I was digging thru some old files I had saved this evening and found this and thought I'd share.  I miss Quetico, been 18 years since my last visit.  I dug into an old folder on my tank "PC".  Not sure what to do with all the files and pics I have saved.   Probably 4 or 5 thousand pdf files and another 50k pics.  Anyways,  If you guys/gals like these old things let me know I'll post more as time passes.
Enjoy the read.
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Filling the Blank Spots on the Map
By  Chuck Rose
As Lewis and Clark traveled the Upper Missouri, they named inflowing streams and lakes after their relatives, party members, or girlfriends.  When they ran out of girlfriends, they named rivers after politicians (President Jefferson and other supporters).  The streams had native names, of course, but they were recording the land for the first time for their culture; identifying the landmarks was essential. However, few of the names survive on subsequent maps due to the long delay in printing their journals.  French-Canadian explorers like La Verendre faced a similar problem when traveling through the Quetico-Superior and used a similar solution.  Lakes were given descriptive names (Rainy Lake for the mist at its waterfall outlet), named for their shapes, to honor sponsors, and for girlfriends. On a 1975 canoe trip on Lake of the Woods, my troop had a similar problem.  Most of the islands had no names at least on the map, so (lacking girlfriends) we named the islands after ourselves.  Filling the blank spots on the maps was important to all kinds of people. During written history, several cultures have come and gone in the Quetico-Superior canoe country. The first natives recorded were the Dakota (called Sioux by their enemies) who yielded the unproductive but picturesque land to the Cree and Ojibway in the 18th century who had moved in from the east.  There were a number of skirmishes in the area, but the Dakota seemed to give up the area much more quickly than other areas such as central Minnesota.  The Ojibway were armed with fur trade rifles, but to some that explanation is insufficient. Forest ecologists Clifford and Isabel Ahlgren speculate that the huntingculture Dakota were dependant on large prey such as caribou, moose and deer.  The forest shifted to large pines that were less suitable to those deer; the Ojibway culture was better adapted to the new landscape.  The Ojibway were more mobile hunter-gatherers and preferred birch bark covered wigwams to Dakota hide covered teepees. Since native tribes did not have a written language, their maps were mainly mental, names were passed on by oral tradition  As a result, their lake names were often long and descriptive.  Batchewaung is
Ojibway for “a current going through narrows.”  Kahshahpiwi translates to “the lakes flows through continuously,”  another translation says “long, narrow lake with high cliffs.”  Even Ojibway language experts have trouble translating current names as the sounds to European ears and the spellings
are not always accurate. Voyageur names still dot the map and define the fur trade routes.  Deux Riveres (two rivers),  and Maligne (bad) are some examples.  Many place names are English versions of earlier names including Knife Lake (after the hard, fine grained rock that was quarried by the natives for cutting tools), Curtain Falls was “rideau” in French.  As different cultures moved through, the map names changed.  One of the next groups to leave their mark was the loggers. Many of the small lakes away from the main canoeing routes needed names so everyone involved could communicate.  It’s possible that some of the female lake names (Alice, Bernice, Fran and others) came from the wives and girlfriends of these isolated men.  The Quetico Park also honored World War I soldiers by naming (off the beaten path) lakes after them.  Examples include Devine, Fluker, Montgomery, Belaire, Tubman, Tario, and Wilbur.  Bush pilots are represented
Some Lake Name meanings and origins Amik - Ojibway for Beaver Bitchu - Cree for Lynx Blackstone - Leader of the last permanent residents of the Quetico, at the mouth of the Wawiag River.  He died in 1919 trying to get help when the Ojibway group suffered an influenza epidemic. In the spring, the few survivors were moved to the Lac La Croix reservation. Cutty and Sark - a fast sailing clipper or maybe after the whiskey named for the ship. Kawnipi - Ojibway for where there are cranberries. Keewatin - Ojibway for where the north wind blows from. Chatterton, Keats, Shelley  -  18th19th century English poets. Pooh Bah, Ko Ko (Falls), Yum Yum - Characters in the Gilbert and Sullivan opera The Mikado. Nym - a character in Shakespeare’s Merry Wives of Windsor. Lac La Croix - translates from French to lake of the cross, explorer Sieur de la Croix drowned there in 1688. Tanner - after John Tanner, stolen as a young boy in Kentucky to take the place of a Shawnee mother’s dead son, he became famous by his Indian name “White Falcon.”  He was shot and left for dead on “his” lake, but was rescued by passing Voyageurs. Last, but not least Quetico - A name of uncertain origin, which one is correct?  I don’t know.  A. version of a Cree word for benevolent spirit  B. French for searching for route to Pacific “Quete de la cote”  C. Ojibway for “bad, dangerous”  D. short for Quebec Timber Company.
by Curtis, Ptolemy, Reid, and Swartman.  The Quetico also has a tradition of naming lakes after park personnel. Art, Atkins, Halliday, Payne, Lemay, Hurn, Buckingham, Dettbarn, Quinn, Rawn, and Valley were all Quetico rangers.  Naturalist Shan Walshe received this honor after his 1991 death.  A
Friends of the Quetico booklet states “This previously unnamed lake, remote, surrounded by stands of old pine at the end of difficult portages was the kind of place that Shan loved.”  Of course, naming lakes after plants, animals, and geologic features was also common. Local lore varies on how certain lakes were named.  Bill Magie was an Ely canoe guide, surveyor, and logger.  In the book Wonderful Country (edited by Charlie Guide David Olesen) Magie states: “One time, my boss told me, ‘Name some of those places!’  So, we did.  Hurn Lake, that’s named after Walter Hurn, the ranger at Kings Point. Jeff Lake is named after a ranger at Ottawa Island.  MacKenzie and Ferguson were surveyors that were
workin’ on the park survey. Delahey Lake-I was the guy started namin’ it Delahey.  Delahey was the head Quetico ranger then.  I wrote him one day, I says, ‘Why don’t you name some of those lakes?  There’s three or four right in the center of the park that haven’t got a name.’  Veron was his first name.  He named ‘em after himself!”  Well, he probably didn’t have a girlfriend.  Note: other sources say that Delahey’s first name was George. Depending on the map scale, there may not be room to print the names of all the  map features.  As a result, officially named lakes get additional names from paddlers including Charlie Guides. Lakes with double or even triple names from various sources include Darky/Spirit, Fishhook/Earl, Donna/Irene, Argo/Trout, Tuck/ Caribou, Brent/Infinity, Pine/Island/ Nym, and Sanctuary/Lemay/Jenny. There are probably a few wives and girlfriends in these mixtures.  When Charlie Guides first started traveling in Manitoba, many of the lakes were unnamed, at least on the map. So Lunch Lake became the name for the resting spot in the middle of the Obukowin chain of portages, Scout Lake is our float plane cache, Hot Dog is a long, skinny lake, and even though we don’t know the translation, Wapeskapek just seems like an endless lake.  The Manitoba program started in large part due to Real Berard’s canoe route maps.  In the Boundary Waters, we can travel on Lakes One, Two, and Three.  From his first maps on, Berard has predominantly used place names from the native Cree, Sasaginnigak Canoe Country or Katunigan Route.  “And doesn’t that sound better than a number for a lake?” he asks. References used: Lob Trees in the Wilderness by Clifford & Isabel Ahlgren, A Wonderful Country by Bill Magee, Lake Names of the Quetico Provincial Park published by The Friends of the Quetico Park, The Map Maker by Carole Bhakar and Judy Lord in Manitoba Nature magazine.
Calling All Seliga Owners Since many of Joe Seliga’s records were lost in his shop fire a few years ago, Dan Lindberg has been working with him to help reconstruct and update the current list of Seliga owners.  If you are one of them, you can forward your serial number and any historical information to: DAN_LINDBERG@udlp.com.
Reflections, page 11
Charles L. Sommers Alumni Association, Inc. 2000 Annual Membership Meeting Minutes The Annual Meeting of the membership of the Charles L. Sommers Alumni Association, Inc.; was held at the Charles L. Sommers National High Adventure Base, 14798 Moose Lake Road, Ely, Minnesota 55731; on the 2nd day of September A.D. 2000 at 1:30 P.M., pursuant to Article III, Section 2 of the Bylaws of the Corporation. The meeting was called to order by President Dave Hyink. There were approximately sixty members present. Members present and the properly executed proxies received constituted a quorum. President Hyink opened the meeting by reading the poem Up North, by Sam Cook, author and former canoe base participant. A moment of silence was taken to remember recently deceased members of the Sommers Family: Robert D. Banks, Sr., former canoe base committee chairman and SAA life member; Christopher D. Breen, former Northern Tier staff member; Edward B. Chapin, longtime canoe base committee member and SAA charter life member; Esther Hanson, summer canoe base resident, wife of former director Cliff Hanson and mother of former staff members Bruce, Dale and Lorri Hanson. Election of Directors - Chuck Rose, Pat Cox and Dave Greenlee. The nominating committee submitted the following candidates to fill
the expiring terms on the board of directors: Barry Bain, Leroy Heikes, Lynn Reeve, Allen Rench, Linnea Renner and Brian Vollmer-Buhl. The membership elected Lynn Reeve, Allen Rench, Linnea Renner and Brian Vollmer-Buhl to serve as directors of the association until the 2003 A.D., annual meeting of the membership. Treasurer’s Report - Nigel Cooper. The association is able to meet its financial obligations. The association is working with the Northern Tier National High Adventure committee on fiscal management of the seasonal staff scholarships. Membership Committee Report - Butch Diesslin. Association membership as of September 2 was 432 members, about a 8% increase over the past year. Members are asked to encourage membership of their alumni contemporaries. President’s Report - Dave Hyink President Hyink stressed the importance of more members becoming active as the association’s support initiatives are expanded. President Hyink encouraged all members to participate in the Crossing Portages giving program. President Hyink highlighted the increase in the number of “hits” to (You need to Login or Register to view media files and links). Dave emphasized the value of the Sandy Bridges Memorial Training Fund in augmenting the seasonal staff training. It was agreed that the Bridges Training fund be perpetuated. It was agreed that the Bridges Training fund should be used to help cover expenses
for the staff visit to Old Ft. William, an appropriate resource book for each of the seasonal staff members, and support materials for the fur trade history program. The Northern Tier Seasonal Staff Scholarship Program, a joint effort with the Northern Tier Committee, is providing educational support for quality seasonal staff members. Dave encouraged members to participate in the Alumni Work Week and assist with Seasonal Staff Training. Bob “Red” Renner commented on how productive and how enjoyable the Work Week has been and encouraged others to join in the work and the fun. Members are encouraged to add their Miniature Paddle Brand to the display. OLD BUSINESS There were no items of Old Business. NEW BUSINESS Motion by Roger Clapp/Mark Nordstrom - that the alumni association spend up to $1,000 to begin building a fur trade era costume collection, for seasonal staff members to use in conjunction with the base’s Living History Program. Motion Carried. The motion was in response to Martin Sawinski’s request for such costumes and the cost burden on the seasonal staff members. The estimated cost of each costume is $150-200. Martin was thanked for his request. Motion by Bob Renner/Dave Greenlee - that a plaque identifying current alumni directors and officers be made and displayed at Sommers. Motion carried.
Motion by Pat Cox/Cyd Cooper - that a memorial plaque to Chris Breen be made and displayed at the Bissett base. Motion carried. Honorary Memberships. The members of the association approved Honorary memberships Chris Breen and Winnie Renner. Hedrick Awards. The directors of the association presented the George D. Hedrick Memorial Volunteer Service Award for 2000 to Dr. Dick Shank, an annual volunteer assistant with seasonal staff training, an association life member and a Northern Tier committee member. OTHER BUSINESS Mike Sawinski reported that there is renewed interest in using wood-canvas canoes by the summer staff. Mike said the Sommers base now has 5 wood-canvas canoes available for the staff to use and maintain. Mike would like Sommers to have 10-12 wood canvas canoes for staff use. Alumni members Larry Hanson and Chuck Rose are trying to make a database of all the canoes that have been made over the years by Joe Seliga. They would appreciate knowing the serial numbers and current owners of as many Seliga canoes as possible. ADJOURNMENT - There being no further business, the meeting adjourned at 2:57 P.M. The meeting was closed with a rousing chorus of “The Far Northland”. Blaine R. “Butch” Diesslin Association Secretary