Northwoods Legacy
The Northwoods are a special place. But this place that we call home today is not the same as the Northwoods our ancestors once knew, nor will it be the same as what future generations will care for. As the tagline in our exhibit states, "The Northwoods are the result of a millennia of change - and are changing still."
When I imagine the Northwoods of a hundred years ago, I hear the familiar call of loons echoing across a quieter lake. I see young hemlocks rising in a regenerating forest - a landscape still marked by the impact of industrial logging. Amid this transformation, I catch a glimpse of a family beginning to build a legacy beginning on the south shores of Lake Namakagon - one rooted in a deep connection to the land and a lasting commitment to the Cable community.
Mary Griggs Burke, self-portrait. On loan from the United States Forest Service.
The Livingston Griggs family, including our own Museum founder, Mary Griggs Burke, has continued to help shape the cultural and natural heritage that we cherish here today. Many of us connect to their legacy through physical spaces like the Log Community House or Forest Lodge Estate. Some of us have found connection through other material objects.
This summer, as we celebrate the lasting impact of this family, I look forward to sharing selected personal items on display. A painting of "Mary's Island", hand-tied lures for fly fishing the Northwoods waters, and a pair of snowshoes to move across a snowy landscape are just a few of those tangible representations of a family's connection to their Northwoods home.
The young hemlocks at Forest Lodge have since grown to great giants, and the Northwoods continues to be a special place despite constant change.