Lake Superior (known as Gichigami, or ‘big lake’ in Ojibwe) is the largest freshwater lake in the world by surface area and the third largest by volume, holding 10% of the world's surface fresh water. The lake straddles 150 miles of Minnesota’s northeastern border, with its most western edge ending along the city twin ports of Duluth, Minnesota and Superior, Wisconsin.
July 10, 1992 - MPR’s Liz Hannon interviews Ann Schimpf and Paul Treuer, both from Wolf Ridge Environmental Learning Center, about their sea kayaking experience during trip around Lake Superior. Schimpf and Truer talk from a campsite as they take a break from being on water and paddling through challenging fog. Schimpf also notes the water pollution they have dealt with.
August 14, 1992 - Minnesota author Jim Dwyer talks about amateur prospecting and his book, "Lake Superior Gold: An Amateur's Guide to Prospecting in the Lake Superior Region." Dwyer details the various tools and strategies in prospecting along the North Shore and surrounding area.
August 28, 1992 - On this segment of Voices from the Heartland, Minnesota writer Laurie Allmann reads an essay on the North Shore islands.
January 29, 1993 - MPR’s Cathy Wurzer interviews archaeologist Scott Anfinson about shipwrecks in Lake Superior and the efforts to both explore and protect shipwrecks along the North Shore. Anfinson is from the Minnesota Historical Society.
June 22, 1993 - An interview with Marlin Bree, who decided to sail Lake Superior on a sailboat that he built. The journey is chronicled in the book, In the Teeth of the Northeaster.
August 6, 1993 - Minnesota nature photographer Craig Blacklock talks about his book, The Lake Superior Images. Blacklock describes what he sees of the lake through his camera eye. He also shares his concerns regarding over-development and on protecting the North Shore.
February 10, 1994 - MPR’s Perry Finelli interviews Lt. Jay Dell on the ice conditions on Lake Superior, which has frozen over. In some areas the ice is 24-36 inches thick.
April 22, 1994 - On this segment of Voices from the Heartland, Duluth writer Barton Sutter reads his essay "God's Own Ice Rink." Sutter recounts his ice skating excursion onto a frozen Lake Superior, where he encounters black ice and an unlucky fisherman.
June 10, 1994 - MPR’s Martin Kaste reports on a press conference by the Army Corp of Engineers where they detail items recovered while searching for barrels dumped into Lake Superior decades ago.
July 13, 1994 - MPR’s Greta Cunningham interviews author Howard Siverston about his book “The Illustrated Voyageur: Paintings and Companion Stories." Siverston details the use of birch bark canoes, historical diaries, and the eventual decline of fur trading in the Great Lakes and Boundary Waters region.