Do you have an old picture or a story from years gone by that you would like to share with Cook County News-Herald readers? Give us a call, or stop by our Grand Marais office. 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.
In a recent Taste of Home, our food columnist Sandy Holthaus asked about the origin of the name of Devil’s Track Lake in Grand Marais. Sandy shared the story she had heard, that the lake received its name when a one-legged trapper left an unusual trail of tracks—one snowshoe, one imprint from a peg leg. According to folklore, the Ojibwe community saw the tracks, which were obviously not make by local wildlife and wondered if they had been made by a monster or devil. Thus, the lake received the name Devil’s Track.
Jean Roberts of Grand Marais provided this drawing, which was clipped from the Cook County News-Herald, which gives a similar version of the story. However, the News-Herald includes the name of the trapper—Sam Zimmerman, who is Jean’s grandfather. Jean reports that Sam “lived a very interesting life!”
However, the undated clipping and story leads to more questions. Who drew the sketch of trapper Sam Zimmerman? When did it run in the News-Herald? And although most residents still call the lake Devil’s Track—why do maps and signs say Devil Track Lake?
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