@VisitElyMN HISTORY HIGHLIGHT
Text and imagery courtesy of the Dorothy Molter Museum
ISLE OF PINES & THE WILDERNESS ACT
When Dorothy first visited the Isle of Pines in 1930, the only way to get to Knife Lake was by canoe or float plane. Not much has changed in over 90 years except that float planes are only allowed in emergencies. The 15 mile trip from Moose Lake still requires physical labor to paddle the lakes and carry gear over five portages.
Winter travel required just as much preparation. Prior to the use of snowmobiles, there were three ways to get to Knife Lake in the winter: skis, snowshoes, or sled dog teams. In colder months, Dorothy would live in the winter cabin, located on the east end of the largest of the three islands.
In the spring, she would move over to the “summer island” and live in a tent cabin, renting out the winter cabin, along with other cabins located on another small island. There was no running water on the island so any drinking, cooking, or cleaning water had to be brought up from the lake. The “call of nature” was answered in the outhouse. There was also no electricity. Lights were either oil or propane. Refrigeration was provided by iceboxes filled with the ice, which had been cut in large blocks from the frozen lake during winter and hauled to the ice house.��
Cooking was done over a woodstove, which also provided heat. This meant that “bucking up wood” for the winter was an ongoing chore, and a lot of work. When Dorothy first moved to Knife Lake, communication from Isle of Pines to town was limited to mail, telegraph, or word-of-mouth, and would often take days. She was known to send grocery lists back to town with visitors who would then pass the
list on to someone else who may be traveling to see her soon. After the 1964 Wilderness Act was passed, Dorothy’s property was condemned and purchased by the US government. She was informed she could no longer live on Isle of Pines or rent the cabins as a resort, and was ordered to leave.
Click here to continue Dorothy’s Story online, or visit the Dorothy Molter Museum to learn in-person!
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