My life on Isle Royale with
the wolves, moose, and the
National Park Service
J.Laurie Snell
Where is Isle Royale?
Source: University of Texas Maps of United States National Parks and Monuments.
Isle Royale is 40 miles long and 9 miles at
the widest point.The red lines are trails
made by the National Park Service.
Source: National Park Service
How do you get to Isle Royale?
The Ranger III goes from Houghton.
Source: National Park Service
The Isle Royale Queen III goes
from Copper Harbor Michigan.
Source: The Isle Royale Line
The Voyageur II goes from Grand Portage
Minnesota. It goes around the whole Island
dropping off mail and backpackers.
Source: Grand Portage-Isle Royale Transportation Line Inc.
The Voyager will stop at any of
the places indicated on this map
Why is Isle Royale in the United States?
Isle Royale is part of the United States because it appeared
in the wrong place in Lake Superior on John Mitchell's Map
that was used in the treaty of Paris, 1782-83.
Source: Osher Map Library and Smith Center for Cartographic Education: University of Southern Maine.
The human history of Isle Royale begins with the Archaic Age
(6000 B.C. 500 B.C.) The “Copper People” came to Isle
Royale and obtained copper from small open-pit mines using
stone mauls. The copper was used primarily for tools.
Source: Exhibit Museum of Natural History at University of Michigan.
In the 1700’s the historic Ojibwa paddled to Isle Royale to harvest
island resources such as trout, whitefish, sturgeon, herring, suckers,
pike, woodland caribou, beaver and loons. They called the Island
“Minong” meaning “a good place to live.” Traditional Ojibwa-coming
from what is now the Minnesota and Ontario shoreline-used "Minong"
as a sanctuary from white-induced change. (Source: Tim Cochrane)
Source: Photo Gallery Metis Ojibwa.
This 5,720 pound mass of copper was removed during initial
explorations of prehistoric copper pits on Isle Royale in 1875.
Burton Historical Collection. Detroit Public Library.
After mining failed, commercial fishing was
introduced on Isle Royale in the early 1800’s.
on Isle Royale. Here is the Mattson fishery in
Tobin’s harbor around 1891.
Source: National Archives. Minnesota Historical Society.
Boat day in Tobin’s Harbor 1906. The
Matson fishery in the background has
become the Anderson-Mattson fishery.
Source: Maurice Edwards Photograph/Merritt collection.
In the 1900’s Isle Royale became a place to get away from
civilization and to get rid of asthma. Those wanting short
visits could go to one of the resorts in Rock Harbor,
Tobin’s Harbor, Belle Island, or Washington Harbor.
Each resort had a token of civilization: Rock Harbor a
tennis court, Tobin’s Harbor croquet, Belle Island a small
golf course and Washington Harbor a bowling ally.
Others bought land and, with the help of the fisherman,
built cabins.
Belle Isle
Rock Harbor
We first came to the Island in 1931
and lived in Rock Harbor.
For our first year, we rented this cabin
in Rock Harbor which eventually became
the Orsborn cabin.
Source: Sally Orsborn.
This is Snug Harbor. It was a safe for kids, but once my
brother and I went out of the harbor to get logs and
nearly drowned so we moved to Tobin’s harbor.
Source: Isle Royale Boating Association.
Here is our Tobin’s cabin painted by
Elizabeth Kemmer a Tobin’s resident.
Our father wrote children’s books.
He had a more modest cabin on
the hill for his writing.
Here is a book he wrote about Red
Grange being kidnapped before the
BIG GAME and taken to Isle Royale.
When the Tobin’s Harbor Lodge closed,
Dad towed one of the Lodge’s cabins
across the harbor and then we had a
guest cabin.
There was a new boat about every year!
The Mary Margaret
The Seminole
The Coastal Queen
For some years we were able to leave from
Chicago and get off this boat at Isle Royale.
The one boat that came every year was the Winyah
from Duluth Minnesota. It picked up the fish,
delivered mail, milk, eggs and bread.
Source: North Shore Commercial Fishing Museum.
We could sometimes order food from Houghton but mostly
we ate a lot of fish, homemade bread, and berries:
raspberries, blueberries, and thimbleberries. And
sometimes Inis Mattson invited us for homemade ice cream.
Thimbleberries
Source: Pasty.com.
Sometimes we waited on the dock
not knowing when or if the boat
would come.
Our parent’s evening canasta game
was played by kerosene lamp light.
Washday was hard work.
The kids here were my best friends.
Left to right: Larry Matson, Jimmy Lawrence,
Laurie Snell (holding Ring), Ed Mattson, Art
Anderson, Jim Anderson (in front of Art
Anderson) and Art Mattson.
Source:Louis Mattson.
Art Anderson took Jimmy Anderson and me to the
light house and a storm came up. We had to stay
listening to the fog horn all night.
Our father was a legendary fisherman.
Being the smallest, I always held the
BIG FISH for the photo.
My brother Jud wanted to ride a moose
in the water and was mad that I could
not row fast enough to reach the moose.
We loved being out in rough weather,
but if it got any worse than this we
headed for Merritt’s Lane.
I became an entrepreneur
• Rowing hikers back to Rock Harbor (Initially 5
cents and then a customer suggested I say
“whatever you think it is worth” -- then it was
typically about 5 dollars).
• Selling moose antlers with Jimmy Lawrence to
people off the Alabama (50 Cents). When we
ran out of antlers, Jimmy suggested we switch
to moose teeth for which we got the same price!
• Taking lodge visitors to Lookout Louise or
Mount Franklin ($1.00).
• Selling fish to the lodge (10 cents a pound).
The view from Mount Franklin.
Source: Anthony Jones Travel Photos.
Here is my boat, still in good shape
thanks to son John and his children.
In 1921 Afred Stole Jr., conservation
columnist for the Detroit News, convinced
the newspaper to launch a major campaign to
have Isle Royale made into a National Park.
Albert Stoll Jr., at left, sets out for Isle Royale with two Detroit News photographers.
Source: The campaign to preserve Isle Royale: By Patricia Zacharias / The Detroit News.
Isle Royale becomes a National Park.
• 1931: Isle Royale was authorized by Congress
under President Hoover.
• 1940: President Roosevelt established Isle
Royale National Park.
• 1946: Isle Royale National Park was dedicated.
• 1976: The park was designated part of the
National Wilderness Preservation System with
99% of the island to be undeveloped.
• 1981: Isle Royale was made an International
Biosphere Reserve by the United Nations.
The Park Service put in over 200 miles of trails.
They are not all as easy as this trail from Rock
Harbor to Tobin’s Harbor.
Source: Captain Ben Kipela’s Isle Royale Photos.
The wolves and moose on Isle Royale.
• Early 1900’s: Moose came to the island,
probably swimming from Canada.
• 1947: The Park Service brings 6 wolves from a
zoo to the Island. They all die trying to find
food from the fishermen’s back yards.
• Winter 1948-49: The lake between Isle Royale
and Canada freezes and a small pack of timber
wolves cross over to Isle Royale.
• 1959: An ecological study of the wolves and the
moose on Isle Royale begins.
Ecological study of wolves and moose
on Isle Royale: Rolf Peterson, John
Fucetish 2003-2004.
Ecological Studies of the Wolves and Moose of Isle Royale.
A moose with her calf.
Source: 2004 Ecological Study.
Most of the wolves travel in packs, but
some are loners.
The dots represent dead moose believed to have been killed by the wolves in the year 2003-2004.
Source: 2004 Ecological Study.
Changes in the moose wolf populations.
Source: Ecological Studies of the Wolves and Moose of Isle Royale.
Wolves chasing a moose.
QuickTime™ and a
Sorenson Video 3 decompressor
are needed to see this picture.
Source: Ecological Studies of the Wolves and Moose of Isle Royale.
Introducing the Island to my family.
Here is my wife Joan fishing with son
John who is in the fish box.
And here is daughter Mary collecting flowers.
John and Mary on the rocks.
The next generation Janet and John.
Teaching John to fish.
For this generation the game is scrabble.
It was always fun to have visitors. Here our
friends the Crowells are enjoying the fog.
My thesis advisor Joe Doob.
Of course there is much more to see on
Isle Royale. Divers can visit famous
shipwrecks, for example, the America.
A diver explores the America.
Source: Isle Royale Shipwrecks.
You will see a lot of ducks.
Source: Captain Ben Kipela’s Isle Royale Photos.
And loons.
Source: Environmental Canada.
And many kinds of flowers.
Source:Park Vision: Images of America's National Parks.
You will also see a lot of fog.
Source: Captain Ben Kipela’s Isle Royale Photos.
You can find Greenstones,
a semi-precious gemstone,
on the Isle Royale beaches.
Source E-bay.
And you can see great sunsets.
Source: Grand Portage Isle Royale Transportation Line.
And Northern Lights.
Source: Brian Ruddy Isle Royal National Park.