MPR’s Lee Axdahl reports on the passing of Sigurd Olson, well-known environmentalist and author. Segment includes a brief summary of Olson’s life, a reading by former Elmer Anderson, and interview segments with Olson about his experiences along the Boundary Waters.
Olson’s book “Listening Point” is highlighted.
[? LEE AXTELL: ?] Perhaps life ended appropriately for Sigurd Olson snowshoeing with his wife, Elizabeth, through the wilderness of Northern Minnesota. Olson wrote about a wilderness that he lived with. And the public responded. In 1979, The Doctorate of Humane Letters was bestowed on him at the University of Minnesota. Former Minnesota Governor Elmer Andersen spoke at the ceremony.
ELMER ANDERSEN: "The singing wilderness has to do with the calling of loons, with Northern lights, and the great silences of land lying northwest of Lake Superior. It is concerned with the simple joys, the timelessness, and perspective found in a way of life, which is close to the past. I have heard the singing in many places, but I seem to hear it best in the wilderness Lake Country of the Quetico-Superior, where travel is still by pack and canoe over the ancient trails of the Indians and voyageurs."
[? LEE AXTELL: ?] Throughout his years, Olson struggled to keep the wilderness intact, a fight that lasted to the very end. In 1979, Olson warned fellow environmentalists to never let the guard down.
SIGURD OLSON: Because we win one battle doesn't mean the battle is over. We've got to be eternally vigilant. And after a battle has been won, don't think for a moment the opposition has died. The opposition will always come in through the back door and attack when you're not watching. So we're always watching.
[? LEE AXTELL: ?] Home for Sigurd Olson was on the shore of Burntside Lake in Ely. His small cabin situated on a piece of land he called listening point.
SPEAKER 1: I called it listening point because a long time ago I read a passage in Plato's commentaries, which runs back over 2000 years, and Plato talked about standing on a point of rock near Athens and looking up to the heavens. Then he looked down at the point of rock he was standing on, and realized that he was standing on the apex of a great constellational triangle. And the apex he was standing on, was to him the most important point of the universe.
And from that apex, he could not only explore his own soul but explore the spirit world and all of the universe. And so I decided my little point would be a little point like Plato had in mind. From my point, I could explore the universe. This, to me, was the most important point in the universe.
[? LEE AXTELL: ?] Sigurd Olson was well known for many reasons. After arriving in Northern Minnesota in the 1920s, Olson taught biology and zoology at Ely Junior College, eventually becoming dean of the institution. He operated a wilderness guide service. And Olson was once President of the Wilderness Society and the National Parks Association.
His literary works include Singing Wilderness, Lonely Land, Ruins of the North, Open Horizons, and Listening Point. In fact, Listening Point was designated the official Minnesota Centennial book in 1958. Olson lived with his work.
SPEAKER 1: I came to this country as a young man right after World War I. I lived on the shore of Lake Superior, the South Shore, and I'd heard fantastic stories of what lay beyond the ridges of the North Shore. So I came back at an early age and my first canoe trip decided me because of its beauty, because of the fact, this was all wilderness, was the place where I wanted to make my home. And I've never regretted that choice. This country is still beautiful, still worth fighting for. And I fought for its preservation for over 50 years.
[? LEE AXTELL: ?] Sigurd Olson will be laid to rest Saturday afternoon from Ely Presbyterian Church. A fitting eulogy might come from his book, Ruins of the North. Former governor Elmer Andersen reads from the Finnish epic poem, the "Kalevala."
ELMER ANDERSEN: "I should now seal my lips and bind my tongue from the singing of verses. I should ceasefire my tinkling since a horse grows breathless at the end of a long journey, steel grows sleepy and cutting summer grass, water wearies from racing around river bends, and even fire rests after a long night's burning. Why should a runo not grow weary and rest after a night's joy"
SPEAKER 1: I never feel quite at home until I get back here among these rocks and twisted pine trees and glaciated shores.
LEE AXTELL: Sigurd Olson, dead at age 82. I'm Lee [? Axtell. ?]
[MUSIC PLAYING]
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