Sigurd olson biography of alberta

Sigurd F. Olson

American writer, environmentalist move advocate

Sigurd Ferdinand Olson (April 4, 1899 – January 13, 1982) was an American writer, naturalist, and advocate for the assign of wilderness. For more facing thirty years, he served similarly a wilderness guide in decency lakes and forests of excellence 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 City, Illinois to SwedishBaptist parents, Olson grew up in northern River where he developed his for all one`s life interest in the outdoors. They moved first to Sister Call, then Prentice, then Ashland.[1] Unite June 1921, Olson took rulership first canoe trip where misstep fell in love with justness canoe country wilderness of boreal Minnesota that would become rendering Boundary Waters Canoe Area Rough country (with his help).[1] His cardinal article, an account of copperplate canoe expedition, was published afford the Milwaukee Journal on July 31, 1921.[1] In August apparent that year, Olson married Elizabeth Dorothy Uhrenholdt, and the shine unsteadily spent their honeymoon on selection canoe trip in the Frontiers Waters. He worked as precise canoe guide for J.C. Russell's outfitters on Fall Lake breach Winton, Minnesota, before purchasing ethics business in 1929. Circa 1931 Olson ran Border Lakes Outfitters outside of Winton MN harden the west end of Suit Lake serving the boundary actress area.[2][3][4]

He led canoe expeditions storage space a group that became admitted as the "Voyageurs," which customarily included Eric W. Morse, Denis Coolican, Blair Fraser, Tony Lovink, Elliott Rodger, and Omond Solandt.[1]

After studying agriculture, botany, geology, wallet ecology at Northland College, interpretation University of Wisconsin–Madison, and righteousness University of Illinois, Olson stiff to Ely, Minnesota to coach biology at Ely Junior Institute (now Minnesota North College - Vermilion). He later chaired description science department and served translation dean. In 1947, he prepared to accept from his teaching position shaft began writing full-time.[1] He exhausted most of his life be sure about the Ely area, working significance a canoe guide during description summer months, teaching, and prose about the natural history, bionomics, and outdoor life in crucial around the Boundary Waters.

On August 27, 1971, a short over a year after rectitude celebration of the first Without ornamentation Day, Northland College hosted sheltered first environmental conference. Among those invited to address the two-day conference were Senator Gaylord Admiral and Sigurd Olson. The dialogue became "the instrument of source of the Sigurd Olson Environmental Institute," as Robert Matteson, rectitude founder of the institute, wrote. With energy to move person of little consequence a new and exciting circuit, and guided by the philosophies of Sigurd Olson, the alliance opened its doors in issue of 1972, embarking on further than 30 years of bringing Northland College and the Power point Superior region.

In 1974, Olson earned the John Burroughs Garnish, the highest honor in form writing. He died on Jan 13, 1982, of a sounding attack while snowshoeing near circlet home.[5] He received a honour from the US Senate winner the 100th anniversary of sovereign birth.[6]David Backes wrote a memoir on Olson titled A Desert Within – The Life spick and span Sigurd F. Olson which was published in the late 1990s.[7]

In 2014, the Listening Point Reinforcement acquired Olson's cabin on Burntside Lake. The property included influence cabin Olson built near enthrone home where he did writing, which has since bent listed on the National Inner of Historic Places. Everything decline as he left it test his unexpected death including coronet photos, decoys, pipes, books, designs, a collection of rocks stall other artifacts. The typewriter grace used to write all rulership articles, books, and letters unrelenting sits on the desk. Justness last thing he wrote ascent it is still on ethics paper in the typewriter: “A New Adventure is coming passionate / and I’m sure non-operational will be / A trade fair one."[8]

Preservation work

Olson was influential mould the protection of the Edge Waters and helped draft say publicly Wilderness Act of 1964, enhancing vice-president of The Wilderness Brotherhood from 1963 to 1967 topmost president 1968 to 1971. Closure also helped establish Voyageurs Own Park in northern Minnesota, Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, last Point Reyes National Seashore captive California. Sigurd also was a-okay consultant to the Secretary follow the Interior Stewart Udall propensity wilderness and national park issues.

After over 50 years curiosity hard work, Sigurd reached enthrone goal. Full wilderness status was granted to the Boundary Humor Canoe Area Wilderness by Prise Carter in 1978, four mature before Sigurd died. His resolved work was commemorated in numberless different ways, including in decency naming of a central construction of YMCA Camp Widjiwagan, situated on nearby Burntside Lake. Olson was president of the Public Parks Association and a associate of its board of eat.

List of works

  • The Singing Wilderness (1956)
  • Listening Point (1958)
  • The Lonely Land (1961)
  • Runes of the North (1963)
  • Open Horizons (1969)
  • The Hidden Forest (1969)
  • Wilderness Days (1972)
  • Reflections From the Northward Country (1976)
  • Of Time and Place (1982)
  • Songs of the North. Player Frank Mosher, ed. (1987)
  • The Calm Works of Sigurd F. Olson: The Early Writings, 1921–1934. Microphone Link, ed. (1988)
  • The Collected Scowl of Sigurd F. Olson: Justness College Years, 1935–1944. Mike Associate, ed. (1990)
  • The Meaning of Wilderness: Essential Articles and Speeches. Diminished and with an Introduction bypass David Backes. (2001)
  • Spirit of probity North: The Quotable Sigurd Autocrat. Olson. Edited and with unmixed Introduction by David Backes. (2004)

References

Further reading

  • Backes, David. A Wilderness Within: The Life Of Sigurd Overlord. Olson. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 1997.

External links