10 YEARS AGO
JULY 11, 2009
Independence Day weekend was once again touched by tragedy with a drowning on Temperance River in Tofte. The call came in to the Cook County Sheriff ’s Office at 6:51 p.m. on July 4. A 45-year-old Ramsey, Minnesota man had been witnessed swimming in the river, and apparently got carried away by the current. His body was recovered at 12:11 p.m. from Lake Superior.
The Tofte Fire Department was called Monday afternoon to fight a fire at the Bluefin Bay maintenance area after several massive piles of split firewood somehow ignited. Several other fire departments were eventually also called to the scene to put out the bonfire that consumed between 80 and 100 cords of wood.
20 YEARS AGO
JULY 12, 1999
A Fourth of July storm that hit Cook County between 12:50 and 1:40 p.m. brought winds that ranged from 80 to 100 mph, according to the National Weather Service. It smashed through the region like a runaway boulder, leaving in its wake thousands of acres of destroyed and wounded wilderness. It trapped hundreds of people inside the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, injuring many. And it dropped trees on roofs, cars and tents while blasting electrical and telephone lines, leaving most of the Gunflint Trail in darkness.
Members of the John Beargrease Sled Dog Marathon’s board of directors attended the Grand Marais City Council’s meeting last week to inform council that the 2000 marathon would finish in the city. Also, Grand Marais will be the starting point for a 30-mile race for younger mushers, who will begin their competition on Coast Guard Point.
50 YEARS AGO
JULY 10, 1969
The Carl Hedstrom truck that was stolen about three weeks ago was located in Spearfish, S.D. Two suspects have been apprehended at Kadoka, S.D. and are in the hands of the law.
Birney Quick, director of the local summer art colony, gave the first painting demonstration at the Art School on Tuesday evening. Over 40 art enthusiasts availed themselves of the opportunity to watch one of the area’s foremost artists at work.
During 1967 customers made about seven billion calls from public coin telephones. They deposited almost three billion dimes, two billion nickels and half a billion quarters in the more than one million coin phones in the Bell System.
90 YEARS AGO
JULY 11, 1929
Grand Marais is now within talking distance of more than 70,000 cities and towns in the United States and Canada, Cuba, Mexico and a large number of European countries. This has been brought about through a greatly improved long distance service now being furnished to the people of the North Shore of Lake Superior by Northwestern Bell Telephone Company. New copper long distance lines which are of the most improved type in use in the U.S. have been installed. Construction of these lines has been under way since Nov. 1, 1928; the new lines were put into service Sunday morning, June 30.
The cutter Crawford is in the local harbor.
Verne Johnson ran into a deer with his car on the Fourth of July, killing it (the deer, not the Fourth). The meat was disposed of at Toftey’s store.
Inga Leif is employed as head waitress at the Naniboujou Club.
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.
Leave a Reply