Canoe Trip Photojournal, July 2011

Steve and Nancy recently took time out to get a canoe trip in. The weather here has been beautiful and the water is perfect for swimming. I don't know why they call these the dog days, they feel like paradise!

All shot a site on the east end of Loon Bay were the Heritage Creek flows into Lac La Croix. Cool temps over night resulted in fog over the warm lake but the day soon warmed up to the mid 80's with few clouds.

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Our roots of Tradition.

There are two pictures that hang in the store at Piragis Northwoods Company. Century old pictures. They are shots taken in 1905 of what was then the Bloomenson Store.

The first is an exterior shot that shows vintage awnings and the purveyor outdoors in front of the building with guess what? hanging outside. Coats. Not our staple of windblocker fleece, but two staples of the time, wool and beaver. Nature's answer to synthetic technology. The sidewalk in front of the store isn't a sidewalk, it is a boardwalk. The other falsefront buildings across the street can be seen reflected in the window.

Original Ely. With a look of determination on its face. Promise of a bright future. Open for business and proud to stock what is needed and wanted by the people.

The second picture is an interior shot complete with gas lights and the original tin ceilings and walls. There are wool pants stacked high on sturdy oak tables. Suspenders hanging from circular displays from the ceilings. The stovepipe rises to the decorative tin covered chimney from the essential woodstove in the back. The long glass displays showcase quality men's shirts while the shelves behind are complete with rows and rows of hat boxes stacked up to the tall ceilings. Men's wool driving caps stretch out in a long row across the hat boxes, displayed just at arms reach. There are cases that hold ties, gloves and shoes.

Pride and promise are evident. You can find them both in our store today. Residual benefits of a long history of service commitment to customers. The tin walls are still in place today. The looks on the three clerks faces are recognizable too. You can see the same looks of determination and commitment on the faces of our staff today.

Piragis Northwoods Company still believes that the advantages of high quality goods and services far outweigh the short term value of "a great deal." You can tell the old Ely store owners felt the same way. They are sharply dressed and waiting to help you.

At Piragis Northwoods Company we want you to be at home, to feel comfortable and at ease while you shop. We trust that you can find most things you need here, and hope that you know that you can ask us any question you like about our canoes, kayaks, camping gear, accessories, men's and women's clothing, books and gifts. No question will be considered too small, too odd or too silly. Our staff is on hand to serve your needs, to help you in any way possible.

Our merchandise speaks for itself, our reputation stands on our ability to serve the customer above and beyond the norm. We stay open to serve the local population year round with clothing, equipment and a full service bookstore that rivals any other in Minnesota. In the summer our doors open at 6 a.m and don't close until 10 p.m. Giving you time and opportunity to shop on your schedule. We go the extra mile because many people travel far and wide to reach Ely and all of you deserve our best. Each and every one who comes through our door deserves old fashioned, honest to goodness service with a smile. If you have a destination in Ely besides the Boundary Waters we hope that it is Piragis Northwoods Company, Your Friends in the Great Northwoods.

We know that many of you will never get the opportunity to visit us here in Ely, and that is one of the reasons that we uphold the same commitment to customer service and great items in our online catalog. Please call us with questions or customer service concerns at 1-800-223-6565.

Thanks for helping us forge new memories in Ely!

Tim Stouffer

Moose sighting in Ely. Yeah, right IN ELY.

The other night on the way back from Virginia, MN my headlights lit up some glowing eyes that were taller than the large number of whitetail deer I'd already spotted in the darkness.  It was getting a little hairy out there, and I was on full alert.

When I spotted this pair of eyes on the edge of the woods about 12 feet from the woods, I sat up straight, slowed down and gripped the wheel a little tighter.  Getting closer I saw the huge form of a dark colored adult male moose.  He seemed to be browsing in the ditch.

This is how we most often see them, on the edge of our roads up here or many times, jogging it down the middle of our gravel roads out in the surrounding landscapes of Ely.  I've seen them doing this near Ely over by White Iron Lake and up towards the old Chainsaw Sisters.

HOWEVER, there's a picture circulating around Ely that proves we are America's Coolest Smalltown.  The picture is of a moose right in town here.  Hanging out amidst the lilac trees and taking in the view as it looks down the hill towards Britton's Cafe as if it were going to saunter down and order today's lunch special.  Only in Ely, that's all we've got to say...

Photo by Ely's Amy Kireta.  Moose doesn't answer to "Bullwinkle".

Come up and hang out this summer!  Maybe you'll spy a moose of your own.

No Campaign of the Army Worms on the Northwoods Front this Summer

About 10 years ago we hit the peak of the Tent Caterpillars or Army Worms as we refer to them around here.  You know the little worms responsible for the tent-like structures they weave into the branches of your trees just before they eat all the vegetation present in your yard -- yeah, those.

They arrive in cycles -- as near to the ten year mark as only they fill comfortable with.  They usually show up little by little during the years previous and years after their peak.  Since the late 1800's, according to an article published this March by the Duluth News Tribune, their arrival has been plotted in a range of 6 to 16 years.  John Myers continued in his report to say, "The last peak defoliation from the caterpillars, 7.75 million acres, occurred in 2001, with 7.3 million acres of forest defoliated in 2002. They were the largest such outbreaks in Minnesota recorded history."  This information was from Mike Albers, DNR forest health specialist for Northeastern Minnesota.

These worms can sometimes be so thick that when they trek across the roads their squished bodies cause the tires of vehicles to slip and slide.  The last peak year we would carry a little broom brush with us on the golf course here in Ely and brush a clear path to the hole so that we could putt.

The good news is that these guys are native species so other native species like "Friendly Flies" and parasites will increase at the same rate to knock down the population until the cycle eventually depletes.  Just like other caterpillars, their life-cycle moves through eating leave, transforming into moths, laying eggs, hatching and repeating...

Anyway, according to the experts, this is not the year, so 2011 should be relatively free of the slimy little visitors.  They are part of the Northwoods, part of what makes Ely UNIQUE.  It is good information to know, and that's why we're passing it on.  Thanks to Sam Cook, John Myers and the DNT as well as Mike Albers and the MN DNR for helping me with this info.