Kabetogama Lake a Wilderness - God's Country

In 1934, a Civilian Construction Corps (CCC) camp of 4000 men was established a mile south of Lake Kabetogama. This most northern camp in the U.S. had all its facilities under one roof and the lowest sickness rate. The CCC boys worked on forest and building projects in the Kabetogama State Forest. In 1936, they fought an 18,100 acre forest fire saving Kettle Falls Hotel from destruction.

A few structures remain to memorialize this Depression-era program. Surrounding the Kabetogama Lake Visitors Center, the Kabetogama Ranger Station Historic District includes a ranger station, oil house, warehouse, boathouse, stone retaining wall and boat basin constructed by the CCC. Working together with local skilled craftsmen, the inexperienced CCC enrollees constructed these "rustic" native wood buildings and the stone refectory at Woodenfrog Campground for the Minnesota Division of Forestry. The historic district also includes a 1921 conservation patrol cabin.

As early as the 1890's, resorts welcomes anglers to the border lakes, but the tourisum boom occurred with the completion of the U.S. Highway 53 in 1922. Chicago building contractor J.E. Ellsworth created a grotto and tourist attraction on the north shore of Kabetogama Lake between 1944-1965. Floral remnants, rock statuary and creative rock features remain.

Lake Kabetogama is the gateway to Voyageurs National Park in Minnesota, in the United Sates of America. The boundary water canoe area in VNP of the USA and Canadian border is 55 miles of scenic beauty. Tourists vacation at Lake Kabetogama to go fishing, enjoy the water park and great out doors. Family resorts and lodges with cabins line the south shores of the lake. There are several camping areas, some gift shops, and nice places to eat. Houseboating is very popular on the lake, large and small boats as well. Many people return year after year for vacations at their summer cabins. The Kabetogama Walleye greets you at the access road into Kabetogama Lake. It has a saddle on it and guests like to stop to have their pictures taken on it. When I was a kid I just loved going over to the Walleye to play.

We would go fishing as a family in a boat or off shore on Lake Kabetogama. When we were camping, we would cook the fish we caught on shore campfire style. Dad taught us many things about survival in the wilderness and this was one of them.

We'd get the campfire going as soon as we would get to shore, so there were hot coals for cooking. Dad would fillet the fish and wash the fillets in the lake, then the fillets were placed on aluminum foil. The seasonings were added and enough butter on the fillets for cooking and favor, and then wrapped up so the edges of the foil were rolled up tight. Then we wrapped several layers of news paper over the foil pouch, 5-6 layers always worked well. The package of wrapped fillets was placed into a bed of hot coals, not in the fire. We cooked the package of fillets on each side for about 10-15 minutes depending on how many fillets were in the package. The news paper will burn a little but not completely through. When the fish was ready for eating the package was carefully removed from the coals and cut open. It was usually Walleye dinner being served.

We would have pork & beans and potatoes that were cooked on the campfire or a camp stove for dinner. This was a wonderful way to sit down and eat as a family and experience the great outdoors together.

Not far from our house was the old farm where my dad, Tony, was born and raised. Dad joined the Navy and was in WW2. He said that I was a twinkle in his eye back then, but he hadn't even met mom yet.

Lake Kabetogama is a great place to go fishing for Walleye, Northern Pike, Musky, Bass, Pan Fish, you name it. The lake is spacious with 25,760 acres of water, 200 islands and 77 miles of shoreline. Kabetogama Lake is one of 3 major lakes that make up the park, Rainy, Namakan & Kabetogama (than there is Sandy Point). The Kabetogama Peninsula is the central focal point of the park. The peninsula is surrounded by the 3 major lakes. The wilderness forests are made up of fir, spruce, aspen, pine, maple and birch.

Kayaks and canoes are often used for wilderness adventures into the water park. Many people will travel by water for several days, and camp on islands (camping is free) or on the Peninsula at night or during rough waters. In the interior of the Peninsula there are several small lakes where you can reserve a row boat to rent or portage a small water-craft on trials, water taxis are available to take you across the lake. You can imaging how it feels to get back to land, civilization, restaurants and cold beverages.

My favorite fish dinner is the Kabetogama Walleye. For some reason it tastes better to me than Walleye from anywhere else, and I have tried many. Maybe it's about what one grows up with on their dinner plate, and Mom's home cooking. She always added TLC (tender love and care) and that's the best ingredient.

If you come between a female bear and her cubs there could be trouble. A black bear can run up to 35 mph on level ground, they are faster up hill, but they are slower running down hill. A bear's front legs are shorter than their back legs, making it harder for them to run down hill. When I was on the rock hills at Kabetogama, I would look for my escape routes in case I got between a mama bear & her babies. Bears are great swimmers and tree climbers, but I always knew where the best tree was. Keeping your bearings in the wilderness and knowing the lay of the land are important when there is danger around.

One time as I walked past the wood shed in our back yard, I met a big black bear coming around the same corner. We looked at each other and I froze as the bear went past me and ran into the forest where I had just come out. Bears don't usually bother people because they are shy so they can live close by humans.

Black Bears mostly eat nuts, berries, insect larvae, carrion, and grasses. They have a keen sense of smell so wrapping foods in plastics to keep orders in, and securing all food is a must as bears are very curious and will eat your lunch. They weight from 160 to 600 pounds.

If you ever encounter a bear in the wild do not make eye contact. A bear will stand up to get a better smell of you, not to attack. Don't run or you may frighten the bear and cause it to behave unmannerly. Slowly back away and go far around the bear. It is best to not surprise a bear, so when going through the woods make plenty of noise so they will hear you coming. A bear will swat a human with their paw if a human is not acting mannerly, much like they would another bear, and they are powerful. Most likely they would not claw or bite.

There are several wolf packs that live in the Voyageur National Park wilderness. When wolves are away from their pack (family) they howl to each other in the night, because they long to be with their pack again. They talk to each other in this way letting the others know where they are and that they are missed. An adult wolf will journey for miles to hunt by itself at times and bring game back to the pack and it's young.

I have seen timber wolves many times at Kabetogama on the frozen lake or crossing a road. One time when I was riding in a car with a friend, a timber wolf came out of a cedar forest on Gamma Road and it stood there. We stopped the car and the wolf was curious and looked inside the car right into our eyes. It was an adult who's head came well above the bottom of the car window. When the wolf went into the forest on the other side of the road it moved with graceful speed. It was a moment that I wished I had a camera handy, but the memory of it lives on. Timber Wolves are beautiful creatures and their howling cries are unforgettable!

Eagles are among the most interesting birds that there are to watch and to study. We can learn a lot from the habits and natural course of their lives. It is always a thrill to see eagles free in the wild, rather than in a zoo. They are such a majestic bird of prey and to see them scoop up a fish from a lake or a cottontail in a field is breath taking. Sight is their best sense and is 6X sharper than a human's; they can spot a fish in water from 100's of feet in the air. To hear the eagle's screams as they soar the skies will give you pause. My memories are lasting!

Bird watchers enjoy seeing the eaglets stretch and flap their wings as they strengthen them for flight. Their homes for the summer are huge stick nests that are in tall pines along the shore lines. Park rangers can show people just where the eagle's nests are located with in the park.

In the winter there are well maintained snowmobile trails to adventure on that go for miles and miles through the wilderness in whatever direction you care to go. When Lake Kabetogama is frozen over many people use it to get to their ice fishing holes and fish houses. Kabetogama is truly a winter wonderland when it snows and all the trees are covered with snow. It is a beautiful sight to see when the trees are covered with hoarfrost and they are sparkling in the sunlight after Jack Frost has come to visit. Snowmobilers ride through the chain of lakes on the Kabetogama Peninsula's winding trails. Cross country skiing, snow shoeing and winter camping are also enjoyed in the solitude of winter.

According to The Voyageurs National Park (VNP) service there are:

240 different species of birds in the park
10 species of reptiles and amphibians
53 species of fish
42 species of mammals, and countless invertebrates.

A list of all the creatures can be downloaded in a pdf file from their website.

I took this picture over the long Labor Day weekend in 2008. This is my now 82 year old Pretty Mama, my son Jesse and his daughter Bailey Rose.

I babysit Bailey during the week and some weekends. She sure liked going to visit Great-Grandma! We spent a lot of time outside in Mom's yard keeping a pit fire going. Hey, that's family entertainment in the country. Wish we lived a lot closer!

Bailey just loved playing in the lake and in the sand. It was warm in the sun and we were protected from the wind down at the beach at Woodenfrog. When we were on the other side of the point and on the point, the wind was blowing and the tall northern pines provided cool shade. It was a very noticeable difference. So, we settled in at the beach again to watch the sun set.

We were where boats are launched and taken out of Kabetogama Lake at Woodenfrog State Campground. I was very sick that day, coming down with a really bad cold, so I didn't exactly look my best. It's all good though!

The cement launching pavement was layed after Voyaguers National Park was formed in 1975. A lot of things changed then from the natural beauty we so loved, but the pavement makes it better for boaters.

How! ~ I've always loved this Wooden Indian at Kabetogama's Gateway Store, he belongs on this web-page to greet you. I took the picture when Jesse, Bailey and I went to visit my mom in the Fall of 2009. Bailey was happy to go visit her great-grandmother again, who is Jesse's grandmother. You don't get to see a Wooden Indian everyday, unless you live at Kabetogama.

I kind of remember now who carved this statue, Shelly and I thought it was Hermund Melheim who did the carving. He used to carve Totem Poles. Randy said it was Warren Bowman; who also gave us a carved Black Bear Cub climbing a pole with a Bald Eagle on top of a Totem Pole. Tim T. wrote in the guest book that it was Warren Bowman who carved the Wooden Indian Statue, and he would know because he grew up with a family business at Gateway. ~ Thanks so much Timmy!

Randy added that Warren started making Totem Poles about the same time that Hermund stopped, and I recalled that. Hermund made the bigger taller Totems, and Warren's Totems where only about 12 feet tall. I remember Dad saying that Warren learned to make Totem from Hermund. I was just a child then, maybe 7 or 8 years old.

Loons are the size of a large duck or small goose, which they somewhat resemble in shape when swimming. Their plumage is largely black-and-white, with grey on the head and neck in some species, and a white belly, and all species have a spear-shaped bill. Loons are excellent swimmers, using their feet to propel themselves above and under water and their wings for assistance. Because their feet are far back on the body, loons are poorly adapted to moving on land. They usually avoid going onto land, except when nesting.

Loons build their nests close to the water, preferring sites that are completely surrounded by water. They may use the same site from year to year. Loons will use a variety of materials found nearby to build their nests including pine tree needles, leaves, grass, moss, and sometimes clumps of mud. Both the male and female help with nest building and incubation, which usually lasts 26-31 days. If the eggs are lost, the pair may re-nest, often in the same general location.

The Black-capped Chickadee sings a song that sounds like "chick-a dee-dee-dee-dee". I have always been amazed by these friendly little birds that are maybe four inches long from head to tail. I love to hear them sing and watch them dart about, always busy it seems. How can a creature so small survive in the cold winters of the north-lands is interesting to me. On cold winter nights, Chickadees reduce their body temperature by up to 10-12 °C to conserve energy. Still I wonder how it is that they don't freeze. They are permanent residents to Kabetogama.

This is a picture of home at Kabetogama. With the help of his brothers, my dad built a house to raise a family. The trees are so big now that its hard to get a good picture of the house and the beautiful yard. My Mom told me that Randy and Shelly, my brother and sister said that they think I should inherit the home place. I have wanted to move back to Kab and now I know that I will someday, and return home. Its an answer to my hearts desire to live and die in the wilderness area I love. My children and grandchildren love this place too. When I visit I like to sit out in the back yard with a fire going. We clean up the yard of fallen limbs and burn them and add firewood. Having a sauna in the basement is a treat, which I was raised on. That's home!

The first time I went deer hunting two guys drove 6 or 7 deer down an old logging road to me. I fired a couple shots and didn't hit one because I had buck fever and was shaking. Another time I had just peed behind a tree 30 feet from my deer stand, then I sat down to have a smoke, with my gun propped against the tree. A deer came and smelled the ground behind the tree where I peed. I couldn't reach for my gun without the deer seeing me, so that one got away. I went back on my stand and a big doe walked into the clearing. She just stood there looking at me as I took aim and told myself to 'squeeze the trigger'. That was my first deer and I put a hole right in her heart. A hunting partner asked me how I felt shooting my first deer. I looked at the deer laying there and could only see what a beautiful animal it was, and I felt kind of sad. She sure was good eating though.