West End News

When we were in graduate school we had a friend who could come up with an appropriate saying for any occasion. When life was not going well he would say, "The doctor said that there would be days like this; but he did not say that they would be so close together.”

We have had "days like this" recently, and they have been close together, so once again column deadline came and went with no time to write. Once again improvement is imminent, so there is time for a column.

I cannot remember a Memorial Day weekend that was so favorable weather-wise, fishing-wise, and almost problem-wise. The problem was that many folks did not pay attention to the sun, so some suffered serious sunburns. Sitting in a boat or canoe with the sun shining and the reflection of the ultraviolet light from the water is an invitation for a burn. It amounts to being in a waterborne tanning bed. Not a good thing.

Fishing reports were very favorable. Considering that the temperatures have been very warm, which brought the water temperature up in a hurry, the fishing was excellent. Even inland lake trout were caught in good numbers.

Folks felt pretty good about their lake trout catches until Bear Cihlar of Lutsen reported his witnessed catch of a 35-pound-plus trout. The fish was released and the location is secret, except that the location is "out of the country.”

In just a few days another school year will come to an end. The Birch Grove graduation was followed by the dedication of the beautiful mosaic at Birch Grove School. The themes for the panels were chosen by the students with guidance from adults. The planning and execution of the panels was again done by the students with the help of Kelly Dupre.

There are now three outstanding mosaic installations in the county. One is at the Co-op in Grand Marais, another at the WTIP building in Grand Marais, and now a third one at Birch Grove School.

A few years ago I was contacted by a man who catalogs the locations of very large paintings, both indoor and outdoor. I told him about the walls and trucks with paintings in Grand Marais and also the Birney Quick paintings at the Catholic church and the Grand Marais State Bank. I wonder if there is anyone who does the same thing for mosaics. Most likely there is.

Each year when the photos of the high school graduates are published in the papers I am intrigued by the first names of the graduates, year by year. This year there are many Ambers and Caitlins. How does this flow of first names happen? It is a puzzle.

The message from all parts of the business community is that Memorial Day was busy and profitable. Let's hope that this is a great beginning to an outstanding season.

A couple of weeks ago my child bride, Mary Alice, took a tumble and ended up with a cracked femur. That was disrupting to our regular routine. Lots of things were put on hold, including this column and broadcast.

I can't say that we are back to normal, but life is continuing with a lot of help from our friends and family. Mary Alice is doing well, so there is enough breathing room to write a column.

Let me tell you to never call 911 unless you mean it. Within five minutes of our call we had a deputy sheriff, first responders, EMTs, and an ambulance on duty here at our house. Everyone in the crew obviously knew what to do and how to do it.

Years ago I was a qualified EMT, so I really appreciated the obvious level of training and concern shown by the folks who helped us. Thanks to them, one and all.

I don't know what would be a proper title for Clara Sivertson, who left us recently. Words like "matriarch" and "commercial fishing royalty" come to mind. Clara and Stanley lived near Schroeder when they were first married. They lived what might be called a nomadic lifestyle, moving to Washington Island to fish as soon as the ice went out in the spring and then returning to the mainland at the last possible moment sometime in November.

Clara and Stanley, along with Ted Tofte, had the dream of a commercial fishing museum that would tell the story of commercial fishing and the fishermen and their families. They and a few others were the folks who got the fishing museum on the road, or maybe on the boat.

I remember the impassioned speech that Stanley gave at the ground breaking for the fishing museum at Tofte. He left no doubt in his audience about the contribution of the fisher families to the area. He also left no doubt about the difficulties that the fisher people had in dealing with the governmental agencies.

Clara and Stanley continued to support the museum. Stanley had passed before the opening of the museum; but Clara attended and was given the respect and attention that she so deserved. I noticed in her obituary that her family requests that her memory be honored by donations to the commercial fishing museum. I am sure that pleases Clara.

It is the custom at the museum to honor fishing pioneers with a net cork with an engraved brass plate on the cork. I am sure that Clara will be so honored. No one is more deserving.

It has been just about a year since Priscilla Revier retired from the position of postmaster at the Tofte post office. Priscilla worked for the post office for 34 years. She followed Joyce Krueger into the position of postmaster. These two ladies got the Tofte community absolutely spoiled with the level of service that they provided. They went way beyond the bare duties of the job. The many big and little favors provided by them were just part of the job in their eyes. Besides that, the post office was a community center and, to use fancy language that is now very popular, provided a networking facility for the community.

Even after a year no permanent replacement has been appointed. The community is hoping that Paul Hansen, who is doing the job now, will get the nod. It would be nice to continue the line of locals filling the postmaster position. Local acquaintance and knowledge is a big plus for the community. Keep your fingers crossed.

We have all heard of delayed gratification. Delayed vindication, which is evidence that a decision made long ago turns out to be correct, even commendable, is not often discussed. I experienced delayed vindication recently. This is the story.

In the very early ‘70s Sawbill Outfitters was in dire need of more space. There was no possibility of further remodeling, so the need for a new building was obvious. The question was, what kind of building?

Sawbill is on a Forest Service lease, so we knew that any new building would have to be approved by the Forest Service. Preliminary conversations about what might be approved did not shed any light. The situation was: make a proposal, we will send it up the line, and we will let you know if the proposal flies or not.

I did get nostalgic about the approval that we went through when we built the public shower and laundry building designed by David Quick in 1965. Ed Wood, the Tofte Ranger at the time, drove out to Sawbill, looked at the plans, approved the project on the spot and said that he would write a letter to the Forest Supervisor and would include the plans. About a week later he called and said that everything was OK, but the Duluth office thought that there should be a drain in the laundry room floor. It was clear that the same informality no longer existed in 1975.

We began our research about the kind of building that would suit our purposes, always with one eye on the Forest Service. Eventually we discovered geodesic domes. The dome is quick to build, has loads of interior space, is very strong, comes pre-cut, and is uncomplicated to erect. So we chose a dome, had plans drawn, and approached the Forest Service about approval.

So far as anyone could find out, there was not another geodesic dome on Forest Service property in the nation. So this request really went up the line, all the way to Washington. The response was not enthusiastic. There was concern about appearance. What about resistance to wind loads? How about snow? Etc., etc., etc.

We had a customer who was a very competent structural engineer. He had been good enough to look at the plans before I submitted them and gave an unqualified, but informal OK. When I told him of the concern he wrote a letter stating that the building would withstand sustained winds of 120 miles an hour. Ten feet of snow burden would not cause collapse. He ended by writing that if local conditions ever got close to the limits of the dome everything around the dome would be flattened a long time before. I sent his opinion on to the USFS.

That resulted in a meeting with Forest Service folks at the district and forest level. It was obvious that someone had to make a decision. The conversation boiled down to, "It’s OK with me if everyone else is OK with it". Everyone in the room said that they felt the same way. I told them that I would take that to be a yes, and no one objected. So we built the dome.

Never in the 35 years that the dome has been in use have we ever had conditions anywhere near what caused so much concern. Now comes the vindication. Last week, at the DFL convention Bill Hansen met Denny Johnson, the contractor who built our dome. Denny is still building domes. He had a very current and amazing story to tell.

He has built three domes in Chile over the years. All three of the domes are located in the area devastated by the earthquake. All three of the domes survived the quake with no damage. So, after 35 years, we now know that we were right. Are we pleased? You bet.

We attended a performance of Treasure Island at the Playhouse. We have been to many, many performances at the Playhouse. This presentation has by far the best scenery, the best blocking, the best costumes, and the most consistent performances by the cast of any that we have attended. Just saying "creative" and "excellent" does not cover the performance. Every aspect is superb. We are so fortunate to have this wonderful facility and talented folks in our community. Thanks to the dozens of folks who prepared this treat for all of us.

In the last column I mentioned that someone had said that August was the only month in which it had not snowed in Cook County. I expressed grave doubt that this could be correct. Eleanor Waha, the senior weather observer in years of service in the county, confirmed my opinion. There has been snow in August, lots of it on occasion.

The red flag fire danger has me spooked. Any evidence of careless behavior that might lead to a fire causes increased heart rate. So far all of the warnings that I have heard or read have failed to mention what to my mind is one of the greatest hazards, namely cigarette butts thrown from vehicle windows. This was reinforced when the pile of snow melted along the curb in front of our house. There are dozens of butts on the grass.

I fumed about folks who did not use their ashtrays in their vehicles. Then I realized that our car does not have either an ashtray or a cigarette lighter, but it does have four cup holders. So, if your vehicle does not have an ashtray, put an empty tin can in a cup holder. Please do not throw butts out of the window. Right now I would say that would be criminal behavior.

There are folks who make a lot of noise about doing very little; and than there are folks who do a lot with no noise at all. A good example of the latter is the induction of Jim Hall, of Lutsen, into the National Resource Conservation Hall of Fame. Jim was chosen for this honor because of his commitment to the development of the Laurentian Resource Conservation and Development Council in Duluth.

It is wonderful that Jim's many years of dedication and leadership to this very significant effort have been recognized. Folks like Jim are hard to find.

We had a fascinating e-mail from Art Wright. Art and Helen have many connections to the West End and its vicinity. Art was the engineer who had major responsibility for the design and installation of the telephone systems at the taconite plant and the town of Silver Bay when they were constructed.

Art was a scoutmaster and a youth leader. He brought many scouts and church youth into the BWCAW on canoe trips for a lot of years. His scouts, under the direction of Earl Hansen, the Forest Service ranger at Tofte at the time, built a rustic dam at the upstream end of Baker Lake. This made access to Peterson Lake much easier. This was more than 50 years ago and the dam is still there.

Art and Helen are charter members of the Commercial Fishing Museum at Tofte. At an annual meeting of the museum some years ago Art announced that the sum of their ages exceeded 180. Helen will be 100 on the 18th of May, and Art is not far behind. I am sure that Art is eager to announce that their ages now total more than 200 when that happens.

Art has an even earlier connection to the county. His mother taught at the Maple Hill School in 1904-1905. This was before Art came along. When he was around 12 to 14 years old he spent the summer at Maple Hill. Art learned to swim in the Hedstrom Mill pond, a dammed-up section of the Devil Track River. He was a friend of the entire Hedstrom family, and still stays in touch with Herb Hedstrom.

Another friend of the West End has left us with the passing of Tina Ingram. Tina was another of the one-of-a-kind folks. She never saw a plot of ground that did not need flowers planted. Every organization that she joined enjoyed her enthusiasm and leadership. As she made her way through the community and through life she made a multitude of friends. Tina successfully completed projects that would be daunting for most people. It is impossible to do anything but smile when we remember Tina.

Our heartfelt sympathy to Don and the rest of the family.

We renewed our friendship with Alan Ingram at the service for Tina. Alan was a summer employee for the Forest Service the summer after he graduated from Cook County High, and the next summer as well. He was the employee who took care of the campgrounds for the Tofte district, which included the Sawbill campground, so we got to know him well.

Alan went on to a degree in social work, and then a law degree as well. He has been the CEO of a non-profit for 32 years. It is very hard to know that Alan's tour with the Forest Service was about 40 years ago. Amazing.

As usual the Birch Grove Foundation is zipping along. Due to a new state law prohibiting overlapping boards of directors, two of the foundation board members who also are on the Birch Grove school board left the foundation board. So step forward folks. Two new board members will be welcomed. It could be you. If there ever is a worthy cause the Birch Grove Foundation is it. Jessa at 663 7977 has all the details.

The current ban on fires of any kind is not the first and not the most severe.

I don't remember the year; but very near the end of the canoeing season, because of the severe fire danger, not only the BWCAW but also access to the forest interior was closed. Even driving into the forest was prohibited.

All of a sudden things got very quiet at Sawbill Outfitters. There were no customers. There were still a few folks out in the BWCAW when the edict went into effect. As they completed their trips they rapidly became uneasy when they became aware that they were the only ones around.

We also had a few late season canoeists with reservations so they had to be contacted and called off. They were understanding but not happy.

The closing continued through the fall and into the winter. A serious proposal was made that the ban should continue into the following spring, but that did not happen.

Most outfitters dream of the day that they could take the day off without guilt and go fishing. Unfortunately we were under the same prohibitions as anyone else, so entering the Boundary Waters to fish was impossible. No fishing for us either.

Even though it was technically illegal, we did need to go to town to get the mail and do the usual errands. We were doing great, but one Sunday we went into Grand Marais to church. On the way home we got as far as the intersection of the Grade and the Sawbill Trail. Wayne Smetanka, the ever-vigilant ranger of the Tofte District at the time, was on patrol at that spot as we approached.

I am sure that he was sure that he had caught flagrant violators. He was disappointed when he saw us. Even though there was some complaining about the ban, most folks agreed that caution was the way to go, so violations just did not happen.

All went well, but it was a very tense time. Weather reports that mention lightning are still sure to make me anxious.

At this time only fires are banned. Let's hope for rain so entry is not banned as well.

Bill Hansen looked at the weather records and ice-out records at Sawbill, which now cover 54 years. The ice went out of Sawbill Lake this year one full week earlier than the next earliest ice out. There have been a couple of years when the lakes were still ice bound when fishing season opened. That is more than a month difference between then and now. That is why answering the question "When will the ice go out?" is so tough to answer.

There is still a possibility of another snowstorm. Not much of a possibility, but maybe. I hear that we have had snow every month except August in Cook County. My reaction to that is - take another look at the August records.

The tax helpers will be at Birch Grove just one more Wednesday, April 14, which is just a day before the deadline for turning in your income tax returns. Thanks to all of the volunteers who have helped the folks in the West End with their returns this year. Thanks also to Birch Grove for hosting this program each year.

The official date for submitting your census forms was April 1. I have heard that the census bureau is allowing a grace period until April 15 for mailing in the census forms. After that date the census bureau will start sending out people to make visits to those addresses that have not yet sent in the form by mail.

The census bureau says that it costs less than a dollar to process a form that is mailed in. It costs close to fifty dollars if a census worker has to make a physical visit to get the information. So I encourage folks to mail in the form. If you have misplaced the form, contact the census folks. You can get a duplicate. If you never got a form in the mail by all means contact the census office. This does happen.

By now everyone must know that funding for many government projects depends on census counts, from representation in Congress to road projects. It is in our best interest to get as complete a count as possible. Cook County has been delinquent in returning census forms in previous census counts. Not this time, please.

There is an interesting statistic in the current issue of Range View, the publication of the Arrowhead Regional Development Commission. The statistic is that 90 percent of the businesses in Cook County have four or fewer employees. The number of businesses in our county was not given in the article. What is defined as a business was not given either.

The Minnesota Department of Resources put an embargo on fire permits on Monday, April 5. The US Forest Service adopted the same policy. Until there is significant rain the fire danger needs to be kept in mind all the time. I cannot imagine starting a fire anywhere outdoors as long as these dry conditions persist.

There already has been a wild fire at Isabella which destroyed a residence.

The date of ice out on the inland lakes will be the earliest in recent history. This presents an opportunity for canoeing without bugs, and without crowds. One little glitch is that fishing season is not open, so if you do take advantage of the open lakes, don't be tempted to jump the season.

I remember an incident that happened in our store many years ago. Much the same situation existed, the ice was out a week or so before fishing season started. An out of state customer was purchasing a fishing license. After the license was issued I gave him the book of regulations and mentioned that the season would not be open for another week. He inquired about the number of game wardens in the area. I told him that there was just one. He took a deep breath and then guessed that in the huge BWCAW the odds were very small of ever meeting a game warden.

I agreed with him and then introduced him to Dan Ross, the local warden, who had been standing right next to him the whole time. Dan was not in uniform. He had just come off the lake where he had arrested a beaver poacher. After his conversation with Dan the aspiring fisherman had no doubt that he had met a game warden.

Airdate: April 9, 2010