Cook County News Herald

Down Memory Lane




10 Years Ago · Feb. 18, 2002

There were some harsh words thrown down during the Feb. 12 meeting of the Cook County/ Grand Marais Economic Development Authority (EDA). The disagreement arose over the recent cuts and subsequent hirings at the Superior National Golf Course.

The controversial federal/county land exchange of Hungry Jack Lake Lodge land appears to be off, at least for the immediate future. The federal government was in the process of doing an environmental assessment, preliminary to exchanging the Hungry Jack Resort leased land for county land inside the Boundary Waters. Once that plan was completed, the county planned to sell the land under the resort to the lodge’s owner and federal permittee Jerry Parsons. However Jim Sanders, supervisor of the Superior National Forest, said the transaction is no longer “in the public interest” due to heritage resources issues associated with the buildings that should be resolved locally and not through the land exchange process. Sanders also alluded to the opposition of other lake residents to the exchange as a reason for abandoning the effort.

20 Years Ago · Feb. 17, 1992

A proposal to develop a harbor of refuge at Taconite Harbor instead of Sugar Loaf Cove, as proposed by the North Shore Management Board, appeared to be downplayed by a Department of Natural Resources representative last week. The St. Paul official listed a number of reasons why Sugar Loaf Cove was better than Taconite Harbor when he spoke to the Schroeder Township Harbor of Refuge Committee.

A strike notice has been filed with Cook County by the union representing employees at the Road Department, saying they will be eligible to walk off the job after midnight Feb. 18. A total of 16 members are represented by Local 49, International Union of Operating Engineers. They operate trucks and other equipment used to maintain the roads and bridges, and plow the snow. They have been working without a contract since the first of the year.

50 Years Ago · Feb. 15, 1962

It was a group of six local men who loaded a couple of snowmobiles on two trailers this past week and with the temperatures hovering in the “nether” regions, went to Tuscarora Lake to fish. To assure transportation they drove the snowmobiles onto the trailer and left them idling while they were transported up the Trail. In spite of the more than minus 40 temperature, the trip was a success with a dozen trout caught.

Carl Brandt Sr. trapped a wolf and this one didn’t get away.

Kitty Parrott entertained friends at her home Friday night as a surprise birthday party for Joan Maxfield.

90 Years Ago · Feb. 16, 1922

Arnold Lindberg has a new Ford car. He also has a few tender places to remind him of a fight with a bear. A.P. Nelson, a Ford dealer, yesterday offered a Ford car to anyone who could drive it out of the garage door. The catch in the affair lay in the claws and teeth of a ferocious bear that was chained in the front seat. Five hundred people gathered to try to win the Ford, but few had courage even to approach the car when they caught sight of Bruno. Starting the engine also started the bear, and the hardy few who went this far were all deterred from proceeding further by the actions of their driving companion until Arnold Lindberg stepped forth.

Harry Hummitsch came in Monday from Hovland with a nice bunch of furs.

Harley Johnson has put on a team of horses to carry the mail east, as the road has been filled with so many snow drifts that the snow plow has been of no avail in opening up the road.

Do you have an old picture or a story from years gone by that you would like to share with the Cook County News-Herald readers? We’d love to hear your Historical Reflections. Call (218) 387-9100; e-mail starnews@boreal.org; or stop by our office at 15 First Avenue West.



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