December – Really
It is hard to actually think that Christmas will be here in about 2 week’s time. As I am looking out my window I see very little snow on the ground and the rain is coming down today making all travel on the side roads very treacherous. Staying up on the Gunflint Trail for the holiday is a bit less commercialized. You don’t get all the hustle and bustle that you see in the department stores in the major cities. It is actually very relaxed and peaceful this time of the year. I am a person that loves listening to Christmas music from the past decades: Perry Como, Judy Garland, Bing Crosby. That era must have been very fascinating to live in.
Can you also imagine living on the Gunflint Trail during those decades? This year our temporary exhibit was on “The Paper Trail” it showcased the era before technology came to the Gunflint Trail. When people would sit down and hand write journals each day and tell about their experiences. In these journals if there was a word not spelled correctly they would turn the pencil around and use the opposite end and try to erase the word or sometimes if they used a pen they would just cross out the word and write the correct spelling next to it. You didn’t have a delete or backspace button. In the exhibit we had a reservation book from Clearwater Lodge back when Jocko and Lee Nelson ran the resort, again everything was written in pencil.
I also reflect on people that are no longer in my life this time of year. During the holidays this is a great time to memorialize or honor someone that was or is close to you. I recently received a donation letter for the memory of Jan Mayer. Jan was using her father’s property (Noble Clark) on Saganaga Lake which he had bought back in the 1940’s. I had met Jan Mayer numerous times when I worked at Voyageur Canoe Outfitters. What a remarkable lady she was! I always loved seeing her smiling face when she came up to visit in the summer months. At Chik-Wauk Museum and Nature Center we have a special book that is on display in the museum that memorializes past residents of the Gunflint Trail. If you would like to either donate or renew your Gunflint Trail Historical Society membership in someone’s name you can follow the link to do so, http://www.gunflinttrailhistoricalsociety.org/join.php.
For the person that you are not sure what to buy for this holiday season how about a membership to The Gunflint Trail Historical Society. Your membership is truly an investment in the Gunflint Trail Historical Society and Chik-Wauk Museum and Nature Center. It will help ensure quality exhibits, facilities, and historic preservation. It means the world to us that in 10 years, we’ve able to amass 1000+ member supporters! Thank you for your endorsement of the work we do and for helping Chik-Wauk Museum and Nature Center grows and thrives. We can’t do our work without your support. Thank you, thank you!
Happy Holiday Season!