Today is a rest day sort of, we went kayaking this afternoon
in the Tobin Harbor. We paddled 6 miles
to the end of the Tobin Harbor and back.
It was awesome, quiet, serene and beautiful. The only sounds were the waves crashing
against our boat and the loons that followed us along the way. I thought I got pretty good at replicating
their sound but Steve strongly disagrees.
I’m posting a couple of pictures that were from our kayak. Some of you commented on the blog that you were
seeing Isle Royale through our eyes so I thought it was appropriate to include
the front end of the Kayak in the pics.
I also am writing about some of the history that we have
learned while we are here; tons to talk about.
Today we met our new next door neighbor out on our deck and he has been
coming here for over 25 years, very interesting listening to the excitement in
his voice about the history of the island. I know I mentioned some of this in
an earlier blog but wanted to give you the whole story.
Isle Royale in early 1921 was already a vacation-land with
several lodges and scores of summer homes.
Who would protect Isle Royale and its wilderness beauty? Enter Albert Stoll, Jr. who visited Isle
Royale in September 1921.
Albert Stoll Jr. was the Outdoor editor for the Detroit News. It was through a series, which Stoll began
writing in December 1931 that pushed the idea that Isle Royale should be a
wilderness park. Mr. Stoll was move by
the islands natural beauty and thought the island should be protected from
further exploration and preserved for all people to enjoy. He called the Isle Royale “practically the
only bit of unspoiled nature east of the Mississippi” Albert Stoll Jr. recognized the spiritual
value of Isle Royale far outweighed it’s material resources, in terms of
gaining support, so he crafted his articles to promote this idea. Stoll’s articles and convictions continued to
make an impact from 1921 to 1930, generating public support which led to the
establishment of Isle Royale National Park.
One of his articles happened to find its way to a very important desk,
that of Stephen Mathers, director of the National Park Service. After reading Stoll’s article, Mathers
decided he was right and took this thought to the Park Conference, a group
created to screen potential national parks.
It would take until 1931, however, for Albert Stoll, his dream of Isle
Royale NP to come true.
As we walked the Stoll trail a couple of days ago, we looked
around at the Natural beauty and wilderness that surrounded us. In the back of our mind we remembered that
our enjoyment of the trail is a living tribute to one man’s devotion and
accomplishment. Thank you Albert Stoll
Jr.
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