The Myth of Hiawatha, And Other Oral Legends

 As long as I was staying at Schoolcraft State Park I thought it would be a good idea to read one of Henry Schoolcraft's books. I read The Myth Of Hiawatha And Other Oral Legends. Schoolcraft married a native woman. I suppose many books written in the 1800's wouldn't be as interesting now as they were then. I found this one to be dry, repetitive, and boring. After his first wife died he married another woman whose family owned slaves. Schoolcraft later wrote a pro-slavery book which caused a rift between him and the children of his first wife.

Three Favorite Spots

My campground hosting duties are over.

I had a good experience at Schoolcraft State Park.

Free blueberries and raspberries were nice.

I have three favorite spots in the park. This is at the southern most spot overlooking a back channel of the Mississippi. This is where the American bittern stayed during the 4th of July weekend.

This is the boat landing at the western edge of the park.

This picnic table is located at the northern most point of the park. 'The Mississippi river is on the left. The Vermillion River can barely be seen on the right. The belted Kingfisher family likes to hang out around here.

 

Back Again

 I am back at Schoolcraft for my final weekend as campground host. This time I will stay only two nights instead of the usual four. August begins on Monday. The weather today is perfect. There is a large car swap meet and flea market at the fair grounds and some of the people involved in that are staying here.

Wild Raspberries and Blue Berries

On my twice daily 2 mile stroll around the park I am now finding raspberries and blue berries to munch on which is a nice treat. I have several spots that are so pretty and calming that I have to pause and soak in the view. Today I was rewarded for my campsite hosting duties with a sick new thermal mug, a pin in the shape of Minnesota, a letter of thanks, and a plaque. That was so generous. I will go home tomorrow and then be back on Friday for the last weekend of July. 

Making Memories

I am back hosting at Schoolcraft State Park. Last night there was only one other campsite taken. Two loud and joyful women were camping and I could hear them laughing and having a good time. Today there are seven camp sites taken. When I went on my daily hike I saw the group camp was taken. A family with two small children were setting up camp. Now others have joined them because I saw four mothers walking on the path with about eight children. They were laughing and joking and really enjoying each other's company. They are making memories and I think that is truly wonderful.

Comforts Of Home

 

While it is fun to camp it is also fun to be home and enjoy high speed internet, hot water, flush toilet, freedom from mosquitoes, and my bed.

Forest History Center Photos

Here is a picture of the floating wannigan where the cook fed the guys who facilitated the logs going downstream.

This is the kitchen and dining hall at the lumber camp. 75 men ate here. There was no milk or cheese or eggs. Pancakes were made from sourdough. All the meat was salted or smoked. They ate a lot of root vegetables, prunes and dried apples.

This is the root storage building. We were allowed in. The door was very short so we had to duck. The walls are double thick and insulated and the floor was sand. Inside it smelled just like my grandmother's cellar in her brick house.

This is the horse that works at the center. Here the horse is getting hooked up to pull a log onto the logging cart.

One reenactor plays an accordion while the other makes a puppet dance on a platform.

 

A Hummingbird Builds Her Nest

Offspring #2 and I were hanging around the campsite and we notice a female humming bird coming back to a young oak tree and fluttering around the same spot. We see she is collecting spider webs and spider silk. She is probably building a cozy nest for the baby hummingbirds. A few minutes later we see a young buck with 6 inch antlers coming out of his head most straight up. He looked like a Martian. He saw us and bounded closer. He checked us out for 3 minutes. The little dude was curious. I explained that we had a hound dog here who hadn't spotted the buck yet but things would get very loud very fast. The buck blinked at me a few times and then bounded away. Today has been a busy day here at Schoolcraft State Park. A large white truck came. A man replaced the plastic tops to the dumpster with metal tops so the bear can't get in again. Another man came with a 4 wheeler and a chainsaw. He cut up all the trees over the paths so now we can hike without having to go over or around trees. He was an excellent worker. He was fast and he was strong. We watched him throw four feet long logs into the woods. Today it got to 91 degrees here. If it wasn't for the strong current and the leeches, I might just jump in to cool off. 

Bugs In My Eye

We had six camp sites filled last night and it looks like 8 camp sites taken tonight. There is one campsite right on the river with a huge grassy lawn and no trees. They have a great view and they get lots of sunshine. The mosquitoes aren't too bad because I bought a Thermocell device that keeps them away. When I walk on the paths though I am harassed by deer flies and gnats. I had two bugs fly into my eye today where they go under my eye lid and die and I have to get them out. The chipping sparrow comes every day to patrol my camp site. I have not heard the American bittern at all yet this weekend. The green frogs were talking loudly. The ostrich ferns and interrupted ferns are gorgeous and I took a picture of one but I can't upload it. A person on a jet ski went by the park five times today. A pontoon boat went by and it was much quieter. This is a very nice place to sit outside in my chair at the camp site or on a picnic table by the river and read a book. I am certain that the belted kingfisher has a nest in the riverbank by the group camp because they get all upset whenever I walk by that area.

Forest History Center

 Today I stopped by the Forest History Center in Grand Rapids which is run by the Minnesota Historical Society. I had a grand time. Admission for me was eight dollars. I got there about 1:30 which meant I had time to browse before the last tour started at 2. I watched a film about the process of moving logs from the forest to International Falls on the Little Fork River. This was very dangerous work walking on logs and breaking up log jams. At 2 the tour started and a woman in clothing suitable in 1900 came to fetch me. They chose to reenact 1900 because that is the year that the most board feet of lumber left the forest. Logging the pine forests mostly ended in 1930. Her role in the camp was a cook's helper. She took me to a seating area where other people joined me in the audience. One guy pulled a little wooden puppet with moveable limbs on a stick. He sat on a tree trunk with a wooden platform protruding between his legs. As he held the puppet so the feet touched the platform he used his other hand to bounce the platform which made the puppet dance. Another man played music on an accordion. My internet is slow here tonight so I can't upload the pictures but maybe I will upload them later. They talked about life in the lumber camp which was held in the winter. The people worked from sun up to sun down. Each camp had a supervisor who earned 70 bucks a month, a cook who earned 50 bucks a month, cook's helpers who earned 25 bucks a month, a blacksmith who earned 45 bucks a month, a carpenter who earned 40 bucks a month, a saw sharpener who earned 40 bucks a month, many lumberjacks who earned a dollar a day, and road cutters who earned less than a dollar a day. The roads that carried the logs were cut into the earth like a reverse railroad track. Water from the river was hauled up and once the temperature got below freezing the water was put on the roads so the horses pulled the log sled on two long, thin tracks of ice. Life in the camps was not easy. The cook and the supervisor had it easier but the lumberjacks slept in bunkbeds with 70 men, two men to a bunk. These men were riddled with lice. They would have two circles drawn on a table to see whose lice was the fastest. The outhouse had one hole but 8 seats. The people who worked in these camps did not come from cities. They came from farms around this area or from farms in Europe. Northern Minnesota had 300 logging camps at the same time ranging in size from one family to hundreds of workers. This site in Grand Rapids was an actual logging camp. The buildings and equipment in it were used. They even have a horse who showed us how one horse could pull a log up onto a logging bed. The blacksmith had to shoe the horses and the horse shoes had special cleats to keep the horses from slipping in the snow and ice. The blacksmith had to repair broken chains. Horses were vital to a logging camp. If a logger was sick or injured and needed to go to the hospital, they had to walk because the horses were busy moving logs or hauling water. Each crew of 12 men had two horses. Their daily quota was two trailers of 16 feet long logs down to the river bank per day. Lumberjacks had to sharpen their own axes at the end of the day but their saws were sharpened in the shop for them. The symbol of the logging company was beat into both cut ends of the log like a brand on a cow. We also met the cook who had a very important role in the logging camp. With all the hard work the people were hungry. If the food wasn't delicious the workers would walk away and join a different logging camp. Milk and eggs were unavailable but they had plenty of salted or smoked meat, root vegetables, sourdough starter for pancakes and bread, coffee, tea, prunes and some dried apples. I had no idea the forest history center would be this interesting and informative. I am glad I took the time to visit. 

Trails

 Today I hiked the 2 mile trail at Schoolcraft with a park employee so she could give the gps coordinates of the spots where someone with a chainsaw needs to come and clean up trees that have fallen over the trail. I was happy to have someone to talk to and lucky for me, she is a talker. She showed me the spot on the trail where archeologists found tools and other trinkets left by Henry Schoolcraft in 1820. The Anishinabe guided him to the source of the Mississippi. She also showed me a large round hole in the ground near the pond that I tried to explore but couldn't because the wild rice and bullrushes were too thick. That hole is where the Anishinabe parched their wild rice. She knows a lot about this park. I told her she should write a book about it.

Campfires

Today has been a quiet day at the campground. About ten more campsites are occupied tonight than last night. I love a good campfire plus it keeps the mosquitoes at bay. The weather today was partly cloudy and warm with a slight breeze. How sweet it is.

 

Hosting

 I am back on duty as campground host at Schoolcraft State Park. There was no one here when I arrived shortly after lunch so I took my kayak out for a spin. The current on the Mississippi here is quite strong so I paddled against the current first. I was  hoping to get to the swampy area where I have been listening to the American Bittern call at night but the cat tails and wild rice are too thick for me to get through there. I paddled for about 45 minutes before coming to a rest here where I watched dragon flies chase each other and mate. From here I could hear nothing but the wind in the leaves and the green frogs sounding like loose banjo strings. I could see no evidence of humanity, no power lines, no telephone poles, no cell phone towers and no houses. This could be what the scene looked like a thousand years ago. As I let the current bring me back I could start to hear human voices. Some people were fishing off the dock. One of them was soaking his feet in the water as he fished and a leech attached itself to him. After I loaded my kayak back in my car I drove back to my campsite. A fawn and it's mother were standing on the road. The mother took off to the left and the fawn took off to the right. I hope they find each other again. The red eyed vireo sang to me as I built my campfire to warm up my supper. According to the poster in the toilet Deer River is having Wild Rice Days this weekend with a street dance, bingo, races, beer garden, fire works and a parade. I might have to go to Deer River to watch the parade. I am no longer alone in the park. Six camping spots have been filled besides mine.

Camping

 

A new friend of mine offered me the use of her camper for the month which she said was just sitting in the yard like a lawn ornament. I took her up on her offer. This camper is old and the fabric has a few holes in it which I plugged with paper towels but it is way more comfortable than the tent. Dang, I am lucky. I am off duty now and at home doing laundry and taking multiple showers. I shall return to my duties on Friday.

4th Day

 Today is the 4th of July, a national holiday, a day to eat brats and apple pie and watch fire works and to think about George  and Martha Washington, and enjoy a day off work. One of the mammals in Schoolscraft State Park was not participating in a typical 4th of July. One of the mammals in this park was thinking about nutrition at all costs.

We have one trash receptacle at this park and it was a mess. There is a cable holding the lid down with a cable (to prevent racoons and bears from taking trash) and it is still attached but trash is everywhere. Either someone left the cable off the trash overnight and a bear got into the garbage or the bear crawled on top of the trash receptacle and bounced on it until the plastic lid bent at the edges, In either scenario a bear got into the trash and made a big mess that I cleaned up. I was unable to get the trash lid back into place but was able to put the trash back in, including a half of a can of diced pineapple. Bears don't like pineapple? I guess this bear didn't like pineapple. I never heard a thing and the trash receptacle was only a 4 minute walk away from my tent. 

As a final farewell the bear left a pile of scat as evidence of the crime.

Day Three

This friendly little chipping sparrow comes every day and methodically skips around my camping spot looking for treats. I don't bother the chipping sparrow and the chipping sparrow doesn't bother  me. If I stand still the sparrow will skip right in front of my shoe. After a thorough inspection of the camping site the sparrow skips off onto the duff in the forest. I have come to like this little bird. On day three of my volunteer job as campsite host the campgrounds were very busy and supplies were getting low. When we noticed the wood pile was out of wood Offspring #2 and I went into the locked DNR garage and got six more bundles and set them out. When we noticed the toilet paper in the vault toilets were low we set a new roll in each one. Later we met the woman who has the job of filling the wood supply and cleaning the toilets. She thanked us for helping and stayed to chat for a while. She was very generous and friendly. She offered me the opportunity to take showers or do laundry at her place. She lives on the Mississippi River and she allows people who are paddling the entire length of the river the same thing. She even has a bunkhouse for them to sleep overnight. The people in the campground were fairly quiet but at night we could hear fireworks in the distance. These were prolonged fireworks like the kind a city might offer. The closest towns are Deer River, Cohasset and Grand Rapids.

 

Day Two

 I awoke on day two of my stay as campground host at Schoolcraft State Park tired. At one end of this small park is a side channel of the Mississippi River and in that shallow side channel lives an American bittern (nicknamed Swamp Pumper). This bittern first made itself known to me as I was walking on a path near the side channel. I was excited to hear it. Even though my campsite is a ten minute walk away from the side channel I was excited to hear it at 9 p.m. With every passing hour I was less excited to hear the swamp pumper. The bittern talked all night long only to be interrupted by several loon calls. I had a few questions today. One lady needed to buy an annual state park pass. I didn't have any to sell to her. I suggested she could buy one at Scenic State Park. I also learned that if you leave the $35 in an envelope at the kiosk, a state park pass will be mailed to your address.  Later a couple approached me because the man beside them in campsite #9 was having trouble. He is an elderly gentleman with impaired gait and speech. He needed their assistance to assemble his tent. Now he lost his car keys. Had anyone turned in a set of car keys? No one had given me any car keys. As Offspring #2 and I went walking on the paths we kept our eyes peeled for a set of car keys. Later than evening we saw a Locksmith van drive by. I guess the man in campsite #9 can now get into his car.

Day One

 I signed up to be a campground host this month at Schoolcraft State Park. Schoolcraft was actually my third choice. My first choice was Tettegouche and my second choice was Bear Head State Park but they didn't respond. So here I am. Last November I lived for a month in Fort Adams State Park but that was way different than Schoolcraft. At Fort Adams I was in Navy housing. I had my own bedroom and Wi-Fi connection. Here I am in a tent at a park with pit toilets and no showers. I plan to go home in the middle of the week to take showers and do laundry and cook meals on a stove. I do like camping. So far as the host I have only gotten one question. The question was if they could borrow my electricity because they had an inflatable mattress that needed electricity to inflate. I said they could use the electricity. I had to laugh because they had what looks like a four person tent. Once their mattress was inflated it looked like a king sized mattress. I had to chuckle as I watched they try to get it inside of their tent. I think it covers their entire floor.  I took several walks today. This camp ground lies on the Mississippi River. I paused to look at the river for a few minutes. Out of the corner of my right eye I caught sight of a bird as it left a branch. The bird flew fast towards the water. As it hit the half way mark I noticed it was a belted kingfisher. That bird flew as fast as it could into the water with a little splash. The bird was completely submerged. I don't know why that surprised me. How else can a kingfisher catch fish unless they go underwater. They don't scoop them up like a pelican or skim the surface like a black skimmer. After two seconds the belted kingfisher flew off with a fish in it's mouth that looked shiny and about an inch and a half in length. That was cool to see a kingfisher catch it's snack right in front of me like that. A red eyed vireo is in the aspen tree right by me and has been talking constantly ever since I got here. This park is nice because it is small and diverse. Besides big pines it also has aspens and oaks. As host I have a few duties. I was given a book to read and also supplies such as toilet paper, plastic bags, gloves, a first aid kit, maps, bug spray, tick gaiters, a safety vest and a DNR hat to wear. Best of all they left me a good supply of firewood and kindling. I am all set.