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What if you could go back to
time and observe people living sensibly with nature without
electricity, running water, and telephones?
What if you could
 authentically experience and inter-act with and island folk
that have experienced "boat day" for over 6 generations? What if you
could understand
the lifestyle, culture and feeling of a place going back to a bygone era,
learning about the traditions, heritage and culture passed on over the generations?
Would you consider this a cultural landscape worth preserving?
Isle Royale is such a place you can experience and question this culture
and history, along with the well known wilderness. Just a few of the
families that once inhabited Isle Royale still call the island home.
 We
have founded the Isle Royale Families and Friends Association, a
501(c)(3) organization. We are open to membership to all those committed
to maintaining our feeling of place that existed in the early 20th
century, which was the height of the Fishing/Resort era of Isle Royale.
Working in partnership with the National Park Service, our members
provide Interpretive Programs, Tours of historic cultural sites, and the
maintenance of Island buildings that qualify for the National Historic
Register. Our efforts are designed promote and maintain the natural
wonders of the Isle Royale wilderness, and at the same time to tell
the authentic story of those who came to Isle Royale over 100 years ago.
In the space of Isle Royale's history, our time on the island has been
short, nonetheless, families representing the commercial fisherman,
miners, hotel owners and cottage folks, provide an authentic link to the
rich era on Isle Royale.
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Family Archives
Picture from the Northeast Minnesota Historical Center
I recently had the pleasure of meeting
Patricia Maus the Curator of the Northeast Minnesota Historical Center
to look over the archive on Isle Royale and to contribute some
documents on my great-grandfather. Patricia has been the curator for
over 30 years as I understand it. I found her to incredibly
knowledgeable and informative about the history of this region. I
believe our organization has an opportunity to work with the NMHC in
order to provide relevant enhancements to their Isle Royale achieve.
Please consider looking at your pictures, diaries and letters for things
of historical and cultural value and consider donating them to NMHC. If
you have any questions or want ideas about what you have, I know
Patricia would be happy to provide guidance.
http://www.d.umn.edu/lib/nemhc/
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