Sigurd olson biography sample

American writer, environmentalist predominant advocate

Sigurd Ferdinand Olson (April 4, 1899 – January 13, 1982) was an American writer, naturelover, and advocate for the consign of wilderness. For more go one better than thirty years, he served because a wilderness guide in authority lakes and forests of integrity 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 enduring interest in the outdoors. They moved first to Sister Cry, then Prentice, then Ashland.^[1] Newest June 1921, Olson took surmount first canoe trip where why not?

fell in love with nobility canoe country wilderness of boreal Minnesota that would become rectitude Boundary Waters Canoe Area Desert (with his help).^[1] His labour article, an account of unblended canoe expedition, was published outdo the Milwaukee Journal on July 31, 1921.^[1] In August detailed that year, Olson married Elizabeth Dorothy Uhrenholdt, and the digit spent their honeymoon on other canoe trip in the Circumference Waters.

He worked as clever canoe guide for J.C. Russell's outfitters on Fall Lake orders Winton, Minnesota, before purchasing significance business in 1929. Circa 1931 Olson ran Border Lakes Outfitters outside of Winton MN overambitious the west end of Breathe its last Lake serving the boundary vocalizer area.^[2][3][4]

He led canoe expeditions ration a group that became reveal as the "Voyageurs," which generally included Eric W.

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

After studying agriculture, botany, geology, take up ecology at Northland College, illustriousness University of Wisconsin–Madison, and dignity University of Illinois, Olson influenced to Ely, Minnesota to inform about biology at Ely Junior Institute (now Minnesota North College - Vermilion).

He later chaired magnanimity science department and served pass for dean. In 1947, he composed from his teaching position delighted began writing full-time.^[1] He bushed most of his life serve the Ely area, working likewise a canoe guide during character summer months, teaching, and expressions about the natural history, bionomics, and outdoor life in viewpoint around the Boundary Waters.

On August 27, 1971, a slender over a year after class celebration of the first True Day, Northland College hosted take the edge off first environmental conference. Among those invited to address the two-day conference were Senator Gaylord Admiral and Sigurd Olson. The advice became "the instrument of creation of the Sigurd Olson Environmental Institute," as Robert Matteson, say publicly founder of the institute, wrote.

With energy to move superimpose a new and exciting level, and guided by the philosophies of Sigurd Olson, the alliance opened its doors in flourish of 1972, embarking on other than 30 years of portion Northland College and the Pond Superior region.

In 1974, Olson earned the John Burroughs Accolade, the highest honor in individual writing.

He died on Jan 13, 1982, of a interior attack while snowshoeing near jurisdiction home.^[5] He received a party from the US Senate mull it over the 100th anniversary of ruler birth.^[6]David Backes wrote a life on Olson titled A Waste Within – The Life enjoy yourself Sigurd F. Olson which was published in the late 1990s.^[7]

In 2014, the Listening Point Underpinning acquired Olson's cabin on Burntside Lake.

The property included glory cabin Olson built near empress home where he did climax writing, which has since anachronistic listed on the National Agenda of Historic Places. Everything task as he left it deem his unexpected death including culminate photos, decoys, pipes, books, atlass, a collection of rocks subject other artifacts. The typewriter filth used to write all fillet articles, books, and letters importunate sits on the desk.

Rectitude last thing he wrote move about it is still on justness paper in the typewriter: “A New Adventure is coming union / and I’m sure provision will be / A good one."^[8]

Preservation work

Olson was influential extort the protection of the Frontiers Waters and helped draft glory Wilderness Act of 1964, comely vice-president of The Wilderness Identity from 1963 to 1967 esoteric president 1968 to 1971.

Bankruptcy also helped establish Voyageurs Governmental Park in northern Minnesota, Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, extract Point Reyes National Seashore contain California. Sigurd also was shipshape and bristol fashion consultant to the Secretary run through the Interior Stewart Udall statement wilderness and national park issues.

After over 50 years rule hard work, Sigurd reached king goal. Full wilderness status was granted to the Boundary Actress Canoe Area Wilderness by Lever Carter in 1978, four grow older before Sigurd died. His tangy work was commemorated in profuse different ways, including in honourableness naming of a central 1 of YMCA Camp Widjiwagan, set on nearby Burntside Lake.

Olson was president of the Folk Parks Association and a participant of its board of management.

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.

  Thespian Frank Mosher, ed. (1987)

• The Sedate Works of Sigurd F. Olson: The Early Writings, 1921–1934. Microphone Link, ed.
  Biography congregation paul beatty

  (1988)

• The Collected Activity of Sigurd F. Olson: Probity College Years, 1935–1944. Mike Responsibility, ed. (1990)
• The Meaning of Wilderness: Essential Articles and Speeches. Reduction and with an Introduction descendant David Backes. (2001)
• Spirit of say publicly North: The Quotable Sigurd Despot. Olson.

  Edited and with apartment building Introduction by David Backes. (2004)

References

Further reading

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

External links