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20 YEARS AGO
JUNE 14, 2002
v A Canadian woman hit the jackpot at Grand Portage Casino last Sunday, winning $2,781,236.26 on a $1 “Megabucks” wide-area progressive slot machine. (Or, in Canadian money that would be $4.3 million.) Joe Morris, slot technician at the casino, was the first on the scene after Barbara Harju rang up her win. He said she was “surprisingly calm.” A casino spokesman said there have been a number of large prizes awarded in the past, but nothing close to this one. v The Neegee arrived home June 10, where the Cook County Historical Society will move quickly to build a shelter that will help prevent further deterioration of the 70-year-old fishing tug. The Neegee, an Ojibwe word meaning “friend,” was built by the Scott family at Grand Marais in the mid-1930s and was probably the most productive fishing boat of her type on the North Shore. The boat will be on display on the beach at the Grand Marais Rec Park marina.
30 YEARS AGO
JUNE 15, 1992
v With the go-ahead given last week by the Cook County Board of Commissioners, the new Gunflint Trail Fire Department is becoming a reality. The department has three vehicles which are on permanent loan to the new fire district from the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. The district is buying the equipment to outfit them. v Norman Deschampe was elected chairman of the Tribal Council of the Grand Portage Band of Minnesota Chippewa Tribe at last week’s election. He succeeds James S. Hendrickson, who is retiring after serving as chairman for 22 years. v A proposed dog (animal) poop ordinance for Grand Marais was given tentative approval by the city council last week. The formal ordinance will be presented for vote at the next council meeting by City Attorney Dick Johnson. Calls for such an ordinance came after residents complained of people walking their dogs and allowing them to deposit poop on their lawns.
60 YEARS AGO
JUNE 14, 1962
v Mr. and Mrs. I.J. Sawvell will be staying in the trailer camp in Walker, Minnesota, this summer. They do not plan to make Grand Marais their home anymore, as Mr. Sawvell needs a warmer climate for his health. He has now disposed of his share in the Gamble Store. He and the Bushmans opened the Gamble Store in the C.O. Backlund Building on April 17, 1942. The business stayed there a couple of years before opening the store in the present location. v Mrs. Larry Smith won the transistor radio given away by Peterson Drug Store. Mrs. Smith is employed in the county engineer’s office. The radio is unusual in that it is powered by the rays of the sun and is therefore called a solar radio. v A local soap box derby was held during the annual school picnic in Grand Portage at the end of the school year. There were five entries. The boys had to build their own vehicles. The one judged most original was by Ricky Evans, and the best built car was by Darryl “Bucky” Porter.
100 YEARS AGO
JUNE 15, 1922
v A crew of rangers went to Cascade Peak last Monday and started to raise a new tower which they hauled in last winter and put together as they could this spring. The tower will be of inestimable value in locating fires as they start, and so give rangers a chance to put them out before they gain a formidable size. The 80-foot-tall edifice was finally put in place at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday. This is the first and tallest of three such towers which the Minnesota Forest Service will erect in this district. They will all be put up this season. v Charles Burkman, globe trotter, was in Grand Marais Tuesday night and part of Wednesday, making a little talk in the local theater. He carries a small tent, a small cart pulled by a dog, a book for signatures, and clothing that is necessary. He is walking. He left Halifax on October 4 to attempt to walk around the world for a prize of $20,000 subscribed by sportsmen of the Maritime Provinces. He is on his way to San Francisco by foot and will sail from there by steamer to Australia. Then he will walk across Australia and take a sailboat to Japan and China. He will walk through Japan, China, India, Persia, Turkey, Bulgaria, Germany, France, and the British Isles. Finally, he will go by steamer to Halifax and hopes to finish his journey by December 31, 1924. v Mrs. Alex Wishkop underwent an operation in Duluth this week for blood poisoning in her foot. She is recovering and will soon be home.
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 ccnh@boreal.org or stop by our office at 15 First Avenue West.
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