Rolf Hugenvik, Poplar Lake Summer Home Owner- 1925-2009

Ina Hugenvik- Rolf Hugenvik (Huggie) was born in 1925 and served in the Army during WWII. While stationed in the Philippines, he saw a picture in a Sunday news magazine of a northern lake with blue sky and pointy evergreen trees. He wrote his mother that he would like to have a cabin some day on a lake like that. Fast forward to 1948: His parents happened to know Doc Remple’s wife and somehow made it to the Gunflint Trail to visit her. (read more)

A Brief History of Kloek's Island- Poplar Lake

Jim Kloek-The history of the Kloek family on Poplar Lake began in October of 1937 when my parents, Dell and Mernie Kloek, spent their honeymoon at Rockwood Lodge. The cabin they rented is still there, and still being rented. After the war ended, they returned to Poplar Lake, and in 1947 purchased from the owner of Northwoods Lodge a rustic cabin at what is now 7991 Gunflint Trail. (At the time the lodge owner was gradually reducing the size of Northwoods by selling off cabins at each end of his property.) (read more)

Growning Up on a Poplar Lake Island

Nancy Olmem-My family purchased our Poplar Lake Island cabin on Memorial weekend in 1952. Neighbors of ours in Minneapolis, Del and Mernie Kloek, had a cabin for sale on Poplar Lake and invited us to check out their cabin. It was not what my parents were looking for, but after looking at many properties they were shown the island. It was love at first sight and became our new summer residence. (read more)

Ollie O'Brien Greco- Red Pines Outpost

The mid 1930's -the Gunflint Trail was a winding dirt road, electrical power and phone service along the trail was still decades away. Mainly loggers, CCC workers, and several resort families populated the area. It was during this era that Ollie O'Brien and her future husband, Jimmy Greco, purchased property on a remote point of land between Little Ollie and Poplar lakes, south of the inlet from Poplar into Little Ollie Lake. Located one half mile from the nearest road, their new property was accessible only by traveling across Poplar Lake. (read more)

Sam Seppala- Saw Mill at Trail Center

Born in Finland on July 24, 1900, Sam Seppala came to the United States as infant. He completed the third grade and began working in the logging business. By the time he was 20, he had a fleet of five trucks. Sam had camps in Buyck & Cousin, MN and hauled logs to Bailly's Mill in Virginia, MN.

Mayme, Gladys and Sam in front of Trail Center

In 1924 he married Mayme Holkho and on December 24, 1925 they had Gladys. The couple had three more children that died as babies and Mayme had several miscarriages. The family moved to the Grand Marais area in 1936, where Sam and his brother, David, started a camp at Pike Lake. In 1938, they brothers split up and the Seppalas moved up the Gunflint Trail to Poplar Lake at the site of what is now Trail Center Lodge. (Read More)

Moe's Cabin

It was during our annual trek to the Gunflint Trail that we stumbled upon the little red cabin on Poplar Lake. We were camping next to our cousins on Flour Lake as we had for the past 4 or 5 summers. Anyway, my dad decided to take the family for a "Sunday drive" north up the trail when we spotted the For Sale sign just before Rockwood Lodge. The year was 1964, and I was a 14 year old in love - with the northwoods. (read more)

Boundary Country Trekking

Shortly after moving from Chicago to their family owned property, Youngs Island, on the Gunflint Trail in 1974, Barbara and Ted Young started several business ventures. These ventures were to grow into Boundary Country Trekking Ltd. (BCT). Their first venture Mid Trail Services provided maintenance and construction services to Gunflint Trail summer cabin owners. Also Ted's canoe guiding services, which he began many years previously as a teenager, continued. (read more)