MPR’s Mark Heistad visits the Boundary Water’s Knife Lake to talk with local resident Dorothy Molter, also known as the “Root Beer Lady.” Molter reflects on her 56 years living in the Northwoods.
Transcript:
(00:00:01) Dorothy Moltres home is a cluster of three small pine-covered Islands on the western edge of knife like in The Boundary Waters her summer cabin a small cluttered one-room Shack with a canvas roof is on the smallest of the three islands the islands encircled by flower gardens planted an old rowboats several wind chimes. Hang from a Big Jack Pine Dorothy motor has lived on these islands since the 1930s back then she had this place pretty much to
(00:00:26) herself. Nobody lived up here. There were just a few Trappers. There were two Resorts farther up the lake and they would stay just part of the winter. So it was just me.
(00:00:43) Over the years more Resorts more cabins were built around here. Then when the Boundary Waters was designated as Wilderness. They were bought out Dorothy wouldn't sell
(00:00:53) the only home I ever knew of my own. And I had been here before they made it Boundary Waters or all this before they made it roadless area and all that. I like it and I feel it's been my home for so long. I might as well stay The Voyage into the comic is where these sites like, well, they're all
(00:01:17) nice stopping at Dorothy Moltres has become something of a ritual for canoeists on Knife Lake here. They can get directions advice about campsites more importantly they Pick up some candy bars and a bottle of Dorothy's homemade root beer. She used to sell all kinds of Pop here before the band airplane. She flew it in by the case,
(00:01:36) but when the planes quit flying then I got stuck with all the pop bottles I had. So I wasn't about to take him back over the Portage and return them to town. So I just kept them thought I might as well keep them up here and do something with them. So somebody suggested making root beer, I never made it before but they seem to like it
(00:02:03) whether or not they buy any of her root beer. All visitors to Dorothy's place are asked to sign the guest book. This year's has nearly six thousand entries books from years past include more than a few journalists sent out by their editors to write about that old woman who lives all alone in the woods Dorothy has not liked everything they've written I want to ask you about this headline. On the wall behind us. I didn't like that the loneliest woman in
(00:02:29) America. I didn't like that at all. Well for one thing I'm not lonely and who can be lonely up here. You can live in an apartment building in the city right across the hall from your neighbor and not see or know each other. How
(00:02:50) much longer are you going to stay up here stay in your tents in the summer and your winter
(00:02:55) cabin? Well, as long as I'm able to make it to get around if I feel myself getting sick, I'll get
(00:03:04) out you worry about that having to leave here.
(00:03:07) No, I don't worry about it. It's coming. Nothing I can do about it. So I'll just take things as they
(00:03:15) come no matter when Dorothy molter finally has to leave The Boundary Waters the fate of her home here has already been determined her cabins will be burned the ice chests removed her docs destroyed. All sign that she once lived here will be eliminated and the Isles of pine will return once again to Wilderness with field recording engineer Bill Palladino. This is Mark heisted reporting.
Transcripts
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MARK HEISTAD: Dorothy Molter's home is a cluster of three small pine-covered islands on the western edge of Knife Lake, in the Boundary Waters. Her summer cabin, a small, cluttered one-room shack with a canvas roof, is on the smallest of the three islands. The island's encircled by flower gardens planted an old rowboats. Several wind chimes hang from a big jack pine. Dorothy Molter has lived on these islands since the 1930s. Back then, she had this place pretty much to herself.
DOROTHY MOLTER: Nobody lived up here. There was just a few trappers. There were two resorts farther up the lake. And they would stay just part of the winter. So it was just me.
MARK HEISTAD: Over the years, more resorts, more cabins were built around here. Then when the Boundary Waters was designated as wilderness, they were bought out. Dorothy wouldn't sell.
DOROTHY MOLTER: It was the only home I ever knew, of my own. And I had been here before they made it Boundary Waters or all this, before they made it roadless area and all that. I like it. And I feel it's been my home for so long, I might as well stay.
MARK HEISTAD: The portage into Takucmich is.
DOROTHY MOLTER: Right here.
MARK HEISTAD: What are these sites like?
DOROTHY MOLTER: Well, they're all nice sites.
MARK HEISTAD: Stopping at Dorothy Molter's has become something of a ritual for canoeists on Knife Lake. Here, they can get directions, advice about camp sites. More importantly, they can pick up some candy bars and a bottle of Dorothy's homemade root beer. She used to sell all kinds of pop here. Before they banned airplanes, she flew it in by the case.
DOROTHY MOLTER: But when the planes quit flying, then I got stuck with all the pop bottles I had. So I wasn't about to take them back over the portage and return them to town. So I just kept them. I thought I might as well keep them up here and do something with them. So somebody suggested making root beer. I'd never made it before. But they seem to like it.
MARK HEISTAD: Whether or not they buy any of her root beer, all visitors to Dorothy's place are asked to sign the guest book. This year's has nearly 6,000 entries. Books from years past include more than a few journalists sent out by their editors to write about that old woman who lives all alone in the woods. Dorothy has not liked everything they've written. I want to ask you about this headline on the wall behind us.
DOROTHY MOLTER: I didn't like that.
MARK HEISTAD: The loneliest woman in America.
DOROTHY MOLTER: I didn't like that at all.
MARK HEISTAD: Why not?
DOROTHY MOLTER: Well, for one thing, I'm not lonely. And who can be lonely up here? You can live in an apartment building in the city right across the hall from your neighbor and not see or know each other.
MARK HEISTAD: How much longer are you going to stay up here, stay in your tents in the summer and your winter cabin?
DOROTHY MOLTER: Well, as long as I'm able to make it, get around. If I feel myself getting sick, I'll get out.
MARK HEISTAD: Do you worry about that, having to leave here?
DOROTHY MOLTER: No, I don't worry about it. It's coming, nothing I can do about it. So I'll just take things as they come.
MARK HEISTAD: No matter when Dorothy Molter finally has to leave the Boundary Waters, the fate of her home here has already been determined. Her cabins will be burned, the ice chests removed, her docks destroyed. All sign that she once lived here will be eliminated. And the isles of pine will return once again to wilderness. With field recording engineer Bill Paladino, this is Mark Heistad, reporting.
[BIRDS CHIRPING]