The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1926-05-28

menace doesn't hold much water in |
the hight of facts presented during |
the last week. The probable solu- |
ton of the fire problem in the |
spring will be to set back the OPEN
ing of the fishing season until about
June first, when the spring rains
will have started the growth of
grass and brush, and law making
the presence of an open fire at all,
punishable by fine. Clarence
Hillmang in the Two Harbors
Chronicle.
Editor Hillman is quite right. We
have always found the average tour
list very considerable regarding fire.
The coffee cooker is thousand
times worse. Where one fire starts
along a road frequented by cars,
hundred will start in out of the
way sections of the forest where
only canoe and packsack can pene-
trate. This being the case, some
method must be devised for reach
ing fires and a road is the best bet.
Out of eight fires reported two
weeks ago Monday morning, only
one was near enough to a road to
be charged to an auto tourist and
it is our opinion that some fish fry
err started that 1t is our candid
belieI that unless main trunk trails
and roads are constructed into the
| Superior National Forest for quick
| transportation of fire crews and sup
plies, that some day we will wake
| up to the fact that we will have no
| forest, only miles of waste land and
barren, rocky shores to our lakes.
| Either that or fishermen must be
suppressed from fishing grounds in
out of the way places.
| There is yet still another angle to
the road subject. Thousands of
families are composed of father,
/ mother, several children and fiiv-
yer. These people also have a
right to the great outdoors of this
country. 1t must also be admitted,
that without a road none of these
can take advantage of the oppor-
tunities offered. 1t takes time and
fair amount of cash to make an
extended canoe trip into the forest.
With a main road into the woods
canoe trips conforming to the time
and cash of the tourist could be
arranged. The opponents of roads
make the claim that the Superior
National Forest is strictly canoe
country with no need of roads and
are blocking the building of the
same. The Forest officials, upon
whom devolves the task of admins
tering the affairs of the area under
their supervision, claim they must
have trunk roads or trails to salts
factorily do so. Cook County com
missioners have taken the anti-roaG
bull by the horns and have built g
highway to Gunfiint lake, making
accessible some twenty or more
lakes to the short-time fisherman
camper and tourist. The Eve lake
road should be completed to connect
with the Gunfiint road and thus afforl
egress and ingress to countless acre:
and hundreds of lakes. With the
completion of this road, there still
would be 100 miles or more un
broken wilderness north of this mar
row ribbon reached by the road anG
80 or more miles south in which
the canoeist can lose himself fol
days, weeks, or months. We adver
tise for tourists and then close of
the larger part of the country tt
their use. This is not consistent
We believe in the old adage of ''th'
, greatest good for the greatest mum
Der" and cannot see why people il
, Chicago or Cleveland should govern
, the conduct of the people of Min
nesota or establish policies for tn
forestry officials. These self-stylet
and self-appointed guardians of tn
forest are misled and a visit her
would change their attitude. Com
and see us and let us talk to on
| another Inv hand