtown, Grand Marais. Power/ broadband, compliant septic, too! MLS#6091718 $264,900

Deep, private lots with maple, spruce and cedars, accessible shoreline and nice elevated building sites.

Power and cell phone service.

This area is surrounded by U.S.F.S. lands near Finland and Isabella. Priced to sell!

13 lots ranging from 1-7 acres.

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

MLS#6093661 $53,900, MLS#6093663 $45,900 ONLY 2 LOTS LEFT! NEW! 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

HOMES & CABINS

NEW! 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

NEW! 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 $692,500

GETAWAY COTTAGE NEAR DEVIL TRACK RIVER. This little cottage needs some good TLC, but it's a start for someone who wants a seasonal getaway at an affordable price. Spacious yard, surrounded by towering pines and poplars. Property boundary is steps away from Devil Track River.

MLS#6085486 $76,000

A small log cabin on 40 acres highlighted by rolling hills and some mature white pines. This is a very pretty property near Devil Fish Lake. Real log construction in this simple, yet functional cabin. MLS#6090303

$74,900

SOLD

and 2 bathrooms. Washer & Dryer included. Local lenders may finance mobile homes on leased lot. Lot rent is $325 per month.

MLS#6094306 $45,000

COMMERCIAL 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

SPACIOUS LOG HOMESTEAD -

SALIENG PE N D

Beautiful log house (2bdrm, 2 bath), on 10 acres with plenty of space. Property has river frontage on the Flute Reed and space to hike around in the evergreen forest. No shortage of garage space for vehicles and outdoor toys in the 2 car garage and large pole barn. Includes a small guest cabin. MLS#6094771 $349,000

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#6081432 $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 REDUCED

www.RedPineRealty.com • Locally owned and operated since 1996 • info@RedPineRealty.com 46

MARCH 2021

NORTHERN WILDS

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

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 REDUCED 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 $59,900 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 GREAT RECREATIONAL PARCEL.

Exceptional recreational parcel. Seller used for deer hunting, home base for fishing and hiking the area. There is a 1000' driveway that is brushed open, an open cleared space with a 30' Dutchman trailer. 1500' of Mons Creek runs the length of the property. MLS#6092273

SALIENG PE N D

$47,500

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 SPECTACULAR LAKE VIEW.

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

FORTY WITH PONDS – COUNTY RD FRONTAGE. This 40 acre parcel has beaver 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

LARGE ACREAGE NEAR TOM LAKE.

128 acres with good road access and an easy walk to the Tom Lake boat landing. Year-round road, power is possible here. The 3 forties may be split - take your pick. MLS#6081431 $111,000

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.

K BACH E ON TKET !!

MAR

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 HIDDEN GEM IN HOVLAND. Explore 40 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 $68,000

border. MLS#6076727 $65,000

LARGE LAND, POND, LAKE RIGHTS.

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

MLS#6086104 $63,900

LAKE SUPERIOR VIEWS – GREAT LOCATION.

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 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

DENSELY WOODED, HIGH GROUND – 20 ACRES IN HOVLAND. Great

SALIENG not too far off the PENDlocation beaten path, potential lake

views, nice forest and feels remote and private. Just off Jackson Lake DNR Forestry Road. Potential off-grid home site or cabin site. MLS#6085963 $54,900

4 TOFTE LOTS. These lots (approx. 2 acres each) offer electric and walking distance from downtown Tofte! Perfect location to build a year-round home. Potential for Lake Superior views from some lots.

MLS#6093756-59 $51,800 - $63,300 WILDLIFE HAVEN. Fairly flat 5.92 acre property despite being located on a hill. Nice mix of poplar, pines and birch trees. Lots of wildlife activity - deer, grouse and wolves. Potential distant Lake Superior view.

Adjacent property available (MLS #6082089).

MLS#6082090 $49,900 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 ROLLING LAND, PINES, HOME SITES. Two 10 acre parcels of heavily wooded land

within 10 minutes of Grand Marais. Great location with remote feel near trails and thousands of acres of Federal land, yet close to town and the big lake. County road with utilities. MLS#6076539 $49,900

WOODED PROPERTY NEAR GRAND MARAIS. 10+ acres with nice trees,

SALIENG D PE N MLS#6082089 $46,900 BUILDING SITE OVERLOOKING MCFARLAND. ThisL 7 acre Estudded county A pine Swalking property has easy access to the beach G N I on McFarland Lake.

NiceD elevated build site with easy N E MLS#6085111 $43,000 Paccess. county road hills and a sm. creek. A great place for a home or deer camp. Adjacent lot also for sale (MLS#6082090).

AFFORDABLE LOT NEAR LAKE SUPERIOR. Two acres of mixed forest with spruce,

SALIENG PE N D

poplar and birch. Two great building sites separated by a creek. The roads are plowed by the association.

The covenants do NOT have minimum house size requirements. MLS#6092140 $33,000

We have buyers looking for property, give us a call for a

FREE MARKET ANALYSIS.

redpinerealty.com

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Itching to See a Home? Take our 3D Walk through Virtual Tour of any Home listed here!

Info@TimberWolffRealty.com

D L O

Call TimberWolff for Your Personal Tour of Homes & Land!!!

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

DREAMING OF LAKE SUPERIOR? ON THE WATER, LAKE VIEWS! DEVIL TRACK RIVER COBBLESTONE HOME AT MOUTH OF LAKE SUPERIOR!

S

E SA L ING D N E P

Fully renovated and much loved home, you’ve all seen the outside, the cool looking Cobblestone house on the Lake Superior side of the Devil Track River, just a few minutes east of Grand Marais. While the exterior is interesting, the interior is FANTASTIC! From the warm wood floors to the hand hewn interior beams and trim, this home welcomes you in to the history of the North Shore. Updated everything and move in ready, walk to the beach and up the river for a day of Fly fishing, just incredible home and location. MLS#6086342 $399,000

MOUNTAIN TOP LIVING ON MINNESOTA’S NORTH SHORE!

E L A S ING D N E P

OLDEN DAYS ON THE BEACH! BY THE SHINING BIG SEA WATER!

Large parcels of Lake Superior property are not easy to come by these days.

Here’s one from the old days, back when the fisherman picked their spots. 4 plus acres, 318 feet of frontage. Not just any frontage, a really beautiful beach!

Endless colorful cobbles churn up daily.

It’s secluded here, downhill and distant from the highway. Peaceful below mature spruce. It first was a homestead, and little bits of yesteryear turn up here and there: a horseshoe, old bottle.

There’s a story in this land. The old fish house is now a charming cabin, front row seat to all the Gitche Gumee action!

MLS#6094219 $499,000

D L SO

Breathtaking views of Lake Superior are the focus of this home, built

by David Salmela. Lofty Red Pines are scattered amongst the boreal forest surrounding this 4 bedroom home while overlooking the wild country of Tettegouche State Park.

MLS#6086880 $650,000

E L A S ING D N E P

SURFSIDE #16A ON LAKE SUPERIOR, MINUTES TO LUTSEN MOUNTAINS! Clean and Crisp Modern Design, this Quarter Share is waiting for those looking to vacation A LOT along the North Shore! Sensible and cost efficient, this Townhome is a Stone’s Throw to Lake Superior! Check out the 3D Virtual Tour at www.

TimberWolffRealty.com and walk through the townhome! You’ll see top quality and inviting spaces for you to create family memories!

MLS#6080869 $179,900 FOR YOUR ¼ SHARE!

500+ FT ON LAKE SUPERIOR WITH LODGE STYLE HOME!Used as a Vacation Rental, Bay Breeze is all about comfortable style with spaces designed for entertaining from the Great Room to the Lakeside Deck!

A must see home! MLS#6084180

$479,000

LAKE SUPERIOR LAND JUST NORTH OF SILVER BAY, PALISADE VIEWS OF LAKE SUPERIOR! Gorgeous Lakeshore, Priced Way Below NEW! BY THE SHINING BIG Tax Assessed Value! Gorgeous Views down the Coastline SEA WATER! and Well buffered from Hwy. MLS#2313255 4 plus acres, 318 feet of accessible Lake $185,000 SOLD Superior Beach frontage! Enjoy the show the big lake can put on with front row seats!

NEW! ENJOY 3.83 ACRES WITH MLS#6094220 $499,000 255FT OF LAKE SUPERIOR SALE PENDING! SHORELINE! Great site overlooking level access to Lake Superior! MLS#6092322 $249,900

SOLD

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NORTHERN WILDS

Itching to See a Home? Take our 3D Walk through Virtual Tour of any Home listed here!

Call TimberWolff for Your Personal Tour of Homes & Land!!!

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

Info@TimberWolffRealty.com

WILDERNESS HOMES, LAKE VIEWS, AND IN TOWN…READ ALL ABOUT ‘EM! NEW!! KEEPIN IT REAL ON WILD ONION TRAIL! Off the grid, and all the comforts of home amongst the Sugar Maples. Make your dreams of homesteading a reality with 20 acres to work on and a two bedroom home with amazing 3 season porch overlooking the valley! There is a comfortable Northwoods vibe at this home: room to let the mind explore, expand, exhale. It’s a place to reinvent yourself or just take a break. When you get the urge to explore head out on the Superior Hiking Tr just five minutes away. Or head on down to Sugarloaf Cove Interpretive Center on Lake Superior, a great place to hike, throw rocks and mediate on the majesty of Gitche Gumee.

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MLS#6093575 $179,000

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NEW! WELCOMING HOME NESTLED ON 40 ACRES OF ROLLING HILLS AND HIGH GROUND! Located a hop skip and a

NEW! WELCOMING HOME IN GRAND MARAIS! Close to town,

yet in the peaceful Northwood’s, this 4 bedroom home will have room for the whole gang.

Gorgeous forest to look at while sitting on the large deck, perfect place for BBQ’s or peaceful morning coffee. 3 bedrooms on main level give you plenty of space to create your home office.

Lower Level walk out could easily be a rental. Take your time, relax, this is home: time to settle in.

MLS#6094797 $299,900

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jump from the new Pike Lake Boat Access, you can spend your days fishing on Pike and your evenings listening to the breezes blow across the hilltops! Designed for good southern exposure, this is an off grid home with full solar system in place. Detached garage, generator shed, move in ready! Located between Grand Marais & Lutsen!

MLS#6092561 $233,700

NEW! YEAR ROUND HOME IN FINLAND! Great elevation and 10 acres to play on with nice views of the ridge and Baptism River. Home was moved and rehabbed from Cliff and Shore Resort, was the middle section of the building. Great home for year round living or just having it as a cabin with perfect location. Very charming open floor plan with lots of natural light in the living area.

Master Bedroom and guest bedroom are in the west wing and living room with open floor plan to the kitchen in the East. Nice separation for entertaining and relaxation. All one level living! The large deck and spacious yard completes the whole North woods package! Borders public land to North and Baptism River is across the Cramer Road, many hiking and snowmobiling opportunities nearby! MLS#6090618

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NEW! VINTAGE VOYAGEUR IN GRAND MARAIS! MLS#6093695 $234,900

$189,000

E SA L ING D N E P

NEW!! MODERN STYLE HOME IN TOFTE!

Plenty of room to relax in this 3 bedroom home with many recent upgrades thru-out. Large master suite upstairs with lots of natural light! Two guest bedrooms on lower level each have private walkout patios for friends and family to enjoy the sounds of the woods in the morning before the days adventures. Quiet neighborhood makes this a great affordable family home! MLS#6093576

$269,900

GUNFLINT TRAIL WILDERNESS HOME WITH VIEWS OF GUNFLINT LAKE! Newer construction log sided home. 10 acres bordering the Superior National Forest on 2 sides- seclusion! Throw the boat in at the nearby Gunflint Lake landing when you want to hit the water. Newer home has Fabulous lake views, spacious deck. Fabulous stone fireplace, open dining/kitchen area.

Gourmet kitchen, granite. Master en suite bedrm, screened porch. Lots of elbow room with the additional bedrms.

MLS#6083975 $259,000 REDUCED

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NEW!! AFFORDABLE HOME ON FIVE WOODED ACRES OVERLOOKING THE BIG LAKE AND GRAND MARAIS. Cute home, just up the

Gunflint Tr a few minutes from town.

Big windows fill with sylvan light and Hardwood floors. Plenty of space and all single floor living. Two bedrooms or make one the office. Nice entryway with room for all the gear that supports our Northern lifestyle.

Step outside and begin to imagine: Five acres is roomy, stretch your mind around the possibilities. Right across the Gunflint is the Pincushion X/C ski trail system and biking paths! Gunflint Hills golf course and Downtown Grand Marais are close. Yet, this place is in the woods – best of both worlds. MLS#6093286

REDUCED $199,000

NEW! DREAMY TOFTE LOG CABIN -NEW CONSTRUCTION!

Lovely home in a wilderness setting very near to Blue Fin Bay on Lake Superior! Spacious eat in kitchen, 2 bedrm 1 bath Mint home with large deck for relaxing after a day of Hiking at Oberg, just minutes away. MLS#6088871

D L O S

$224,900

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

NORTHERN WILDS

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Itching to See a Home? Take our 3D Walk through Virtual Tour of any Home listed here!

Info@TimberWolffRealty.com

Call TimberWolff for Your Personal Tour of Homes & Land!!!

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

CAMPN’, HUNTN’, FUN GETAWAY LAND, INVEST IN YOUR FUTURE! NEW!! 26+ acres of wilderness just minutes from Lake Superior! Great location for a cabin or home!

MLS#6093324 $64,900

30 acres Wilderness, Borders lands next to Little Manitou River! MLS#2309327 $109,900

SALE PENDING

NEW!! 24+ acres to explore on Blackwoods Drive!

Build your dream getaway and still have acres to wander! MLS#6094707 $99,900

South Sloping land in Tofte, Seasonal Lake Views in beautiful setting at LeVeaux Mountain. Easy access, electric, fiber…build ready! Ask for 2xx and 3xx LeVeaux Ridge MLS#6089001 AND

Crosswinds in Tofte, Walk to Coho!

Large pkg lots, Great Value. $69,900

11+ Acres with Tent platform and driveway in place! Close to many inland lakes!

$29,900 MLS#6093572

40 ac Sugar Loaf Rd-Hunter’s Paradise, upland and level land. Yr Round Access, minutes to Lake Superior. MLS#6086473 $48,000 SOLD 40 acres of Wilderness on the Cramer Road

MLS#6093678 $52,000 SALE PENDING

NEW! 2.64 acres of Wilderness with deeded access to Tait Lake! MLS#6092302

$31,900

$32,000

Woodland Foothills Build Ready lots, Shared Water & Community Septic from

NEW!! 6 ACRES BETWEEN DOWNTOWN LUTSEN AND LUTSEN MOUNTAINS SKI RESORT! MLS#6094216 $96,000

MLS#6093013 $79,000 REDUCED

NEW! Views Views Views of Tait Lake Pines!

2.27 acres of privacy with deeded access to Tait Lake - MLS# 6090031 $50,000

Hansen Hjemstead Rd, level build site with nearby pond! MLS#6084134 REDUCED

NEW!! 5 ACRES OF SECLUSION AND WILDERNESS! MLS#6094215 $80,000

NEW!! 9 ACRES CLOSE TO LUTSEN MOUNTAINS AND SUPERIOR NATIONAL GOLF COURSE! MLS#6094217 $135,000

NEW!! Great getaway cabin site just waiting for you! 2+ acres with lots of privacy in Tofte Airport Development! Multiple lots available starting at

MLS#6078781 5 AC $40,000

6089003 $67,000 EACH

NEW!! 40 acres of privacy and serenity near Pancore Lake! Great diversity of trees and animals!

MLS#6077966 REDUCED

Caribou Hillside in Lutsen! Maple hillside above Ward Lake and Caribou Lake, FABULOUS location for summer and winter fun! Must see land!

MLS#2309328+ FROM $39,000 Heartland of Lutsen, 80 ac at the Foothill on Turnagain Trail, Fabulous Wilderness Build s of Ski Hill ridge, near downtown Lutsen! MLS#2312987 $99,900

REDUCED

Tait Lake area, Legend Trail parcel bordering USFS lands with views of Wills and Williams Lake!

MLS#6028619 $67,500

MLS#6093970 $57,900 SOLD

Hilltop build site in the Maples, Isak Ridge Rd. Nice Lake Superior Views with Superior National Forest lands across the Road. Perfect for a Walk Out Home Design! MLS#6084133 $37,500

Wilderness land with canoe access to Tait Lake!

3+ ac a stone’s throw to Tait Lake!

MLS#6078839 $42,000

SOLD

5 ac in the heart of Lutsen, just above TimberWolff!

Great location for family home or Vaca Cabin!

Tucked in the maples with cedar forest surround, 2 parcels at MLS#6084131-2 REDUCED

MLS#6077951 $37,500 REDUCED

$25,000

NEW!! Enjoy the sounds of the Creek from your Up North Getaway! 1.93 Acres close to all that Lutsen offers! MLS#6094704 $57,500

High Ground above Lake Superior, Bloomquist Mountain area!

MLS#6085097 $39,000 SALE PENDING

NEW! 2160 Cty Rd 7-Gorgeous 5 acres with creek meandering along west border, partial driveway in place. Easy access to Grand Marais, no Covenants!

MLS#6091367 $69,900 SOLD Mature Trees In Town!

Excellent location for your main level living home, tucked in to the trees while being a minute to Sawtooth Mountain Clinic and the YMCA!

MLS#6080711 $80,000 MLS#6080709 $79,000

Coveted County Road 7 Location!

5 acre parcel with creek meandering along the border!

Nice boreal forest, high elevations!

MLS#6086990 $63,000 SALE PENDING

INLAND LAKE LANDS NEW! DEERYARD LAKE: Back to CLARA LAKE IN LUTSEN! the Basics with 2.4 acres and 175ft of shoreline Wilderness Lakeshore Site with cleared on Deeryard Lake! MLS#6090377 build site, driveway in place. Electric at road, 200 ft PRIME shoreline. $169,900 $172,000 SOLD NEW! SUNSHINE ON PIKE LAKE! Prime shoreline on the “Lutsen”

side of Pike Lake. Gentle southern slope to the lakeshore, enjoy wading in to the water from a nice rocky beach area. Only 20 minutes to Lutsen Mountains Ski and Summer Resort.

A must see lake parcel for your future dream home in Lutsen! MLS#6091546

$176,000 SOLD

DEERYARD LAKE GETAWAY!

2.30 acres and 175ft of shoreline!

MLS#6086435 $174,900 SOLD BEST OF THE VILLAGE AT NINEMILE! 1800ft of shared shoreline

MLS#6088357 SALE PENDING WILLARD LANE PIKE LAKE VIEW LAND WITH LAKE ACCESS!

Rugged elevation, great build site. Shared 20 ft access to Pike Lake for

$125,000 MLS#6078799 SOLD CHRISTINE LAKE 10 AC bordering

Superior National Forest, Yr Round Access, electric/broadband avail. Hill top build site overlooking mature white pine, cedar lined shoreline on Christine. Serenity Now!

MLS#6023288 $99,900 SOLD

on Ninemile Lake, great location and sense of privacy! MLS# 6087908 $37,000

MOUNTAIN RESORT HOMES BIG VALUES AT CARIBOU HIGHLANDS, FANTASTIC SUMMER FUN ON THE MOUNTAIN! MOOSE MOUNTAINS VIEWS!

3 bedrm 2 bath Lovely Townhome, TONS OF VALUE at an all time low price of $171,000

MLS#6082462 SALE PENDING

BARGAIN BUY!

120A Bridge Run at Caribou Highlands! Two levels of fun, upstairs bedroom/bunk space. Must See at this price! MLS#6084056 $79,900!

SOLD

124B THE BEST AT CARIBOU

because it is completely updated and has a double deck, gorgeous 1 bedrm condo!

MLS#6032522, SOLD $91,500 WOWSER!

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

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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 1478 CROFTVILLE RD GRAND MARAIS, MN

SOLD



Sweet Bungalow 428 ft of shared Lake Superior. Rental Potential MLS# 6093536 Price: $269,500

9 N BROADWAY GRAND MARAIS, MN

I Love Listings!

Rare. Commercial lot on Broadway.

50 front ft. Over 6600 sq. ft.

MLS# 6087575 Price: $195,000

We have buyers looking for homes



I Love Listings!



34 HUNGRY JACK RD GRAND MARAIS, MN

Saleng Pendi

We have buyers looking for homes



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

We have buyers looking for homes



40X E COYOTE RIDGE GRAND MARAIS, MN

40 Acres. 360 degree view of Cook County. Amazing Lake Superior view.

Price: $400,000 MLS# 6091729

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

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L U T S E N R E A L E S T A T E G R O U P. C O M

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(218) 663-7971 NORTHERN WILDS

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Full views. A fraction of the price.

Bluefin Bay Condos & Townhomes

Own a piece of Minnesota’s Favorite Resort

All units are currently sold. To be notified when something comes available, email eric@bluefinbay.com.

Eric Frost

Sales Agent, Bluefin Bay Family of Resorts Let Eric, exclusive sales agent for Bluefin Bay Family of Resorts, provide the details about each property and guide you through the process. Contact him today to learn more.

New townhomes, total coastal luxury right on the shore of Lake Superior. 3,000 s/f, 3BR, 3BA. Quarter-share ownership w/ flexibility for personal use & rental income. Excellent family retreat or investment property.

Prices from $174K-$215K, includes furnishings.

218-663-6886 | eric@bluefinbay.com

Lynne Luban

BUYING OR SELLING

Over 15 years selling downtown MPLS Condo living.

Currently representing this developers 10th project THE LEGACY. I am available to meet with you in Grand Marais or Minneapolis to go over prices & floor plans.

Cell: 612-599-6986

Call: 218-591-0985 Email: stphn.carlson@gmail.com or Realliving.com/steve.carlson.

Email: lynneluban@mac.com Website: thelegacyminneapolis.com

!

T

White Tail Ridge Rd

10 LEFT

U O

LIVE OUT YOUR LEGACY IN NEW CONDOS IN MILLS DISTRICT

BY THE GUTHRIE! Contact me for a personal viewing of floor plans, photos of construction views and pricing.

D L

2 NEW CONSTRUCTION CONDO BUILDINGS IN DOWNTOWN MINNEAPOLIS

O S

11 Left at Legacy • 1 left at Porltand Tower

A New Luxury Condo Development 740 Portland Avenue • Downtown Minneapolis

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• 17 story New Contsruction • Pet-friendly building • High end standard features • Community and Fully equipped exercise room, and outdoor roof top green space • Climate controlled parking • Just a few blocks from US Bank Stadium • Additional garage stalls available for purchase • Walk the Skyway for all your needs

NORTHERN WILDS

Rocky Wall Rd Lake County, MN Parcel

Lake County, MN Parcel 27-5707-33490

27-5707-33790

27-5707-33730

27-5707-33670

27-5707-33850

27-5707-33910

27-5707-34550

27-5707-34610

27-5707-34490

27-5707-34790

27-5707-34730

26-5700-35550

27-5707-34670

27-5707-34850

27-5707-34910

26-5700-35610

24

19

20

26

25

30

29

35

36

31

27-5707-33860 26-5631-04070 26-5631-04190 26-5631-04030

26-5632-04210 26-5632-04390

26-5607-03310

26-5607-03250

26-5632-04460 26-5632-04160 26-5607-04191

26-5607-04130

26-5607-03070

26-5607-04720

26-5607-02250

26-5635-01030

26-5607-02370

26-5607-02430

3

26-5607-03490

26-5607-03570 26-5607-03510 26-5607-03530 26-5607-03580 26-5607-03553 26-5607-03640 26-5639-00200 26-5607-03677

26-5635-01065

26-5635-00151

26-5635-02030 26-5635-00051

26-5607-02550

26-5607-02490

26-5635-02020

Parcels

Township Rd

Townships Sixteenths

County Forest Rd

Sections

Private

Sixteenth

County Hwy

Private

State Hwy

City-Municipal Rd

CSAH

Townships

County Forest Rd

Sections

0

0.2

0

0.33

0.4 0.65

0.8 mi 1.3 km

Sources: Esri, Airbus DS, USGS, NGA, NASA, CGIAR, N Robinson, NCEAS, Public Viewer

26-5607-03860

1:18,056

1/16/2020, 1:20:46 PM

1:36,112

1/16/2020, 1:15:50 PM

Roads

Online map disclaimer applies to this resource

26-5639-00010

Roads

32

26-5635-01040

26-5607-03560 26-5607-03552 26-5607-03550

26-5607-04790

26-5607-02310

26-5635-01010 26-5607-03430

26-5607-03500

4

26-5607-03020

26-5635-00001

26-5607-04190 26-5607-04205

State Hwy

0

0.1

0

0.15

0.2 0.3

0.4 mi 0.6 km

Sources: Esri, Airbus DS, USGS, NGA, NASA, CGIAR, N Robinson, NCEAS, Public Viewer Online map disclaimer applies to this resource

• Within a few blocks of Lightrail • Close to the Nicollet Mall • Choose from many restaurants close by!

• Walk two blocks to the new 9 arce Commons Park that extends from the US Bank Stadium to Portland Avenue.

• Choose from many available options to customize your unit.

23

This 3.67acre lot is on the ridge above Hwy 1 just north of Silver Bay. Gated entrance must call agent for access.

218-591-0985

Steve Carlson 218-591-0985 stphn.carlson@gmail.com Realliving.com/steve.carlson.

10 acre 660x660 with easement for 20 acre lot to the south On Ridge behind Silver Bay

$57,600

20 acre 660x1320 Views of Lake Superior on the ridge behind Silver Bay $66,700

www.Realliving.com/Messina

CATCHLIGHT

moose I took an early morning drive up the Gunflint Trail and came across this bull moose kneeling on the road licking salt. After watching him for a while, he ambled off into the woods. I drove down a familiar gravel road and waited patiently for him to appear.

I could hear him coming through the snow and, all of a sudden, there he was right in front of me. He stood motionless while I snapped pictures. He didn’t seem to mind my presence.— Katie Mumm NORTHERN WILDS

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Find it all at Buck’s!

Housewares Cleaning Products Gardening • Patio & Grill Paint • Tools • Hardware Plumbing • Electrical Pet Supplies • Animal Feed Fishing & Hunting

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MARCH 2021

Coming in March!

Available in Flat, Eggshell, Satin & Semi-Gloss Finishes Exceptional value and quality Beautify any room in your home Applies easily Leaves a beautiful smooth finish Available in a wide range of color choices No spatter formula.

Low Odor and Low voes

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