The Quincy Mine operated in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula for nearly a century. Today, visitors can learn more about the copper boom and tour the mine in Hancock as one of the 22 Heritage Sites of Keweenaw National Historical Park. In this episode of Lake Superior Podcast, Walt Lindala and Frida Waara talk with Tom Wright, Quincy Mine Hoist Facilities Manager, about the fascinating industrial geohistory of the area and the crucial role copper played in the development of our country. 

Sponsored by Cafe Imports, a Minneapolis-based importer of fine, specialty green coffees. Independently owned and operated since 1993, Cafe Imports has been dedicated to decreasing its impact on the earth through renewable energy, carbon neutrality, and by supporting conservational efforts in places where quality coffee is grown and also, where quality coffee is consumed. Where does your coffee come from?

People have lived along Lake Superior since the glaciers retreated 10,000 years ago. For the last 500 years, the Anishinaabe have called the region home. Their history is rich with stories of hunting, gathering, fishing, and trading. Tim Cochrane knows many of those stories. He has spent his career with the National Park Service, beginning as a backcountry ranger, adding historian, anthropologist, and ultimately Superintendent to his experience. He has been a faithful steward of Superior’s history for over three decades. In this episode of the Lake Superior Podcast, Walt Lindala and Frida Waara talk with Tim about his work at Grand Portage National Monument and Isle Royale National Park and learn about his latest book, “Making the Carry.”

Brought to you by The National Parks of Lake Superior Foundation.

Sponsored by Cafe Imports, a Minneapolis-based importer of fine, specialty green coffees. Independently owned and operated since 1993, Cafe Imports has been dedicated to decreasing its impact on the earth through renewable energy, carbon neutrality, and by supporting conservational efforts in places where quality coffee is grown and also, where quality coffee is consumed. Where does your coffee come from?

George Morrison grew up a member of the Grand Portage Band of the Minnesota Chippewa Tribe in a rural fishing village on Lake Superior. The first highway opened from Duluth to the Canadian border at about the same time. As one of 12 children, life was a struggle, but George showed remarkable talent as an artist at an early age. George graduated from Grand Marais High School at the height of the depression. After high school, he went to the Minnesota School of Art, where he earned scholarships, including a Fulbright, which took him to New York City and Paris. His travels introduced him to some of the world's leading painters and sculptors. Their influence led him to become one of the country's leading Abstract Expressionists. 

In the mid-1970s, the lure of Lake Superior pulled him back to his homeland, where he finished his career at Red Rock and died in 2000. 

This spring, the United States Postal Service will release five of his most famous landscape paintings as a commemorative stamp. 

In this episode of the Lake Superior Podcast, Walt and Frida speak with George's only son, Briand Mesaba Morrison, and Anna Deschampe. Anna is Chief of interpretation at Grand Portage National Monument, so along with Briand, they are the perfect pair to tell the story of the life and art of George Morrison. 

Sponsored by Cafe Imports, a Minneapolis-based importer of fine, specialty green coffees. Independently owned and operated since 1993, Cafe Imports has been dedicated to decreasing its impact on the earth through renewable energy, carbon neutrality, and by supporting conservational efforts in places where quality coffee is grown and also, where quality coffee is consumed. Where does your coffee come from?

On March 20, 1900, life in Michigan’s Copper Country forever changed with the opening of the Calumet Opera House. As one of the first municipal theaters in the country, it attracted some of America’s finest actors and performers including Sarah Bernhardt, Harry Houdini, and John Philip Sousa. Now, as one of the 21 Heritage Sites of the Keweenaw National Historical Park, work is underway to celebrate that history and in this episode of the Lake Superior Podcast, Walt Lindala and Frida Waara talk with musician Penny Menze and Calumet Theatre President Dan Jamison about an upcoming concert on Saturday, March 5, with Nashville’s Gary Hannan and friends.

 Sponsored by Cafe Imports, a Minneapolis-based importer of fine, specialty green coffees. Independently owned and operated since 1993, Cafe Imports has been dedicated to decreasing its impact on the earth through renewable energy, carbon neutrality, and by supporting conservational efforts in places where quality coffee is grown and also, where quality coffee is consumed. Where does your coffee come from?

When it comes to storytelling, few writers in the Great Lakes have logged in as many words about the outdoors as Stephanie Pearson of Duluth, Minnesota. Her career began at Outside Magazine, where she was on the editorial staff for more than 13 years. Her assignments circled the globe, and her work has earned four Lowell Thomas Awards from the Society of American Travel Writers. Her book, "100 Great American Parks," will be published by National Geographic in May 2022. In this episode of the Lake Superior Podcast, she talks with Walt Lindala and Frida Waara about her research on the Apostle Islands for an upcoming story. 

Sponsored by Cafe Imports, a Minneapolis-based importer of fine, specialty green coffees. Independently owned and operated since 1993, Cafe Imports has been dedicated to decreasing its impact on the earth through renewable energy, carbon neutrality, and by supporting conservational efforts in places where quality coffee is grown and also, where quality coffee is consumed. Where does your coffee come from?

Lake Superior ranks as one of the planet's best snowmakers, and communities around the Lake celebrate winter with gusto. 

Snow and terrain make the region the perfect playground for a variety of marathons and festivals, including some of the nation's premier sled dog races: John Beargrease in Duluth, Minnesota; Apostle Islands in Bayfield, Wisconsin; Copper Dog in Calumet, Michigan; Tahquamenon County in Newberry, Michigan; and UP 200 in Marquette, Michigan. 

Since 1990, Michigan's central Upper Peninsula has hosted the UP 200 Sled Dog Championship. The trail begins in Marquette and stretches to Grand Marais and back running a bulk of the most remote 230 miles through Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore. 

In this episode of the Lake Superior Podcast, Walt Lindala and Frida Waara talk with Ross Anthony, a member of the Upper Peninsula Sled Dog Association Board of Directors. Ross will also be coordinating the race start and finish. 

The race begins Friday night, February 18, 2022, at 7 pm in downtown Marquette. 

Sponsored by Cafe Imports, a Minneapolis-based importer of fine, specialty green coffees. Independently owned and operated since 1993, Cafe Imports has been dedicated to decreasing its impact on the earth through renewable energy, carbon neutrality, and by supporting conservational efforts in places where quality coffee is grown and also, where quality coffee is consumed. Where does your coffee come from?

Some of Lake Superior's five National Parks are closed for the winter. But Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore has become one of the most visited winter recreation areas in the Great Lakes. Headquartered in Munising, Michigan,  Pictured Rocks is home to trails for snowshoeing, skiing, and snowmobiling. The park also ranks as one of the nation's premier ice climbing venues. Coming up February 9, the 30th annual Michigan Ice Fest—the longest-running ice-climbing event in the country—kicks off in Munising. Bill Thompson, climber, co-owner of Down Wind Sports, and event organizer, has been there from the beginning. In this episode of the Lake Superior Podcast, Bill shares why the event has grown from a handful of dedicated climbers to over a thousand participants, attracting some of the world's best climbers and those giving the sport a try for the very first time.

Sponsored by Cafe Imports, a Minneapolis-based importer of fine, specialty green coffees. Independently owned and operated since 1993, Cafe Imports has been dedicated to decreasing its impact on the earth through renewable energy, carbon neutrality, and by supporting conservational efforts in places where quality coffee is grown and also, where quality coffee is consumed. Where does your coffee come from?

We spend much of our daily lives indoors, and for a professional musician yearning for inspiration, the chatter and distraction of life can dull the creative process. For mid-west based Folk Musician David Huckfelt, his Artist-In-Residence stay at Isle Royale National Park made a difference in his songwriting. He shares his experience with Walt Lindala and Frida Waara, underlining the power of landscape and the power of song to fuel energy back into art and message. David is also the Lake Superior Podcast’s theme music composer and artist.

Sponsored by Cafe Imports, a Minneapolis-based importer of fine, specialty green coffees. Independently owned and operated since 1993, Cafe Imports has been dedicated to decreasing its impact on the earth through renewable energy, carbon neutrality, and by supporting conservational efforts in places where quality coffee is grown and also, where quality coffee is consumed. Where does your coffee come from?

Lighthouses have long been key to development and safety around the Great Lakes, guiding ships along nearly 11,000 miles of coastline. From the original 267 lighthouses constructed, more than 200 are still active. According to Lake Superior Magazine Circle Tour, 56 of those lighthouses are still operating on the Big Blue, each rich in history. Rock of Ages Lighthouse, located 22 miles from Minnesota and 4 miles out into western Lake Superior from Windigo Harbor at Isle Royale, ranks one of those legendary lights. Built in 1908—after two ships ran aground on the reef—it was one of Superior's most powerful. At 137 feet tall, the beam could be seen as far as 29 miles out. Since 2008, David Gerth has made it his mission to restore and preserve the Rock of Ages Lighthouse. He not only heads up the Preservation Society, but he's hands-on for the bulk of every summer along with a dedicated team of volunteers to diligently bring this light back to its glory. As Walt Lindala and Frida Waara learn, that job capitalizes "challenging." 

Sponsored by Cafe Imports, a Minneapolis-based importer of fine, specialty green coffees. Independently owned and operated since 1993, Cafe Imports has been dedicated to decreasing its impact on the earth through renewable energy, carbon neutrality, and by supporting conservational efforts in places where quality coffee is grown and also, where quality coffee is consumed. Where does your coffee come from?"

Learn about Michigan’s Isle Royale, the most remote national park in the Midwest, with Park Superintendent Denice Swanke.

Isle Royale's isolation and primitive wilderness have challenged humans for centuries. Ironically, today they have become Isle Royale’s main attractions. Accessible only by boat or seaplane, there’s a whole new wild world to explore when you do arrive.

Snow is falling at Isle Royale and the park has closed for the season, but that doesn’t mean work is done for the year on this remote archipelago.  

After her first full season at the park, Superintendent Denice Swanke shares with Walt Lindala and Frida Waara her plans for 2022, and a look back at what the summer—including a wild fire—brought to the islands.

Sponsored by Cafe Imports, a Minneapolis-based importer of fine, specialty green coffees. Independently owned and operated since 1993, Cafe Imports has been dedicated to decreasing its impact on the earth through renewable energy, carbon neutrality, and by supporting conservational efforts in places where quality coffee is grown and also, where quality coffee is consumed. Where does your coffee come from?"