It was back in the 1970s that our outdoor columnist, the late George “Papa Hambone” Vukelich, authored a three-part series on renowned environmentalist and writer Sigurd Olson and his fight to protect the iconic Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness from commercial encroachment.
I was city editor back then, and Vukelich, who had long been drawn to the Boundary Waters’ pristine wilderness, convinced me to send him to interview Olson to chronicle his 50-year crusade to protect it.
He drove to Ely, Minnesota, the gateway to the Boundary Waters’ land and water, with his young daughter Martha in tow (she’s now the wife of Madison’s George Austin) and sat down with Olson, who had acted as a guide to the area for countless visitors. Then he wrote a series, describing Olson’s efforts and explaining why the Boundary Waters are so important…