Island Folk Book Review

ISLAND FOLKLORE REVISITED: a review by Gerry Mantel

Peter Oikarinen’s Island Folk: The People of Isle Royale, first published in
1979, is back on the streets again, expanded-and-improved by the
University of Minnesota Press, including an updated preface and
additional chapters.

I bought the first edition way back when the “Oikarinen-Calumet”
combo caught my eye as I began a deep-dive into my Finnish-American
roots, coupled with my fledgling fascination for U.P. trout. Pete’s stuff
was right up my alley: a fast-paced collection of short profiles based on
oral histories, with a simply worded, unpretentious appeal. And
although the lives of commercial fishing families dominated, I also
appreciated the allowances for the supporting casts (like Capt. Roy
Oberg, who long delivered people, cargo and mail) and peripherals—
such as the tales of the old mining camps and rambunctious resorts, as
well as the intrusion of the Feds during the island’s gradual
transformation into a National Park.

Over the next three decades I even managed to forge a friendship with
the author. Indeed, Pete is of a rare breed exhibiting an “extra
dimension” that I actually try living up to, the sort of character who,
almost invariably and certainly not coincidentally, hails from the same
Lake Superior basin that is still the epicenter of my life despite my
often-knotty relationship with it.

However, when a refurbished Island Folk appeared a couple months ago,
I was eagerly game to reevaluate this work; once again, I found myself
mesmerized by the sharply resonating, life-risking perils of fishing the
Greatest Lake and still amazed by the “island-crazy” mentality (to quote
one of Pete’s subjects, Elizabeth Kemmer) that persevered the hairraising
hardships. But the new edition has special treats of its own, particularly the introduction of Grant Merritt, a Minneapolis-based hero
of the Reserve Mining lawsuit who provides a great story or two
regarding he who is often considered the quintessential Yooper, John
Voelker a.k.a. Robert Traver. For me, the 2008 version also serves as a
fresh reminder of how Pete’s telltale photography puts this book, as
well as his creative output in general, in a class of its own.

Not only that, but I concurrently got to play “Island Folk” myself upon
Pete’s invitation, doing so for the very first time this past May. Peter’s
close relationship with the island was underscored by his family-like
familiarity with its staff—an impressive, entertaining & informative
crew that helped provide for a spectacular adventure highlighted by the
opportunity to bob for lake trout, keppu-style (under the instruction of
the “Fish Slayer of Isle Royale,” Tapiola’s Dave Paavola), to take fulllength
cruises of the island (courtesy of cool Ken Irwin), and to catch
sight of some Island Folk landmarks along with a virtual gamut of
wildlife. Bestowed upon me, too, were the revelations that there are
three subspecies of lakers indigenous to the island, not to mention two
distinctive tribes of coaster brook trout, those inhabiting Tobin Harbor
and those of Siskiwit Bay!

I’ve lived through some drastic changes in man’s strong-arming of the
Lake Superior environs, and despite any dog-chasing-tail overtones,
those decisions to manage the lake as a sport fishery and maintain
places (like Isle Royale) as “unspoiled” wilderness are policies that I
can’t argue with. But the island has an intriguing human history that’s
not to be denied, one with a rich, unique legacy aptly addressed by
Oikarinen’s engaging book, which provides a perspective not to be
missed. Besides, those human imprints continue to be laid by the fine
National Park personnel, their associated infrastructure, and their
visitors, like it or not.

Or as well-respected fisheries expert Karl F. Lagler puts it (in The Fishes
of Isle Royale, 1982):

“The seasonal commercial fisheries of Isle Royale have declined over the
years. Their presence on the island is not undesirable and is of
considerable interest to the visitor. At Isle Royale they conflict little
with recreational fishing under current laws, and the presence of longestablished
fishing families adds to the historical lore of the islands in
the Park. Prior to the advent of the Park, the only real success that man
ever experienced on the island was in fishing for food …”

You bet, dude!

Island Folk is available as a 173 pg. softcover book. And of course, it is available from BigLakeGallery.com