NIGHTINGALE OF THE WILDERNESS!

 Many of us have learned over the years what unexpected events have caused our lives to take a completely different turn.  For me, it was making a trip to Germany at the age of 17 to visit a friend who had lived with my family in Wisconsin for a year.  Less than three years later I was married to a German citizen and back living in Wisconsin.  Never in my wildest dreams would I have imagined that scenario as a young child.

 

Dorothy Molter, later known as the Root Beer Lady and the Nightingale of the Wilderness certainly never imagined leaving Chicago and living in the wilderness of northern Minnesota, but that’s what transpired because of unusual circumstances.  Dorothy’s intention was to become a nurse, working in Chicago.  But because of her father’s love of fishing and a trip he had made to northern Minnesota, Dorothy’s life changed dramatically.  Her father Cap had learned about THE ISLE OF PINES RESORT, east of Knife Lake in the Boundary Waters Canoe area of northern Minnesota.  He hadn’t planned on taking Dorothy along on that trip in 1930, but one of his friends had to cancel and Dorothy was given the opportunity.  She jumped at the chance; she had just finished part of her nurse’s training.  

Knife Lake, which was just yards from the Canadian border, could only be reached by a canoe or a float plane. Dorothy was amazed at the purity of the region and the water. The resort consisted of four rustic cabins owned by Bill Berglund.  Dorothy learned quickly from Bill how to connect with the animals of the region, and she loved it. The resort was basically a fishing camp and Dorothy found it different from anything she had ever known.  The following summer Dorothy returned to the Isle of Pines resort.  She and Bill, despite their age differences, discovered they had a lot of things in common.  They shared a love of the wilderness and animals and a desire for a simpler way of life.  Dorothy became adept at handling an ax and a canoe.  In addition, she learned how to identify animal tracks and different types of birds.  Bergland offered Dorothy a summer job, which she was happy to accept.  More and more her priorities were moving away from a nursing life in Chicago.  In 1934 she moved to the North Country permanently.  Her family didn’t understand her break from tradition and moving in with another man much older.  But for Dorothy it was a relatively easy choice.  She loved the woods and the people who lived there.  She yearned for a new way of life, even if her family didn’t agree with it. 

Dorothy agreed with the wise words of the Native Americans of the area, that the Great Spirit would provide for needs as long as people learned how to use it.  Dorothy particularly loved fishing and berry picking and delighted in making scrumptious pies and preserves.  Dorothy had also learned how to handle a gun well, but she didn’t have a real killing instinct.  According to Bob Cary, author of ROOT BEER LADY, she once said, “I always felt kind of sorry for the deer.  I knew we needed deer meat to get us through the winter, but they were such handsome animals with their grey coats, black muzzles, and white throats.  It just about took my breath away every time I saw one approaching through the forest.”

In 1948 Dorothy’s wilderness friend and companion Bill Berglund died.  Dorothy had done everything she could to care for him.  Because of the generosity of Bill’s brother and sister, Dorothy was deeded the resort, fulfilling Bill’s wishes.  In the following years Dorothy’s family often returned for visits, including her father Cap.

Dorothy’s nursing skills were frequently put to use at Knife Lake.  She sometimes offered spiritual counseling as well.  She took amazing care of the animals of the forest, as well as the people she encountered.  Bob Cary wrote, “Justly proud of her medical treatment in the back country, Dorothy left a notice in her will that said when she was buried, she wanted her stone to read simply:  Nightingale of the Wilderness.”

Dorothy was a remarkably strong and resilient woman with little fear of the woods.  She had the immense respect of those who came in contact with her.  Although Dorothy continued to live in the region, she occasionally returned to Chicago to visit family and friends.  She worked for a few weeks at one of the area hospitals to earn necessary funds for her life in the wilderness.

Another way that Dorothy earned money to survive was through her sale of root beer.  She had thousands of visitors during the summer months as fishermen, canoeists, youth groups, and families learned of her delicious root beer, which she bottled and sold, along with candy bars. 

Dorothy had a wonderful connection with animals.  Her cocker-spaniel Peg was her favorite.  They were almost always together; when Peg died at age 11, Dorothy was devastated. But she loved all kinds of animals.  One who intrigued her was a crow she named Vera, who was brought to her with a broken wing.  Vera was known for her ability to garner attention when she was hungry, which was nearly always.  Vera had an amazing ability to swallow an array of things, including a medicine dropper, which rendered her speechless for a few weeks.  Vera was also known to disappear with almost anything, including at one time a woman’s false teeth.  The teeth were eventually retrieved from Vera, but she voiced how upset she was. 

Dorothy died in 1986 of apparent heart failure, in the region she came to love.  The men who discovered her were saddened; they knew what a legend she was.  For 56 years Dorothy lived on Knife Lake in the BWCA area of northern Minnesota.  She had become known around the world and much had been written and spoken about her.  Dorothy Moulter was an incredible woman of courage and kindness and humor.  Although a reserved woman, she had endless stories to share and the animals of the forest loved her as well. 

Bob Cary, who had come to know Dorothy well, wrote at the end of his book, “The chickadee in the empty bird feeder pecked impatiently at the window.  But no more seeds would fill the feeder, ever.  The final curtain had descended on a half century of drama at Isle of Pines on Knife Lake.”

Dorothy had lived her life with passion and humility, marching to the beat of her own drummer. 

DOROTHY'S CABIN

 

Today you’ll find the Dorothy Moulter Museum in Ely, a way of preserving her legacy.  Her cabin was moved to the museum and a second cabin was also erected.  If you’re ever in that beautiful area of northern Minnesota, make a point of visiting.  You’ll no doubt understand why Dorothy so loved the North Country.