The Ely miner., 1938-12-22

Dear Sir:
Along with being resident on the
Canadian border in nsrthern Lake
County, Minnesota, and citizen of
these United States, I am also one of
the unfortunate settlers to have estab-
lished my home in the path of the
/ Superior National Forest.
The fact that I established a home
here, for my family, before the BRAIN
child of the numbering industries was
born, We will not discuss.
1 do wish, however, to call your at
tention to the fact that, where I and
several other families live, for six weeks
every fall, when the lakes are freezing
over and for another six weeks in the
spring, during the breakup, our means
of reaching the outside world, by water
or over the ice, is completely cut off.
Every year, for over 35 years, during
this period of isolation, in case of sick
ness or accident requiring medical care
or for getting emergency supplies, we
depended entirely on an old tote road
that was built by the lumber COM
panies. I did lot of hard work on
that old road I dug out rocks, re-
placed bridges as they rotted away, and
graded and graveled some of the worst
places. didn't mind all the hard work
we did in the interest of safety-safety
for the neighbors and my family. 1 al
ways felt that some day, someone
would need that road, and need it
badly, perhaps to save a life.
Early in the month your office, with
an absolute disregard for human life or
the rights and safety of citizens of
these United States, sent caterpillar
tractor and piled huge boulders and
dug up mounds of dirt and gravel on
both ends of that road so it could not
be used.
Why did you do it, Mr.. Director?
Of course can realize, even though
am an Indian, that you who are well
housed and we'll fed and, no doubt.
surrounded with concrete highways
leading to all modern safeguards for
yourself and your family, cannot ap-
preciate how much road could pos
sibly mean, even though it was only
three miles of an old tote road running
through barren, burnt over and logged
area. The statements being continually
sent out by your office that this area
is in its primitive state, untouched by
the complexities of modern civilization"
are absolutely false.
When the lumber companies got
through with this country, even the
woodpeckers had to move out or starve
Within few days after your tractor
blocked our road, some of the neigh
borS got together and made a hole,
big enough to get truck or car
through in case of necessity. Within
few hours after this work was COM
pleted, my twelve year old niece was
taken with acute appendicitis and had
to be moved to hospital for an i'm
mediate operation.
Let us suppose, Mr.. Director, that we
did not know of the work your tractor
did 1--WE were not notifieO and We had
started out in the night with that sick
girl, only to find our road to the
hospital completely blocked.
This all happened right at the time
when the lakes were freezing over and
travel by lake was impossible. She had
only few hours to live unless we could
get her to medical care in hurry
No court would have held you or your
office for murder if this child had died
due to your silly and dictatorial policy
but, Mr.. Director, you and would have
known differently.
Yours truly,
HENRY CHOSA