Fishy Business
I’m from Minnesota. While my parents weren’t Scandinavian, many of my classmates were. In my high school class of 400, there were 29 Andersons, Johnsons (pronounced “yawn-son”) and Petersons. And the best man in my wedding was a Hendrickson from my class.
I was reminded of all those Swedes and Norwegians during a photographic trip last year. I was in Grand Marias, Minnesota, on the far North Shore of Lake Superior.
Nordic immigrants settled in Minnesota during the late 19th century. Some knew the land and came to farm. Others brought their fishing skills and settled along the lake.
Norwegian immigrants pose for a picture on the passenger and freight steamer America sometime between 1900 and 1910. They are on Lake Superior with Duluth is in the background. Photo courtesy of the Northeast Minnesota Historical Center, Duluth,
The first commercial fishing on Lake Superior began in the 1880s. By the 1920s, there was a thriving fishing community. More than 270 commercial fishermen and their families lived along the North Shore. Eighty to 90 percent of this group were Norwegian Americans. They sold their fish to the A. Booth Packing Company, headquartered in Chicago at the intersection of Lake and State streets.
Commercial fishermen along Lake Superior’s North Shore. https://northernwilds.com/lake-superiors-historic-maritime-locations/
Lake Superior proved to be challenging, even for those used to fishing the Norwegian coast. Storms appeared with very little warning and there were very few safe harbors.
The fishermen worked out of small fish houses, where they kept their nets and other equipment. Old nets were dried on net reels and new nets were seamed during slow periods. Corks were oiled and dried. And in good weather, rope and cord were laid out to dry.
Fishing proved to be difficult and not very lucrative. Catering to tourists became a way to supplement their income. Many of the North Shore’s original resorts were mom-and-pop operations operated by commercial fishing families.
As time went on, commercial fishing dwindled, but tourism thrived. Some of the original fish houses where the old timers worked either survived or have been recreated for historical displays in the area.
The Shot
Our group was north of Grand Marais at the ghost town of Hovland. We walked out on the old Hovland dock. It’s the last remaining vintage commercial dock on the Lake. Looking back towards shore, we saw a 21st century version of a Norwegian fantasy.
It was a 28-year-old, 618 square foot home that looked like an old Norwegian fish house. I could only imagine drinking coffee in the morning overlooking the lake through the picture window. And with a price of over $300,000, I was limited to imagining.
Despite being there in July, it was in the 50s that evening. The mosquitos were hunkered down, so we could take our time. A touch of low-level illumination helped bring out the home and its color.
The wispy, far edges of the Milky Way cut diagonally from top center towards the bottom left. And to the right of the Milky Way, we could see the Andromeda galaxy. At 2.5 million light years away, it’s the furthest visible object we can see.
You betcha, it was a wonderful night.
I’m taking the 16th and 23rd off for the holidays. The next Friday Photo will be December 30th.
Thanks for looking,
Chuck Derus