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Ely, Minnesota:Be like Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz: Bears and wolves and neutrinos and Root Beer

Ely, Minnesota acts as the doorway into the Boundary Waters Canoe Area, which extends over the Canada-USA borders.  A museum in Ely celebrates the life of one remarkable woman, Dorothy Molter, a.k.a. The Root Beer Lady.  For over fifty years she lived on the Isle of Pines Resort on Knife Lake.  A registered Nurse she tended to the physical and mental needs of the canoeists who visited her.  She provided food, lodging, and her famous root beer, bottling over 11,000 bottles per year.  For many years canoeists would come to see her while they paddled the lakes of Northern Minnesota.

In 1964 the Wilderness Act condemned and purchased her property by the United States Forest Service.  A cry of protest arose among the thousands of her friends whom she had befriended.  The US government allowed her tenancy for her lifetime.  But she could no longer run her business as a resort.  She continued to make her root beer and gave it to the thirsty: a two-bottle limit.  She also provided shelter for those who wanted it.  Of course there was no charge.  But in return for her kindness, everyone left a monetary donation.  This allowed here to live the life she was accustomed to live.

She had no electricity.  She lived thirty miles from the nearest road.  She traveled to Ely for supplies by canoe in the summer over four portages.  During the winter, she could use a snowmobile.   Snowmobile usage stopped when The Forest Service banned motors in the Boundary Waters.  She cooked with wood and occasionally propane, when she was supplied.  She made thousands of Christmas Tree Ornaments, which she gave out as presents.  In return her friends painted paddles for her which she used as a fence.  She hauled in topsoil so she could plant flowers, an unusual sight upon the island.  She continued to bottle her Root Beer.

One great story about The Root Beer lady is that she had a dog who loved to chase sea planes.  One day it got too close to one of the propellers.  Both the prop and the dog's jaw were broken.  The pilot was going to destroy her dog, but Dorothy Molter said, "No!. I am a nurse and I will take care of him."  She made a splint out of birch bark and attached it to the dog's jaw.  After a few weeks, the dog's jaw was healed.  From that time onward, it had a slighly crooked jaw and never chased planes again.  The propeller is on display at the museum.

Upon her death in 1986 at the age of 79, her many friends from Ely took her cabins and all of her possessions and created the Dorothy Molter Museum in Ely.  They continue to produce her root beer, the profits going to the upkeep of the museum.  A trip to Ely demands a visit to Dorothy Molter Museum.  Expect to spend two hours there, being awed by this fascinating woman.  While there buy a six-pack of her root beer.

A couple of blocks away are the International Wolf Center.  Learn about the importance of wolves and their interaction with humanity.  A major exhibit, Wolves and Humans, is undergoing reconstruction.  Enclosed on a two-acre site, six wolves live and interact with each other and with humans.  Presently there are two adult Arctic wolves and four younger timber wolves.  All have been raised in captivity and have been socialized with humans since puppyhood before being introduced to the pack.  A viewing window allows the visitors and wolves to interact with each other.

Many programs are available for the public.  Movies are shown hourly in the theater.  Talks by docents are given before the viewing area.  The staff tries hard to combat the many prejudices we have about wolves and their behavior.  Feeding is done on Saturday evenings.  An additional charge is made to attend these feedings.  Workshops, behind the scenes tours, and summer day camps are also available.

On the opposite side of town is the North American Bear Center.  Their population consists of two male and one female black bears.  Ted, who is a bit overweight, loves to lounge in front of the viewing window and pose for pictures.  The other two are more reclusive.  The center goes out of its way to overcome the prejudices man has about the bear.  Forty-three video exhibits teach different bear behaviors, including cam cameras in their den, while they are hibernating.  The main movie shown in the theater is called, "The Man Who Walks with Bears".  It describes the years of dedication that Lynn Rogers, Ph.D. has made living and working with  black bears.  He has found them to be gentle giants and accept him as one of the family.  The Center has a children's area, an indoor and outdoor viewing area, hands-on activities.

A short distance from town is the Soudan Underground Mine State Park.  Journey ½ mile underground for a ninety minute tour of the mine and mining history and techniques.  Also take that same journey to explore the High Energy Physics Tour.

Soudan is Minnesota's oldest iron mine opening in 1882.  It is also the deepest going down ½ mile into the earth.  The visitor takes the same two-story elevator that the miners took to work the mines.  Tours of the mine are given hourly throughout the day.  The ambient temperature is 50 F. So bring a warm jacket and sturdy shoes.

The High Energy Physics Tour is a must for geeks.  Soudan was chosen by the University of Minnesota because of the lack of cosmic interference from other atmospheric particles, which occur on the surface.  About 2,400 feet underground this interference is greatly reduced.  Presently there are three experiments being conducted.  They are:

For twenty-five years The MINOS (Main Injector Neutrino Oscillation Search) Far Detector is a 6,000 ton particle tracking device that is observing neutrinos sent from Fermilab, which is near Chicago, almost 500 miles away. The goal of MINOS is to precisely determine mass differences among neutrinos, 3 of the 12 fundamental building blocks of matter.   They want to see if the neutrinos change during their journey.  They are divided into three types: electron neutrinos, muon neutrinos and tau neutrinos.  The scientists at Soudan isolate the muon neutrino from Fermi Lab, near Chicago and examine if the flavor has changed to tau or electron.  Another Far Detector is being built a distance away from Soudan to see if these neutrinos change the further they travel.

The CDMS 2 (Cryogenic Dark Matter Search) Detector operates at near absolute zero to seek traces of Weakly Interacting Massive Particles (WIMPs) that might comprise a significant fraction of Dark Matter. It is the coldest place on Earth.  This facility is not open to the public, because of the strict rules it must obey to keep at this temperature.  The theory is that the colder an object is the less movement.  When something is introduced to the object, the difference in movement shows a rise in temperature and so a certain weight.  This is very confusing to a mere mortal like myself, but speaks volumes to physicists.

LBCF (Low Background Counting Facility) now under installation at Soudan will provide a range of highly sensitive detectors, available for use by the science and engineering community for designing, testing, prototyping and calibrating scientific and technical apparatus.

Ely is a special place: a small name, but a big hearted town.  Come and enjoy the great North.  Be like Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz: Bears and wolves and root beer and neutrinos. Oh My!

About the Author

John Pelley is a Geriatric Gypsy.  He is retired from the rat race of working.  He is a  full-time RVer, who ran away from home.  He began our travels on the East Coast and, like the migrating birds, seek the warmth of the seasons  He has discovered volunteering with the National Park System.  He has a CD he has recorded of Native American flute music., A Day with Kokopelli. For pictures, links, and more information visit http://www.jmpelley.org.

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