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)