Askov American. [volume] (Askov, Pine County, Minn.) 1914-current, 1935-01-17
And the Big One
Didn't Get AWau
WILLOW River Man Describes Fish
ing Trip Into the North
Country.
BY r. T. ADDINGTON

By r. T. ADDINGTON
Our party consisted of DR.. Ed Car
ter, his girl friend, Selma Blazer,
William LaF'roth of Duluth, my niece.
Alice Erickson of Grantsburg, Wis,
and myself.
We left Duluth in the morning of
August IL, at five O'Clock a. M, all
in one car with an IS foot canoe on
top, 9x12 tent, bedding and commits
sary variously distributed in and on
the car. Arrived at Two Harbors, q
miles from Duluth about a. m, and
halted for breakfast, which was rel
ished and greatly enjoyed. Loaded
into the car again we began the long
drive for Grand Marias on Federal
highway No. 81. Talk about natural
scenery, this drive of lis miles from
Duluth, l will venture to say is I'M
surpassed by any other of like dis
lance in the United States, or any
other country. The waterfalls, of
which there are many along this route
were not at their best as drouth con-
|
father of lakes was at it's best as
there was very little wind, and the
atmosphere was perfectly clear. We
could see lake steamers plying the
dark green waters for miles and
miles.
Arrived at Grand Marias about
1880 a. M, filled the gas tank and
crank case, also limbering up our
somewhat cramped limbs to some ex-
tent, as we had So miles of the Gun
flint trail yet ahead of us, with gas
stations and other modern conven-
fences few and far between. This
trail had been graded and graveled
but the rest Of it was very winding;
not the usual right and left turns,
but up and down. The only thing
that kept the hind end of the car
from catapulting over the front end
was the drivers foresight in negoti-
ating these razorbacks at reduced
speed.
A Winding Trail.
The only inhabitants we found, aft
err getting a few miles out of Grand
Marias, was three CCC camps, and
two or three resorts. Well, we got
to within about half a mile of the
end of the trail without a mishap,
but in crossing a small stream on a
corduroy that had been planked for
the car wheels, with a sudden drop
near the end, the set screw that held
the luggage carrier to the running
board caught on something, swapping
it off and spilled our dunage on the
ground by the roadside. We got it to-
gether again, tied it on and proceeded
slowly to Ching-wauk lodge, which
marks the end of the Gun-flint trail.
This resort is owned by Art Nunstad.
thine about 1870 p. n.y. Here, after
getting sandwich and cup Of coffee,
we began to encounter real grief. We
yet had six miles of canoe road to
negotiate through narrows and small
lakes, to reach an island in lake Sag
anaga, which was our destination.
Bill thought the canoe would carry
the whole fit, so we unloaded it
and put it in the water and carried
the dunage down and loaded that in,
then Alice and Selma got in, Bob
Chats me) got in the front end to
paddle; Bill got In the hind end to
pilot the outfit, but Doc was still on
the dock, and there was only about
three inches of the canoe above water
(Doc only weighs 215 pounds.
Alice says, nothing doing, Selma
says Doc will have to walk, l says it
is dangerous. the resort man says
it's too risky. and Bill says, Il guess
we will have to make two trips" and
what Bill says goes, so we unloaded
Selma and some Of the dunage, but
kept the tent and camping outfit. ard
Bill. Alice and l started, and reached
the Island o. X.
Pitch Camp.
Alice and l carried the tent, poles
and other stuff up the rocky shore
to the campsight and began setting
up the tent. Bill started back after
Doc and Selma, and about six o'clock
came back. Alice and had the tent
up and camp pretty we'll organized
We had considerable difficulty driv-
ing the stakes on account of the rocks
(that country is nothing but ledge
of stone.) Bill said he and Alice
would make supper and Doc and
Selma would get breakfast next morn
ing This program was agreeable and
carried out and it was. not long be-
fore Alice said take it." and to say
we were hungry was not half the
story. We were ravenous.
Fishing Begins.
After supper, Bill, Alice and l went
out to try out our tackle, which con-
sisted Of 300 feet of flexible copper
line, wound on a homemade single
action reel the core of which was
about two inches in diameter. Fol
lure we used a spoon wobbler about
six inches long with gang of three
hooks at the end. similar to the
'Pfluger Taffe minnow." and II
worked fine.