Newsletter
September 2014 Volume 28 Issue 2
Schroeder Area Historical Society
Ojibwe Treasures
Excerpt from A Life in Two Worlds by Betty
Powell Skoog and Justin Kerfoot
By Linda Lamb
On Saganagons we were still more remote. A
priest came to our place by plane once.
Grandpa met him with a gun. We were never
bothered again. There was a time when the
Betty Powell Skoog raised her family in Schroeder and
Tofte with her husband Ken. She was born and grew up Canadian government made an attempt to
in Ontario, Canada on Saganagons Lake. Betty’s life in take the youngsters from the wilderness and
the bush is remembered in her book, A Life in Two
put them in a Catholic boarding school in
Worlds, written with Justine Kerfoot. The
Port Arthur– Fort William.
Schroeder Area Historical Society cares
There they would be taught to
for the wonderful collection of clothing
read and to write. My grandpa
made by Betty’s mother and grandwasn’t going to let anyone take
mother. The clothing and other everyday
his grandchildren away. He met
items are on display at Cross River Heritthose planes with a gun too.
age Center.
Janette and I used to run and
The moose hide moccasins were creathide when we heard a plane
ed by Betty Powell Skoog’s grandma,
come in for fear someone was
Aquayweasheik. Betty’s mother,
after us.
Betty Powell Skoog, Bernie and Carol Spencer and
Leona and Tom Scherer share Ojibwe art and treasures
Tempest Powell created her deer hide
jacket. Betty remembers going moose
There were no more encounters
hunting with her grandma. Betty says
with the priests and the Canadishe got scared when she heard the
an government eventually ofmoose blow water out of his nose when Betty’s deer hide jacket made by
fered a correspondence course
her mother.
they hunted near the Beaver River by
if it was desired. I never had any
Saganagons Lake. Her grandma got her young bull
formal schooling, other than correspondence
moose. They ate moose all winter. They canned the
moose and it was stored under their cabin. Betty never courses from the government. My grandpa
tried his best to help me with them but he
tasted domesticated meat until she moved away from
had only a third grade education and really
her home.
didn’t believe much in school. He was sure I
would grow up to be a trapper the rest of my
life and live in the woods.
Betty says she wished
her grandma would
have had glasses when
she was older. Aquayweasheik, her grandma
had a hard time seeing
her beadwork in her
older years.
Betty loved to wear this belt made by her mother.
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Schroeder Area Historical Society
(Continued from page 1)
The Spencers
When Bernie and Carol attended medical meetings
across the United States, gifts to their hosts reflected
Minnesota’s Native American culture; bolo ties, wild
rice and maple syrup.
Long time seasonal North Shore residents Carol and
Bernie Spencer are collectors. Lucky for Cross River
Heritage Center the Spencer’s collections also included artifacts related to their life long interest in Native
American culture. SAHS is fortunate to have a display
case filled with jewelry and other Native American
items. This collection spans more than 7 decades of
collecting Ojibwe and other Native American treasures.
Spencer’s purchased a beaded pouch at Mille Lacs.
When they got home and looked closely at the pouch,
they discovered this second, smaller pouch inside the
larger pouch.
The Scherers
This brown and gold necklace was purchased in
Grand Portage in 1970. It is a beautiful piece of
jewelry. The beadwork is backed with smoked moose
hide. After all these years, the necklace retains a
strong, smoky, smell.
Former SAHS board member Leona Scherer and her
husband Tom are also collectors. They started collecting Ojibwe items when they purchased their home in
Schroeder. They wanted to have Ojibwe pieces in their
new home because they appreciated Native American
culture and art. The Scherers enjoyed taking friends
and family to Rendezvous Days and purchased many
items during these visits to Grand Portage.
In their travels across the United States, Bernie and
Carol visited many Native American reservations and
museums. While their niece and nephew worked as
missionaries at the Navaho and Hopi reservations in
the Southwest, Bernie and Carol spent a week with
them. They traveled the Trail of Tears and took a 10
day trip visiting Indian reservation grave yards.
Carol and Bernie introduced their children to Native
American museums and pow-wows where the boys
enjoyed dancing and drumming. For their grandchildren’s trip to Rendezvous Days in Grand Portage, Carol created Native American clothing that she beaded
in the Ojibwe design. To add to the regalia, Bernie
bought doe skin and made moccasins which Carol
beaded.
Three of Leona’s quill boxes are on display at CRHC.
Two were purchased at Grand Portage and one was
found at an estate sale in the Twin Cities.
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Schroeder Area Historical Society
John Schroeder Day August 16, 2014
John Schroeder is the namesake of Schroeder.
Although John never lived in Schroeder, his company logged white pine and sent the logs shooting
down the Cross River. John Schroeder is a day for
fun and celebrating Schroeder history.
Venders are part of John Schroeder day fun. Linda
Christensen bakes bread, preserves pickles, beans and
jams. Her husband Larry takes care of the money and
tips his hat to the photographer.
Beer and Wine Tasting Thursday September 25
6:30 pm — 8:30 pm
Tickets in advance $25
Deonn Cicak, dressed in sawyer’s regalia, leads a
group to the Cicak sawmill tour.
Tickets at the door $30
Opening Party June 6, 2014
Bill Christ and Beryl Bissell enjoy CRHC ‘s first
event of the season. Bill must have had a really
good time. He is a new board member for the
Schroeder Area Historical Society.
Cross River Heritage Center Opening Party on
June 6, 2014. Barb Livdahl, Orlene Fisher, Deonn Cicak, Judy Gregg and Kate Griffith are the
kitchen crew.
In 2013 Volunteers worked 4000 Hours and
Cross River Heritage Center had 8000 visitors.
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Schroeder Area Historical Society
SUMMER NEWS
What’s Happening at SAHS
Community Feast and Annual Meeting at Schroeder Town Hall June 14 , 2014
Grand Portage Elder Billy Blackwell Speaker
Alta McQuatters, Schroeder Area Historical Society board member served as a Schroeder
area historian for Grand Portage elder Billy
Blackwell when he spoke at the Schroeder Area Historical Society Community Feast and
Annual Meeting June 14 at the Schroeder
Town Hall. Blackwell wanted to focus his talk
about the Anishinabe life in the west end of
Cook County where Alta grew up.
White Sky
2014 Cross River Quilters Raffle
Schroeder Area Historical Society board member Alta McQuatters cross stitched five squares
of dreamcatchers with feathers for the 2014
Cross River Quilters Raffle. Alta is pictured
above with the finished creation. The wall panel
is called “White Sky” in honor of Alta’s grandfather, White Sky. White Sky and his ancestors
lived in the area now called Lutsen.
The Cross River Quilters created the complementary quilted background of the wall panel.
Raffle tickets are now on sale at Cross River
Heritage Center for $2. The raffle drawing will
be held on November 22 at 2 pm when Cross
River Heritage Center opens for a one day celebration with krum kake, lefse and a holiday
sale.
Ojibwe translation of local rivers
Tchi bai a ta go Zibi – Cross River
Ga Mana Za di kea Zibi — Poplar River
Kawin bash - Temperance River
Blackwell explained the very old trails of the
west end that went to fur trading posts of Lake
Vermillion, Rainy Lake and other northern
sites. History shows Pork Bay, on the Lake
and Cook County line, was a major ancient
trail. The Pork Bay trail near Caribou River
was very wide. Caribou River was named for
Swamper Caribou. A townsite called Saxton
was platted nearby in 1854.
“The rivers of the west end had Indian names,”
according to Blackwell. Cross River was
named” Tchi bai a ta go Zibi” meaning the
ghost river referring to where Father Baraga
landed carrying the cross of Jesus. Cross River
was also known as “Ka do dosha bo Zibing” or
Milk River. The waterfalls looked like soaring
milk or the color of waves. The Temperance
River was called “Kawin bash” or deep hollow.
“Ga Mana Za di kea Zibi” means the place of
the Balm of Gilead poplar, known as the Poplar River near Lutsen.
Alta McQuatters’ relatives lived in the area of
Lutsen. Ojimigeezik had five trapping shacks
with thirty miles of trap line. He died in 1923.
Blue Sky was his brother. A large white stone
up the Caribou road was named for White Sky,
Alta McQuatters’ grandfather. Ruth Gesick was
Alta’s mother. Alta continues the trapping and
hunting tradition.
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Schroeder Area Historical Society
Tenth Lundie Tour July 12, 2014 The tenth Lundie/ Vacation Home
Tour had 130 guests including
home owners, architects and designers. The Lundie Tour guests
enjoy supper at the Olson cabin on
the image to the left.
Architectural detail is the hallmark of Edwin Lundie . Get out your magnifying glass and see architect Dale Mulfinger reflected in the left window.
Lundie Tour photographs are courtesy of Sandy Maxwell.
Morgan L’Argent and his uncle Gregory Page
began their Lundie Tour with a tour of Cross
River Heritage Center.
The 2015 Schroeder Area Historical Society exhibit will feature
North Shore Resorts. If you can
loan an interesting resort artifact
or photograph with history or
share a story please call Cross
River Heritage Center at 663–
7706.
Book Signing at CRHC September 27 at 1pm
Dr. Linda LeGarde Grover
will be at Cross River Heritage Center on
Saturday September 27, 2014 at 1 pm for
a book signing of The Dance Boots and
The Road Back to Sweetgrass.
Correction : In the May 2014 Schroeder Area Historical Society Newsletter the lead article writer of the
Ojibwe Faces and Stories, Dr. Linda LeGarde Grover,
had her last name misspelled.
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Schroeder Area Historical Society
Talking Sky: Ojibwe Constellations as a Reflection of Life on the Land
By Carl Gawboy and Ron Morton
We know who we are and so do the stars Penesi,
1915 In Jones Ojibwe Texts
A daylight Talking Sky is depicted in Travis Novitsky’s work, Pigeon River Paradise (above). It was
in the CRHC July Art exhibition.
Carl Gawboy and Ron Morton presented a fascinating program about their book, Talking Sky at Cross
River Heritage Center on August 17. Carl was the
featured artist in the CRHC August Gallery.
The Ojibwe constellations of the four seasons include the Wintermaker (Orion). The fall sky is dominated by the Moose (expands around Pegasus). The
spring is dominated by The Curly Tail: The Great Panther which includes Regulus. The summer is dominated by Nanaboujou and is related to the Scorpio
constellation.
Gawboy taught Native American Astronomy as a professor of American Indian Studies at College of St.
Scholastica in Duluth, Minnesota. Teaching a class
at the College of St. Scholastica in Native American
Astronomy was the result of 25 years of his own reTravis Novitsky’s images are now in the Cross River
search. Ron Morton is a professor emeritus in the
Heritage Center gift shop.
Department of Geological Sciences at the University
of Minnesota Duluth.
CRHC Artist Gallery Schedule
Memberships
Memberships are important to support our
community and the work of the Schroeder
Area Historical Society. Memberships run
from January 1 through December 31.
Thank you for supporting the work of
SAHS.
September—Artists Gallery
Trish Hunter, Tim Ostroot, Mary Jane Huggins,
Kathleen Gray Anderson, Dave DeGree
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Schroeder Area Historical Society
Schedule of 2014 Events at Cross River Heritage Center
September 25
Wine and Beer Tasting Fundraiser 6:30 pm – 8:30 pm Tickets at Gift Shop $25
September 27
Linda Grover Book signing The Road Back to Sweetgrass and The Dance Boots October 18
Closing Day
November 22
Holiday Sale and Quilt Drawing 10:00 – 2:00 pm
Beer and Wine Tasting Thursday September 25, 2014
6:30 pm — 8:30 pm
Tickets in advance $25
Tickets at the door $30
Memberships
Annual Memberships: run from January 1 to December 31
_____ Renewing Member_____ New or Gift Membership
______ Annual Membership $25
_________Donation
Name:___________________________________
Master Card ____ Visa ____
Address: _________________________________
Card # ______________________________ _
City: _____________________________________
Ex Date: _________
State: ___________ Zip Code: _______________
E-mail: ___________________________________
Please make checks to : SAHS
Telephone : _______________________________
Your membership is important to us.
Please mail your membership to:
Schroeder Area Historical Society (SAHS)
P.O. Box 337
Schroeder, Minnesota 55613.
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Non-Profit Org.
U.S. POSTAGE
PAID
Schroeder, MN
Permit No. 1
CRHC Director: Suzan From
SAHS Board of Directors
President: :Linda Lamb
Vice-President:: Deonn Cicak
Treasurer: Jim Tveekrem
Secretary: Barb Livdahl
Linda Lamb (Newsletter Editor)
Judy Brisky
Bill Christ
Orlene Fisher
Judy Gregg
Kate Griffith
Peter Juhl
Steve Lukas
Alta McQuatters
Spencer Motschenbacher
Dory Spence
Steve Schug
Mission
The mission of the Schroeder Area Historical Society located in the
Cross River Heritage Center is to research, document, record, and preserve the unique history of the Schroeder area.
Volunteers are the foundation of the work at Cross
River Heritage Center. Call
218-663-7706 to volunteer.
Beer and Wine Tasting
SAHS goals are to:

Collect local artifacts and oral histories and preserve them appropriately.
Thursday September
25, 2014

Develop and present exhibits that will inform and engage visitors.
6:30 pm – 8:30 pm

Provide insight and reference for future generations

Build community
Cross River Heritage
Center

Partner with other local organizations

Ensure financial solvency

Maintain a strong corps of active volunteers.
Tickets at Gift Shop
$25 in advance
$30 at the door
See SAHS website at www.crossriverheritage.org
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