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In the last of the 40s I came down the Old Gunflint, 4th Avenue West [Creechville], by what now is the ball field there was a Beechcraft Bonanza. A single engine, 4-place airplane was taking off headed west to come over the road I was on, so I stopped to watch. I could see that he wasn’t going to make it. He was going way too slow. The engine was wide open and really roaring. They lifted over the road, nose up and tail hanging down and plopped onto the ground a couple hundred feet from the Gunflint, bounced up and hit on the shoulder of the Gunflint. I drove around to see if I could help, but by the time I got there, there were some men there helping the gentlemen out.
One fellow said, “For God’s sake don’t light a cigarette.” There was gasoline all over. The crash had ruptured the wing fuel tanks. Art Porter of Porter Electric in Lutsen was the pilot. He was hurt real bad. Pat Bayle, the sheriff at the time, was in the front during the spring 1948 crash with Mr. Porter. John Henry Eliasen, the county attorney, was in back with Dr. Smith. Dr. Smith and Henry Eliasen weren’t hurt too badly. Doc Smith told years later that he suffered a concussion. I don’t think Henry Eliasen was hurt. Pat Bayle finally died from the aftermath of the accident [CCNH indicated he had “severe head injuries and fractured ribs.” Bayle died in 1951.
The old airport was 38 feet lower at the east end than at the west. So they were going uphill and the field was muddy. They could have been going into the wind, but it sure didn’t help. I asked Doe Smith long afterward if he took another airplane ride. He said yes, but not with Porter. At the time, the hospital and fire hall were not there. That was not a good place for an airport.
All the men were big, I bet they all were around 250 lbs. each. Mr. Porter spent quite a while in the hospital in Duluth. Around that time the REA bought out his company in Lutsen. And it became Lutsen Light and Power. I may be the last living witness to the accident; I have no idea who the people were that helped. We pushed the wreck off the Gunflint so it wouldn’t impede traffic.
Celebrate Cook County’s heritage this September! Cook County Historical Society was established in 1924, before the road to Grand Marais was completed and during a time when visitors still arrived by steamship or dog sled. Since that time, the organization has been fulfilling its mission to collect, preserve and share the history and art of Minnesota’s north-easternmost county. During our membership drive this month, please consider becoming a sustaining member or upgrading your existing membership to help support the care and sharing of the Cook County collections.
Visit www.cookcountyhistory.org to find out more!
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