The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1930-09-26

with some bear and wolves further up
in the Canadian wilderness. On the
train, Monday, I enjoyed very much a
visit with John Frederickson of Tower,
who has had much experience as
guide for canoeing parties. He told
me big fish stories and also admitted
there are days when fish will not bite.
The guides alibi on such occasions Is
"the direction of the wind" or the
'stage of the MOON" he said. He told
of the Siberian wolves that have done
considerable depreciation even to killing
two Indians and a native Swamper.
Some of the wolves measure as much
as 9 feet from tip to tip. He and MIR.
Forgy, my conductor friend, told me
about the Indian reservation located
at Nett lake about 60 miles north of
Tower, Minnesota. At this season they
are harvesting wild rice from some of
the lakes and when that is finished
they will have a big harvest dance
lasting for a week. The Indians also
pick and sell great quantities of blue
berrieS-the very berries, perhaps, that
some of us eat in our BURBERRY pies.
Mr.. FrederickSon remarked that moose
are great animals for water-they eat
lily pads and bulbs. They travel fast
in the water for they can swim at the
rate of eight miles per hour while deer
will not do better than five miles per
hour. According to Mr.. Forgy, Johnny
as he called Mr.. FrederickSon, is also
a good cook and that is an invaluable
aid in a long canoe trip through the
pine lake wilderness. He is now OPP
Grating hamburger stand at Tower.
There are times when it is sure fine
for man to be able to answer in the
affirmative the question, Can you
bake cherry pie, Billy Boy, Billy Boy"
or as I fancy the Arrowhead parody
would go, Can you cook wall-eyed
pike, Billy Boy, Billy Boy?"
"Of course I studied the agriculture
of the country that comes natural to
me. 1t is rocky, hilly country in
tested with quack grass and some
Canada thistles. In this rough terri
tory, the farmers are mostly of Fin
nish descent and in speaking of the
farming in that section, would call
it, 1.-The Finland of America" They
say it is country very much like
Finland, rough and rugged.
Potatoes and hay seem to be their
most dependable crops with small
grain included in their crop list They
had drouth throughout August which
has hurt their potatoes and yet they
seem to have many nice ones, however,
I am quite sure below standard in
yield. In Duluth Monday, I had some
time between trains so I visited the
county agricultural agents Office in
the Court House. While it is 116 miles
from Duluth to Ely, both cities are in
the same county. For st. Louis
County, Minnesota, comprises about
5000 square miles, about 100 miles
north and south and in places more
than 60 miles east and west. The
county government is run by seven
commissioners. They were having a
session Monday and I had the pleasure
of again meeting Jacob Pete, Com
missioner from Ely, whom had met at
the Ely Community Fair Saturday
I found Mr.. Pete deeply interested in
the agricultural welfare of this i'm
mense county They have a farmers
organization known as the st. Louis
County Club and Farm Bureau. Two
county agents serve the county. One
located in the north end of the county
and Mr.. Skull Rutford is the agent at
Duluth.
"At Ely last Saturday night, they
held the Community Fair at the Wash
ington Grade School Auditorium
Quite naturally I attended. There
met many fine people and enjoyed
looking over the exhibits of farm and
garden products. The corn exhibit
was not such as we have in the corn
belt and I saw no corn fields at all
from Duluth to Ely. I was greatly
impressed with the display of art, for
the most part paintings made by home
artists and most of the paintings
represented scenes near Ely-along the
streams, lakes or rapids settings
for the artist. I met Mr.. F. j. Lind
gren, the genial superintendent of the
fair; DR.. j. E. Thompson, city veter-
marian, graduate of Ohio Agricultural
College, and Mrs. Thompson; Jacob
Pete, county commissioner; Peter
Schaefer, editor of the Ely Miner the
weekly newspaper serving that section;
Geo. Somero, assistant cashier of the
First National Bank and secretary of
the Community Fair; A. E. Berglund,
exhibitor of potatoes, who by the way,
has son teaching vocational training
work in Winnetka schools just north
OF Chicago; Mrs. George Anderson,
superintendent of womenS depart
ment, and this was one of the out
standing features of the fair: William
Mitchell, vice president of the fair;
w. j. Nudge, the treasurer; DR.. New
CORD, president of the Ely Commercial
Club, and many others, all hospitable,
fine folks. Downtown, I met Tom
Miller the grocer, and Mr.. Laing, who
operates hardware store, both Scotch,
originally from Canada and, of course,
proud of their Scotch. I am indebted
to these gentlemen for kindly aid in
getting QUILTED suddenly with groc-
cries and radio for the cabin. So you
see, I'm still being checked in my pro-
grams by the best help man can
have. am sure she is listening in
and though far, far away, I am
stepping right into her little white
pine log cabin up there, nearly 600
miles to the north on the shore of the
beautiful White Iron lake-one of the
jewellers in the genial Bill Burley'S
Colony at Burley Park, about miles
south OF Ely-out where the twilight
fingers longer and the moonbeams
beam brighter, where clear waters
gently lap the sandy shore, decked with
pines and bright red fruited mountain
ash. 1t is what some call "the land
of hush," and it may be where the
wilderness begins, but to me it is the
most beautiful playground in the heart
OF nature-and at present my heart is
there.
$50, Howdy, Ely, Minnesota, Howdy,
everyone especially one. God bless
you all and your rugged country with
all its magnificent beauty and invigor-
ating, health giving climate.
I'm fancy I have had another visit
on the Vernilion Range. Again
have enjoyed the wonderful hospitality
of the splendid cultured citizens of
Ely, Minnesota, and may I say I have
enjoyed most of all my visit to the