I am writing because I almost lost my 10-year-old son and his cousin when they were swept out from the Temperance River into Lake Superior on June 25. After Ari Benjamin Sommerfeld drowned in the same place the following weekend I saw an article in the Cook County News-Herald by Rhonda Silence noting all of the deaths at this spot:
“There have been multiple deaths in the powerful rapids. In 2008, two young women, 17 and 22, from Maple Grove, MN perished after being swept away by the current in a popular wading spot. In 2001, a 22-year-old hiker from Finland, MN died after falling in the river. In 2000, a 50-year-old Wisconsin man drowned while saving his eightyear old son. Another father, 48, from Remer, MN drowned while rescuing his 12-year-old daughter. In 1996, a 14-year-old boy from Crystal, MN drowned after diving at one of Temperance’s waterfalls.”
Has there ever been any thought given to the possibility of a stone memorial at this site showing the names of the people who have died there? I know there are signs above warning of the dangers of the river, but where the river flows into the lake is very dangerous. Maybe if people and families saw a memorial, they would think twice about wading at that spot. I would be happy to help in any way, especially since we nearly had a tragedy that day at Temperance River.
Mark Nelson
Zimmerman MN
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