Boots” Nelson relates his boyhood  experiences on Lake Kabetogama.   Rich  with  humorous and revealing  anecdotes about skinning bear and talking toilets, and how many beers does it take to  get help  moving an old red painted saloon piano into the cabin.   What do you do with a floating island that land on your shore?   The legendary bars, Barnie and Oscar’s,  run  by two women and the  Nightingale  with its rich history of mischief and mayhem.   Boots is a great source of stories about spending his boyhood summers at the cabin built by grandfather and father and maintained to this day by Boots and his wife, Marcia.  He shares his perspective on physical, economic and cultural changes that have had an effect on the area and its people.    Boots is a very talented man, a man who made a career in advertising.  

Contact: Boots Nelson Minnetonka, Minnesota  (Summer resident of Lake Kabetogama

 Phone: (952)933-7854

 Thor Herseth is a man whose father built the first resort on Lake Kabetogama .   Thor can share stories about the first non-Native American citizens in the area,  stories of the prohibition  days  and tales of exploding homemade liquor stills in these woods.   What was it like when visitors to the area had to ride the train from Orr, Minnesota, north eight miles t and then back track the eight miles on a primitive dirt road to reach the lake?  He can share his many stories with enthusiasm a great detail including his experience as a young  firefighter  and a lad who made extra cash hauling buckets of water for fires  and earning a  nickel to get the church warmed up before service.    What was life like when the closest sheriff lived in  Orr and there was no road from Orr to the area?    Thor and his son, Lee, continue to run the Tomahawk Resort that was started by his father, a Norwegian immigrant with an Olympic silver medal in rowing.   

Contact: Thor Herseth  Kabetogama Lake, Minnesota

 Phone: (218)875-2507

 Mike Williams is a descendent of the early owners of Kettle Falls Hotel.   The Kettle Falls Hotel’s  history  is well documented in books, videos and pamphlets.   However, as a young man growing into adulthood on the property, Mike has priceless memories to share of people and events  not published  in  these  pieces.    He will share  tales that will make one wonder how anyone survived  the  somewhat harsh realities of living in one of the most remote areas  of northern Minnesota in the early day of logging and throughout the hotel’s history as a departure point in the lives of its guests and other visitors.  Be sure to ask about the bear that frequented the outhouse, and on one occasion as it was occupied by a citizen of the hotel.

Contact:  Mike Williams  International Falls, Minnesota

Phone: 218-286-3591

On April 8, 1975, Voyageurs National Park was authorized as the nation’s 36th national park. This year marks the park’s 35^th anniversary. Throughout the year the park and its partners are remembering the past and celebrating the future with an array of 35 special activities available to the public. These activities are for all ages and encourage visitors to come and experience Voyageurs National Park. 

Contact: Tawnya Schoewe – tawnya_schoewe@nps.gov   (218) 283-6670 

More Great Story Ideas

The Talking Rocks of Voyageurs

The rocks of Voyageurs National Park tell amazing stories that stretch across time. The rocks tell of continent building and movement, mountain rising, ice ages and soil formation. One of the reasons Voyageurs National Park was established was because of the amazing geological features. 

In 1975, Voyageurs National Park was established “to preserve, for the inspiration and enjoyment of future generations, the outstanding scenery, geological conditions, and the waterway system which constituted part of the historic route of the Voyageurs who contributed significantly to the opening of the northwestern United States.” 

 The rocks of Voyageurs National Park are dated to be about half as old as the planet.  Nowhere else in North American parks can you see and touch extensive exposures of rocks this old.  The rocks of Voyageurs were created in the Precambrian Era, and are part of the Canadian Shield.  They are older than the schist at the bottom of the Grand Canyon. 

Visit Voyageurs National Park to see the story of gold and mica mining and hear the story of volcanoes erupting and the shifting of fault lines. We think you also will be amazed at the small amount of soil that supports the vast amount of life in this national park.  Park contact information:  Steve_Windels@nps.gov

Woodenfrog

 Who Was Chief Wooden Frog?  How did the campground and the islands on the western end of Kabetogama Lake get the name Wooden Frog?  Who was Chief Wooden Frog?  From about 1736 to 1941, four bands of the Bois Forte Ojibwe Indians made their homes in what is now Voyageurs National Park. Bois Forte is French for “strong wood,” or in the language of the Ojibwe, Sug-waun-dug-ah-win-e-wug, which translates as “men of the thick fir woods,” referring to the dense forests of northern Minnesota.

The John Woodenfrog family lived on what became known as Chief Wooden Frog’s Islands on Kabetogama Lake until about 1930. The islands are named for either John Woodenfrog or his father Jim Woodenfrog, or Me tigo mah kah keence, which translates as Tree Frog or Wood Frog. The Woodenfrogs were some of the last of the Ojibwe Indians to leave the area as children were being forced to attend school on the reservation established at Nett Lake.  Today, many descendents of families who once lived in the park now live on the Bois Forte Reservation at Nett Lake or in communities surrounding the park.  Park contact information:  Mary_Graves@nps.gov

 Prehistoric Fish, Oh My!

Voyageurs is home to one of the world’s oldest fish species- the Lake Sturgeon.  Lake Sturgeon can live to be more than 100 years old and do look prehistoric.  At first glance one may not believe the size of these fish but it is true they can grow to be more than 150 pounds!

The Ojibwe fished for sturgeon, years before Kettle Falls was built, as a staple in their food supply.  Over the years sturgeon have become a favorite of people as caviar. 

Today, the population of Lake Sturgeon in the park is stable, but threats to this living fossil persist.  A recent study was initiated by the National Park Service and partner agencies to study Lake Sturgeon in the Namakan Reservoir on both sides of the U.S.-Canada border.  Movements and spawning behavior of sturgeon are being monitoring with state-of-the-art technology to aid in conservation of this amazing animal.  To learn more about this research contact Steve_Windels@nps.gov

 A Demand for Hats

The waterways of Voyageurs National Park include one of the most important segments of a 3,000-mile fur trade route of the late 18^th and early 19^th centuries. The driving force behind the fur trade was a demand for hats—beaver hats desired by fashionable Europeans. When beaver could no longer be found in Europe, the demand shifted to North America.

As the fur trade expanded westward, it relied on the voyageurs, or French-Canadian canoemen, to muscle trade goods and furs between Montreal and the Canadian northwest.  Voyageur is a French word for “traveler.”

As a rule, the voyageurs are of French extraction, descendants of the trappers and traders of the old fur-companies, though by long intermarriage the blood of four nationalities mingles in their veins. Their grandfathers have been French-Canadians, their grandmothers Crow, English, and Cree, and Ojibway … Read more by H.M. Robinson, “A Voyage with the Voyageurs,” 1878

The lakes of Voyageurs National Park became a strategic relay and supply point along the fur trade route.  The route of the voyageurs shaped the international boundary and the legacy of the voyageurs inspired the naming of this national park.  Park contact information:  Mary_Graves@nps.gov

 The Story of I.W. Stevens

 Ingvald Walter Stevens was born in Vang, Valdres Norway in 1885 and immigrated to the U.S. at age 19.  In 1932 he purchased a 400-acre island in what is now Voyageurs National Park.  “Steve,” as he became known, lived alone year round on the island for nearly fifty years and became a symbol of self-sufficiency and independence.

I love solitude, I love the wilderness, I love the wildlife. I do not like crowds. I do not like the city, where even the snow is dirty. I like my own company. I don’t want to live if I can’t take care of myself.

 He heated his cabin with wood, grew his own vegetables, ground wheat and baked his own bread, read by gaslight, hauled water from the lake, in the winter chopping through thick ice. Civilization was 16 miles by boat or 4 miles on skis. An Associated Press article in 1977 made him a celebrity for awhile. A prolific writer, Stevens answered letters, wrote articles for outdoor magazines and kept a daily diary.  He left Namakan Lake in 1979 at the age of 94 and lived to be 104. Park contact information:  Mary_graves@nps.gov

 Voyageurs Watershed

Voyageurs National Park lies in the 14,900-square-mile Rainy Lake basin which forms the headwaters of the Winnipeg River, which flows into Hudson Bay.  This basin includes three watersheds that contribute to the park:  the Rainy Lake headwaters, Vermilion Lake, and Rainy Lake.  About 70% of the basin lies within Ontario and 30% in Minnesota. 

Lake levels in the park’s four largest lakes are controlled by a dam crossing the international border at Fort Frances and International Falls, as well as by small dams at Kettle Falls and Squirrel Falls on Namakan Lake.  Rainy Lake is controlled separately from the Namakan Reservoir, which is composed of Kabetogama, Namakan, Sand Point, Crane, and Little Vermilion Lakes.  The Namakan River, which enters Namakan Lake from the east, is the largest source of flow to the park. 

The direction of flow through the four main lakes in the park (Rainy, Kabetogama, Namakan, and Sand Point) is northwesterly.  Water leaving Rainy Lake flows to Rainy River then to Lake of the Woods, which in turns flows to the Hudson Bay via the Winnipeg River.  Park Contact information: Ryan_Maki@nps.gov

 Amazing Flora and Fauna

 Have you ever walked through a forest mixed with golden colored tamarack or under a canopy of aspens and maples displaying an amazing array of red, gold and yellow leaves?  Have you ever followed the smell of pine scents as you walk along rock covered ridges all while a fox scurries by and you spot signs of wolves along a trail?  That is just some of what lies within Voyageurs National Park.

 The park lies in a transition zone between the boreal forests to the north and deciduous forests to the south.  Nearly 700 species of plants have been identified within the park.  Boreal forest species are most abundant, occupying about 70% of the park.  Quaking aspen dominates with other species including birch, pines, spruces and balsam fir. 

Within this abundant diversity of the northern forest, wildlife abounds.  Many characteristic of the north woods are found here including moose, white-tailed deer, gray wolves, fox, coyotes, lynx, bobcats, black bears, ravens, and common loons.  A host of other animals can be found such as bald eagles, beavers, river otters, red squirrels, and small rodents.  Voyageurs also hosts more than 240 bird species who either live in or migrate through the park.  Park Contact:  Steve_Windels@nps.gov

Not a Sneeze on the Border!

Many centuries ago, Kettle Falls was a main artery of the travel route along the wilderness border region.  Native peoples gathered, hunted, and speared sturgeon at the falls, voyageurs paddled and portaged through the area carrying their goods and furs, and prospectors travelled to the picturesque stopping place on their way to the Rainy Lake gold mines. 

Around the time construction of the dams at Kettle Falls began in 1910, the Kettle Falls Hotel was built.  The stonecutters and masons who built the dams were early patrons of the hotel, followed by lumberjacks, commercial fisherman, trappers, and traders.  When the logging era came to an end and commercial fishing declined, tourism became the major industry and sports fishermen and families came to Kettle Falls.

In advertisements from the 1930s, the Kettle Falls Hotel was a “Hay Fever Victims Sanctuary” where sufferers found relief due to the purity of sun-washed pine scented air and there was “not a sneeze on the border”.  Located on the Minnesota – Canadian boundary at the eastern edge of the Kabetogama Peninsula, the historic hotel is still a destination of fishing enthusiasts and families and the air is still pine scented and pure. Park contact information:  Catherine_Crawdford@nsp.gov

Logging in the Kabetogama/Ash River area

This wooded area was rich in pine, spruce in abundance long before loggers and settlers ventured to it. In the 1880’s the area was surveyed and sold off to lumbermen as highly valued property. Timber rights for Cutover Is land on Lake Kabetogama were sold for $230,000 in 1899. Lumber Companies stored supplies at Ash River. Lumbering died off when the forests were cut and land was generally sold off to pay delinquent taxes. Though the large lumber camps of the past no longer exist, the logging and paper processing industry is still a dominant occupation along with resort tourism in this area.

Most homes were built of milled lumber which had to be hauled from Ray by horse and wagon and the lumber was sawed by hand. Some old log structures remain today including the lodges at Arrowhead Resort, Ash River Visitor Center and Northern Lights resort. Some of the older cabins in the area have log walls covered with modern siding. A few cabins from the late 40’s and early 50’s remain intact as full log structures.

Early Settlers in the Area

The railroad came to Ray, eight miles north of Kabetogama, in 1907. Most settler came by train or by water via Vermillion or through Gold Portage a narrow pathway between Rainy and Kabetogama Lakes. Homesteaders were mostly of Finnish nationality. They were required to build and live on the land within three years of acquiring it. The names of the fist area homesteaders are among those of current residents in the Kabetogama/Ash River areas.

Farming was difficult because of the harsh winters, low, rocky soil and short growing season. Root cellars were maintained to preserve food. Social life was robust and dances at different family farms and sharing of meals and sewing and darning gatherings filled the evenings.

www.kabetogamahistory.org

Early Resort Life on Kabetogama.

Deer Horn Resort was built in 1938 by early Finnish log builders noted in this area for their unique style of log work. Overgrown with trees and brush , it was a challenge to groom the area and prepare it for the summer pleasure of guests. Patricia Hammalainen, whose parents ran the resort in the 40’s,  relates her experiences as a young woman responsible for helping family to succeed in the summer resort business. What were the unique challenges and experiences of this resort family? Find out what unique things they did for fun on the lake in those early resort days.

Contact Pat Hammainen (218) 283-2107 or See her story and pictures of early resort life the Kabetogama Historical Society website

Kabetogama/Ash River Oral History Project

The Voygeur Country Oral History Project is a community history venture involving partners from Ash River, Kabetogama and Voyaguer National Park and includes adjacent areas of Crane and Rainy Lakes. Its mission is capture and preserve the cultural history that links Voyageurs National Park and surrounding communities. Oral interviews conducted by a small group of community members have yielded rich and vibrant stories of earlier times including early resorts, logging, fishing and survival in challenging times. The Kabetogama Historical website :

Among the participants in this project are longtime residents whose ancestors were among the fist resort or summer cabin owners in the area. Their taped interviews reveal stories of bravery, risk taking and sometimes comedic debauchery. Boots whose parents honeymooned here in the 30’s and later bought and maintained a cabin on state leased land has many stories to tell of spending his boyhood here and experiencing many political and cultural changes in the area. He is willing to share insightful and often humorous interpretations of life in this beautiful country that is still his summer home. Nelson

Thor Herseth and Alan Burchell

are among the many former resort owners whose taped interviews provide information on early resort life and unique conditions in the area. These interviewees and others are willing to share their stories For more stories from these long time residents of the area contact:

www.kabetogamahistory.org provides information one of the earliest resort operations in the area and information.

Boots Nelson (952-933-6854)

Alan and Miriam Burchell (218) 875-3126

Thor Herseth (218) 875-2507

Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory, which manages the project, will generate a beam of neutrinos to send to the 15,000-ton detector at the new Ash River facility. The particles will complete the interstate trip in less than a second. Scientists will study changes that the particles undergo as they travel.

The $278 million NOvA project is funded by the Office of Science of the U.S. Department of Energy and Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory. The NOvA experiment will be operated by the University of Minnesota School of Physics and Astronomy at Ash River. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act provided $40.1 million to the project. 

For more information, contact Bill Miller via e-mail at Miller@soudan.umn.edu  or (218) 753-6611 or visit our website at http://www-nova.fnal.gov/fermilab_nova.pdf

 A retired airline pilot first honeymooned here 46 years ago and has returned with his family for the past 23 years staying at different resorts on Kabetogama.   His grandchildren experience great blueberry picking and love to play Bingo at the Community Hall.  “It’s a time for our family to relax and experience simple pleasures”.

A teacher comes to the lake as soon as the kids leave in June each year and sometimes brings along relatives from Norway to experience the beauty and hospitality of her resort of choice.   

A mine worker from nearby Iron Range parks his RV each year at his favorite resort spot hoping to catch his prize fish and unite with old friends staying there.

A second grade child posts her story of a visit to Lake Kabetogama and her trip to Ash River to see the waterfall and fish on the dock.   She can’t wait for next summer to get back to the lake to meet new friends.

“It’s not always a slam dunk to catch a fish in that lake.   You need to develop a feel for the lake, and it’s a bold challenge.  That’s the fun of it”, says a 70 year old returning each year to the same resort cabin with old high school buddies to fish and remember old times spent at the lake.

Whether you are seeking a quaint honeymoon cabin overlooking the lake, a rustic lodge for a family group complete with beach and organized activities, more modern cabins to gather with fishing buddies or a houseboat for exploring the lake and river, the resorts of Kabetogama/Ash River offer it all!    Cabins, lodges, houseboats, RV and tent camping facilities along the shorelines of these areas offer access to 218,000 acres of natural wonder with intriguing islands and rock formations and hiking trails to smaller interior lakes.  

Contact:  cjbryantbush@gmail.com

Testimonial contacts:

• Dr. and Mrs. Pablo Avendano (cavendan@msn.com)   (763-226-0524)
• Pat and Bev Watson (pbwats@gmail.com)  (507-789-6713) (858-272-9760)
• Terye and Mary Brandhaug            (mbrandshaug@wayzata.mn.us) (763-5595248)
• Perry Grillo (218) 2624258
• Rebecca O’Toole (763-5190003)

 Vacationers may choose to relax with a good book or explore the islands and interior lakes and primitive forests that are part of the only water dominated national park in our country.   Local guides and other marine services are readily available to make your fishing trip or relaxing outing a successful one.  Fee use of Voyageurs National Park boats and canoes is available on most interior lakes accessible by maintained hiking trails.

The Voyageur National Park Visitor Centers at Kabetogama and Ash River offer educational programs and materials and maintain a schedule of summer activities for the whole family.   Eagle nesting areas, a historic rock garden, a variety of waterfowl including pelican, osprey and the highest diversity of neotropical warblers north of Mexico can be experienced here.    A variety of focused boat tours bring the natural and cultural history of the area alive and strengthen awareness of the need to preserve its beauty and resources.

 For more information: Mel Carlson  www.kabetogama.com   (800-5249085)

Carl and Linda Muggli’s unique totem poles can be found in many local homes and businesses.   The giant totems at the entrance to Jim’s Ash Trail Service Station and at the side entrance to the Gateway Store are examples of their specialized and thoughtful design and exquisite carving.     These artists, using mostly local pine and cedar, have distinguished themselves as” keepers of the flame”, carrying on the tradition and spirit of this Native American art form. Anyone visiting their workshop can easily note the passion that drives the skill and artistry of this couple.   It is their life’s work.   

They began their enterprise in 1990 and have since been commissioned to design and carve totem poles for special purposes throughout the world.   Their totem poles can be found in England, Russia, France, Spain, and Canada and throughout the USA.   They were chosen to carve a totem pole for the Princess Diana Memorial Children’s Park in London, and recently for the Veteran’s Hospital outside of Boston honoring Native Americans who served in US wars.   They proudly shared this special honor with the community before personally delivering their totem pole to the site last July.  The Muggli’s are never idle.  They just finished delivering a 20 foot totem to Seebrook , Texas to be housed next to the Nasa Space Center and nine totem poles commissioned by Target Corp. to honor athletes sponsored by Target in the Winter games in Aspen.

Anyone who observes them in their workshop can sense that Carl and Linda share a special bond that is transcendent in their completed works of art.   Their workshop and surrounding property demonstrate respect and reverence for the earth and what it offers to those who seek fulfillment through creativity and love.

More information on the Muggli’s and their work can be found on the website:  www.totempoles.net

To tour their workplace, email:  muggli@totempoles.net  or call (218) 875-2906.

  Herman Melheim, a local master woodcarver and devoted area citizen made his mark in the area by creating carved masterpieces from the pine and cedar forests.   Mr. Melheim retired in this area in 1933 and built the charming and unique log structure that stands today in the peaceful forest area.   His log craftsmanship demonstrates a unique form of hand-fitted and grooved log construction that resulted in a weatherproofed house with no need for chinking as most modern log home require.   He built all of the furniture using simple tools and the white pine and aspen available in the surrounding forest.   His furniture design included ornate carvings with utilitarian features. 

As one of his many contributions to the Kabetogama community, he carved the pulpit, baptismal font and other elaborate pieces for the Kabetogama United Methodist Church.  These ornate and precious creations   continue to be of use in the church.  One of Herman Melheim’s specialties was exquisitely carved grandfather clocks.   An 8 foot 10 inch clock carved from a single pine log with a pocket knife was featured in Ripley’s  “Believe It Or Not”,   circulated  throughout the country in the 30’s,40’s and 50’s.  

Herman Melheim continued to carve until he passed away in 1980 at the age of 98 at an area nursing home.    His family contributed much of his work to the Minnesota Historical Society at Duluth.  It is on permanent display at the Depot in Duluth.  One of his clocks is on display the Norwegian American Museum in Decorah, IA. 

Barb Corvera and her family own the original Melheim log home and proudly honor its history and artistry by maintaining the property with its original spirit.  For more information about this unique citizen and his passion for carving, contact:

 Jean Reichow (218) 875-2804            or Carol Bryant (218) 875-2510

To be an enjoyable sport for everyone, fishing should be easy and fun.   Though expert anglers often make the sport complicated with special gear and equipment, fishing can be enjoyed by folks of all ages using uncomplicated stuff.    

Some “old timers” in this area say that the best way to catch a walleye is with medium –action spinning gear or light action plug casting tackle. Others maintain that “Big lures take big fish”.   How to retrieve your lured walleye, bass, northern pike or muskie is information  that the experienced angler sometimes keeps secret or shares over coffee at local hangouts. 

Whether you’re  angling for the feisty crappie or the pugnacious walleye, muskie or northern pike in the Kabetogama  and Ash River  waterways,  you  can learn more about the where and how to from these  experienced  folks  who have fished the area in all seasons.    For more information on sport fishing in the Kabetogama and Ash River waters, contact:

Phil Hart:   gatewayamoco@citlink.net

Tim Watson:  fishkab@citlink.net