Traveling the Old North Shore

Siskiwit, courtesy of Historical Collections of the Great Lakes, Bowling Green State University

In this two-part segment of Traveling the Old North Shore, producer Martha Marnocha takes us on a tour of North Shore shipwreck history. In Part I, we learn why Lake Superior is so challenging to navigate. In Part II we hear the harrowing tale of two ships caught in a December storm on the North Shore.

Thanks to Jim Shinners for his contribution to this feature. As an added bit of history, the Mataafa Storm of 1905 is considered by some historians to be the greatest storm to strike Lake Superior and the Great Lakes as far as wind velocity and wave heights. But another extreme weather event, the Great Lakes Storm of 1913 – also known as the “White Hurricane” – was perhaps more significant in terms of lost ships, lives and overall weather conditions.

Pat Bayle (standing) to the right of Minnesota Governor Theodore Christianson.

Pat Bayle, from 1918 edition of “Outing” magazine.

The Pat Bayle State Forest contains 180,000 acres of woods and lakes in the center of Cook County, and it actually lies within northeast Minnesota’s Superior National Forest. But who was Pat Bayle, and why is there a state forest in his name?
Producer Martha Marnocha researched the Cook County Historical Society archives to learn the story of Pat “Paddy” Bayle–a well-respected northeast Minnesota woodsman who worked for the Forest Service from 1912 to 1939.

Photos courtesy of the Cook County Historical Society.

In this edition, producer Martha Marnocha talks with a long-time Cook County resident Terry Wilson about his experiences growing up in a rural area near Grand Marais.

Thanks to Terry, for sharing his experiences growing up in rural Cook County during the 1950s and 60s. Photos courtesy of Hope Wilson Williams.

Traveling the Old North Shore is a WTIP multi-part series focusing on the history of this diverse region.
In this edition, producer Martha Marnocha gathers memories of the jail, liquor store and bar that were part of the former downtown Grand Marais municipal building.
In 1998 the downtown jail was moved to a new law enforcement center location on the edge of town, and the former municipal building was torn down in 2024.

Thanks to Gerilynne Heston, Rhonda Silence, Mickey Brazell and Pat Eliasen for their contributions. Additional information was provided by staff at the Cook County Courthouse and City of Grand Marais, Dave Wirt, Dick Dorr and the Cook County Historical Society.

Traveling the Old North Shore is a WTIP multi-part series focusing on the history of this diverse region.
In this two-part edition, producer Martha Marnocha speaks with Bill Douglas, a Saganaga Lake resident since 1972, who takes us on a trip to a special lake at the very end of the Gunflint Trail.

Downtown Grand Marais has had many changes through the decades. Producer Martha Marnocha explores a bit of downtown history with help from two long-time residents: Butch Schulte and Sherrie Lindskog.

They share memories of when Santa visited the Shore Theater, North Shore Fish and Freight, Cherry’s Bakery, Jackson’s Cafe’ and other downtown businesses.

Additional credit to Eugene Glader’s Downtown Grand Marais, Volumes 1 and 2, and the Cook County Historical Society archives.

When Santa flew an airplane into the Shore Theater in downtown Grand Marais.

North Shore Fish and Freight in flood conditions, located where the Cook County Co Op is now, in downtown Grand Marais

Frank Cherry’s Bakery, 1934, the location of what is now Superior Creamery

Cabin at site of old border crossing, 1930s. Cook County Historical Society

For several decades Joanne Hart and her family lived on a remote homestead along the Pigeon River – once the site of the former Highway 61 border crossing. It was an isolated location lying within the Grand Portage Indian Reservation.

Joanne was a writer and an academic, and a respected member of the Grand Portage community. Tribal member Rick Anderson recalls his friendship with Joanne.

Former border crossing site, near the Hart homestead. Cook County Historical Society/Joanne Hart

The Hart family eventually transferred ownership of their property to the Grand Portage Band. Remnants of their homestead remain at the old border crossing along the Pigeon River.

Additional thanks to Rick Novitsky, Mary Deschampe, Joe Hart and Cook County Historical Society archives.

Witch Tree – Joanne Hart and Hazel Belvo collaboration

Traveling the Old North Shore is a WTIP North Shore Community Radio ongoing feature produced by Martha Marnocha.

Traveling the Old North Shore is a WTIP multi-part series focusing on the history of this diverse region.

In this feature, WTIP producer Martha Marnocha explores an area high above the city of Grand Marais on Pincushion Mountain that was once the town garbage dump.

Looking down, with portion of concrete wall

You can hike to the old dump site on Pincushion Mountain. It’s about ½ mile from the Pincushion Mountain parking area located just off the Gunflint Trail.

Thanks to Sherrie Lindskog and Butch Schulte for their contributions to this feature.

Traveling the Old North Shore is a WTIP multi-part series focusing on the history of this diverse region.
In this edition, producer Martha Marnocha learns more about one of Minnesota’s three remaining and actively functioning Finnish Community Halls. Petrell Hall is located on the Brimson-Toimi Road, approximately 30 miles north of Two Harbors.

Lace insulation at Petrell Hall. Photo by Tom Thompson

Mural inside the hall. Photo by Tom Thompson.

Petrell Hall dedication. Photo by Tom Thompson.

With thanks to JoAnn Olson for her contribution to this feature. More information on Petrell Hall can be found on their Facebook page.

Monker Lake is a small and somewhat unremarkable lake located near Grand Marais. It was named for Claus and Kristine Monker, early Scandinavian homesteaders in the area.

In this edition of Traveling the Old North Shore, producer Martha Marnocha tells the history of the four years the Monkers lived next to Monker Lake,

and how Kristine Monker left behind piece of Russian history.

Special thanks to the Cook County Historical Society for providing archival records on the family history of Claus and Kristine Monker and a photo of the couple.

Traveling the Old North Shore is a WTIP multi-part series focusing on the history of this diverse region.

 
Producer Martha Marnocha travels to Toimi, Minnesota, which was once a remote community of Finnish homesteaders, but is now mostly forest and a few scattered buildings along a Lake County highway. But once you leave the main paved road, you may find surprising remnants of the area’s 100-year-old history. The historic Toimi School is located on Forest Highway 11, approximately 31 miles north of Two Harbors. The Toimi Children’s Cemetery is 1⁄2 mile south of the school on Murphy Lake Road (Lake County 15).

Thanks to Ron Johnson of the Toimi School Board of Directors for his contribution to this feature. Other volunteers/Board members who assist with the operation and
maintenance of the school and cemetery include Roy Hansen, Adrian Ranta, Mike and Vicky Harrison, Bill Johnson, Dennis Wagner and Jim Turnquist.

Photos courtesy of Martha Marnocha and Ron Johnson.

Traveling the Old North Shore is a WTIP multi-part series, focusing on the history of this diverse region. In this feature, producer Martha Marnocha explores the history of an iconic North Shore community called Illgen City.

Special thanks to Tettegouche State Park’s Kurt Mead for his contribution to this feature. Photographs courtesy of Tettegouche State Park: Illgen City family (left); business at London Crossing,1924 (right).

Producer Martha Marnocha and Doug Turner share the history of some very well-known North Shore place names.

Learn about the mysterious case of Donald “Blackie” Kulas, who went missing just north of Two Harbors, never to be seen again. This is the first segment of Traveling the Old North Shore, a WTIP original feature produced by Martha Marnocha.