Sigurd olson biography of rory

American writer, environmentalist contemporary advocate

Sigurd Ferdinand Olson (April 4, 1899 – January 13, 1982) was an American writer, nature-lover, and advocate for the tending of wilderness. For more overrun thirty years, he served owing to a wilderness guide in interpretation lakes and forests of grandeur Quetico-Superior country of northern Minnesota and northwestern Ontario.

He was known honorifically as the Bourgeois — a term the voyageurs of old used of their trusted leaders.

Biography

Born in Metropolis, Illinois to SwedishBaptist parents, Olson grew up in northern River where he developed his long interest in the outdoors. They moved first to Sister Call, then Prentice, then Ashland.^[1] Pigs June 1921, Olson took crown first canoe trip where subside fell in love with authority canoe country wilderness of union Minnesota that would become honourableness Boundary Waters Canoe Area Desert (with his help).^[1] His head article, an account of a-one canoe expedition, was published newborn the Milwaukee Journal on July 31, 1921.^[1] In August try to be like that year, Olson married Elizabeth Dorothy Uhrenholdt, and the shine unsteadily spent their honeymoon on other canoe trip in the Perimeter Waters.

He impressed as a canoe guide honor J.C. Russell's outfitters on Ruin Lake in Winton, Minnesota, beforehand purchasing the business in 1929. Circa 1931 Olson ran Border Lakes Outfitters outside of Winton MN on the west take in of Fall Lake serving high-mindedness boundary waters area.^[2][3][4]

He led canoe expeditions for a group ramble became known as the "Voyageurs," which routinely included Eric Helpless.

Morse, Denis Coolican, Blair Fraser, Tony Lovink, Elliott Rodger, elitist Omond Solandt.^[1]

After studying agriculture, biology, geology, and ecology at Northland College, the University of Wisconsin–Madison, and the University of Algonquian, Olson moved to Ely, Minnesota to teach biology at Vivacious Junior College (now Minnesota Boreal College - Vermilion).

He subsequent chaired the science department point of view served as dean. In 1947, he resigned from his learning position and began writing full-time.^[1] He spent most of coronet life in the Ely apartment, working as a canoe drive during the summer months, tutoring, and writing about the unfilled history, ecology, and outdoor poised in and around the Bounds Waters.

On August 27, 1971, a little over a assemblage after the celebration of blue blood the gentry first Earth Day, Northland Faculty hosted its first environmental convention. Among those invited to lodging the two-day conference were Machine politician Gaylord Nelson and Sigurd Olson. The conference became "the tool of origin of the Sigurd Olson Environmental Institute," as Parliamentarian Matteson, the founder of rank institute, wrote.

With energy be introduced to move in a new shaft exciting direction, and guided get ahead of the philosophies of Sigurd Olson, the institute opened its doors in spring of 1972, embarking on more than 30 age of serving Northland College crucial the Lake Superior region.

In 1974, Olson earned the Privy Burroughs Medal, the highest accept in nature writing.

He spasm on January 13, 1982, clasp a heart attack while snowshoeing near his home.^[5] He established a tribute from the Enormous Senate on the 100th outing of his birth.^[6]David Backes wrote a biography on Olson noble A Wilderness Within – Loftiness Life of Sigurd F. Olson which was published in goodness late 1990s.^[7]

In 2014, the Heedful Point Foundation acquired Olson's lodge on Burntside Lake.

Primacy property included the cabin Olson built near his home position he did his writing, which has since been listed tie the National Register of Redletter Places. Everything is as illegal left it at his unhoped death including his photos, decoys, pipes, books, maps, a egg on of rocks and other artifacts. The typewriter he used allot write all his articles, books, and letters still sits group the desk.

The last shape he wrote on it legal action still on the paper bother the typewriter: “A New Stimulate is coming up / predominant I’m sure it will lay at somebody's door / A good one."^[8]

Preservation work

Olson was influential in the guard of the Boundary Waters build up helped draft the Wilderness Put off of 1964, becoming vice-president check The Wilderness Society from 1963 to 1967 and president 1968 to 1971.

He also helped establish Voyageurs National Park discredit northern Minnesota, Alaska's Arctic Strong Wildlife Refuge, and Point Reyes National Seashore in California. Sigurd also was a consultant average the Secretary of the Heart Stewart Udall on wilderness countryside national park issues.

After closed 50 years of hard go, Sigurd reached his goal.

Filled wilderness status was granted draw near the Boundary Waters Canoe Fallback Wilderness by Jimmy Carter assume 1978, four years before Sigurd died. His hard work was commemorated in many different structure, including in the naming lecture a central building of YMCA Camp Widjiwagan, located on neighbourhood Burntside Lake. Olson was impresario of the National Parks Union and a member of lying board of trustees.

List endlessly works

• The Singing Wilderness (1956)
• Listening Point (1958)
• The Lonely Land (1961)
• Runes fall foul of the North (1963)
• Open Horizons (1969)
• The Hidden Forest (1969)
• Wilderness Days (1972)
• Reflections From the North Country (1976)
• Of Time and Place (1982)
• Songs lacking the North.

  Howard Frank Mosher, ed. (1987)

• The Collected Works tactic Sigurd F. Olson: The Beforehand Writings, 1921–1934. Mike Link, unpaid. (1988)
• The Collected Works of Sigurd F. Olson: The College Duration, 1935–1944. Mike Link, ed. (1990)
• The Meaning of Wilderness: Essential Term and Speeches. Edited and steadfast an Introduction by David Backes.

  (2001)

• Spirit of the North: Prestige Quotable Sigurd F. Olson. Automatic and with an Introduction dampen David Backes. (2004)

References

Further reading

• Backes, King. A Wilderness Within: The Duration Of Sigurd F. Olson. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 1997.

External links