10 Years Ago ·
Feb. 21, 2000
• Alan Christensen, director of the Joint Cook County/ Grand Marais Economic Development Authority (EDA), resigned last week. An emergency meeting was supposed to have been held at the courthouse Feb. 15 for the EDA board to discuss how to handle Christensen’s immediate resignation, and the steps the board should take in order to continue EDA work without an executive director.
However, that meeting never took place because there was not a quorum present to discuss the issues. • Although two of the bigger spenders in the county government, Social Services and Road & Bridge, have not yet presented their 1999 figures, the county commissioners heard last week that at least the county’s $4.5 million Revenue Fund was neither lacking nor overflowing.
Even with some nasty surprises such as the July 4 blowdown and the expenses for the landfill and recycling mushrooming to four times the amount budgeted, Cook County came out way ahead for 1999.
According to County Auditor Carol Gresczyk, there was a $216,000 overage on the levy.
20 Years Ago ·
Feb. 19, 1990
• Cook County loggers and lumbermen could be in for trouble unless current efforts to halt or reduce below-cost timber sales are headed off. • County commissioners voted unanimously Tuesday to make trades with the federal and state governments that would give the county about 1,100 acres north of Devil Track Lake on which to construct the new Cook County Airport.
Thefederal government will give up 789 acres in exchange for about twice that many acres in or adjacent to the BWCA. The state will trade 320 acres for county land located north of Hovland around Tom Lake.
The process may take a year to become finalized. • Property owners along Lake Superior’s North Shore need to keep a watchful eye on shoreline erosion, according to a recent study by UMD’s Natural Resources Research Institute.
High lake levels of the mid 1980s did not increase average erosion rates, but there remains some cause for concern as high water did increase the variability of erosion and the maximum erosion rates at specific study sites. The two-year study was initiated because high lake levels of 1985 and 1986 were causing a great deal of concern.
50 Years Ago ·
Feb. 18, 1960
• Thisis the Birdwatchers weekend in Grand Marais, an event held here annually by a group of Minnesota, Wisconsin and Canadian ornithological clubs. They come by private car and in chartered buses, sometimes from great distances.
After a bird count is taken of birds visible during their tour, the birdwatchers assemble at the local high school social room for a banquet Saturday evening. • The16 women who attended the Homemakers Training session presented by the University of Minnesota Extension Department found it very instructive. Mrs. Oscar Sundquist was in charge of the coffee afterwards.
The meeting was held at Trinity Church parlors. • A week ago Sunday the Chas. W. Johnsons and son LeRoy accompanied Mr. and Mrs. Jerome Wanner on a sight-seeing tour of the new highway being built from Grand Portage to Pigeon River border.
It was a beautiful warm day and there’s no doubt of the abundance of scenic beauty along that drive. • Lights have been seen in the old Lutsen church building evenings. Some of the local men and boys fixed it up for a basketball court.
The building is not heated, so the games have to be hot and they are having a lot of fun almost every evening.
90 Years Ago ·
Feb. 18, 1920
• Last Friday evening about 8 o’clock the people of the village were again called by the ringing of the fire bell. This time it was Ole Anderson’s and Claus Hanson’s fish houses that went up in smoke.
The loss to these fishermen was considerable as they had all their fishing rigging stored for the winter. Hanson also lost a motor skiff and Anderson lost one row boat. Theother boats were shoved out onto the ice and saved.
Thefirewas started by the explosion of a gasoline lantern which Mr. Anderson was trying to light. His hair and clothing were scorched but he received no serious injuries. There was a barrel of gasoline stored in Anderson’s fish house and when it caught fire it made a roaring blaze, spitting fire like a blowtorch. Another barrel partly filled with gasoline exploded and was thrown 50 feet or more into the air, landing on the ice several hundred feet from the building.
There was no insurance on any of this property and the loss is heavy due to the present high prices of twine and netting. Mr. Hanson just received a shipment of new netting which was stored in his fish house. • Notice! All our accounts etc. were lost in the fire last Saturday morning. It will be greatly appreciated if those who are owing us will remember it and pay us as we need the money badly.
— Mr. and Mrs. Schoen • A number of our young people attended a dance at Good Harbor Hill Saturday evening. They went up in Amundsen’s truck and were stalled in snow drifts till some of the ladies froze their hands and faces.
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