Body of canoeist found on Iron Lake in BWCA Wilderness

A canoeist died in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness on Saturday, May 10.

At approximately 2:17 p.m. on Saturday, U.S. Forest Service employees reported to the St. Louis County Sheriff’s Office they had located a capsized canoe on Iron Lake in the BWCAW north of Ely, Minn.

Upon further investigation, Forest Service employees found a deceased individual and their gear floating near the canoe.

The individual was identified as Robert Sydney James, 62, of St. Louis Park, Minn. James was found wearing a life jacket and believed to be on a solo BWCAW canoe trip.

A Forest Service Beaver floatplane was flown in to recover the body.

The incident remains under investigation by the St. Louis County Sheriff’s Office and the Midwest Medical Examiner’s Office.

Kalli Hawkins May 12, 2025