Temporary Exhibit

Celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Gunflint Trail Historical Society, founded in 2005, honoring the incredible spirit and dedication of volunteers and community members who came together to open the Chik-Wauk Museum & Nature Center in 2010.

For all the cooks and bakers out there, creating something often requires following a recipe. But what if you don’t have a recipe for “How to create a museum”? That was the challenge the early founders of the Gunflint Trail Historical Society faced as they set out to turn Chik-Wauk into what it is today.
Betty Hemstad has been a key player from the very beginning. Here in her words is how it all unfolded:
1. Neighbors along the Gunflint Trail were concerned that the rich stories of the pioneers were fading away as those who could share them were no longer with us.
2. The Scenic Byway Committee recognized that establishing a museum to preserve this history would be a tremendous asset in their pursuit of a National Scenic Byway designation.
3. A small group convened (before my time) to discuss this issue and confronted the question of who would lead this vital effort. I believe my daughter Nancy mentioned my involvement with the Edina Historical Society’s Museum project, where I was deeply engaged in creating a permanent home.
4. Sue Kerfoot contacted me and invited Ron and me for a drive. Who could refuse such an invitation? During the drive, they asked if we had heard of or visited the Chik-Wauk Lodge. Our answer was a resounding “No, where is it located?”
5. As we headed to Moose Pond Drive, they explained our destination. The moment I laid eyes on the Chik-Wauk Lodge, I captured the scene in a photograph. This image is featured on the front of the book, *Chik-Wauk…A Dream*, encapsulating the feeling of the lodge rising to new life from a field of wildflowers.
6. Ron and I engaged in thoughtful deliberation. While my passion was to preserve the history of the Gunflint Trail, it meant putting our retirement plans on hold to embrace such a significant volunteer project. I had to ask myself if I was capable of this challenge at seventy years old. Before committing, I knew I needed the best historian and fundraiser on board, and I immediately thought of Sue and Bruce Kerfoot.
7. (To spare you the deeper considerations…) I agreed only on the condition that Sue would be the historian and Bruce would handle fundraising. They readily accepted, and with that, I said “Yes.” That’s how our team was built.
8. They welcomed interested parties to their home, and I set to work planning our initial meeting. With Ron’s guidance, we resolved to establish ourselves as a 501(c)(3) organization. The meeting’s purpose was to persuade attendees of this vision, and during that gathering, we officially became the Gunflint Trail Historical Society. Soon, we had a treasurer and secretary joining us.
9. Our next step was to form a Board of Trustees. I believed that uniting the Gunflint Trail required selecting trustees from different sections—upper, middle, and lower. With input from the executive committee (Sue Kerfoot, Kathy Lande, Barb Tuttle, and myself), we achieved this goal. The original Board included additional members: Bob Einsweiler, Linda Henrickson, Bruce Kerfoot, Marti Marchino, Sue Prom, Tom Schank, Fred Smith, and Lee Zopff.
10. One of my primary aims was to forge strong connections with the U.S. Forest Service, as we were now a united entity. Our joint meeting in 2006 solidified our bonds. Dennis Neitze, an incredible USDA Forest Service District Ranger, supported our mission and allowed our creativity to thrive.

VOLUNTEERS…VOLUNTEERS…VOLUNTEERS!

Chik-Wauk stands as a testament to the dedication of volunteers from the Gunflint Trail. While leaders may craft great ideas, it is the hard work and generosity of countless volunteers that bring those visions to life.
This was only the beginning. Five challenging years followed before the Chik-Wauk Museum proudly opened its doors on July 4, 2010.