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Boundary Waters Quetico Forum :: Listening Point - General Discussion :: Brainerd Cabin
 
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mocha
10/31/2012 08:33AM
 
i like finding stuff like this in the woods.
 
Grandma L
10/31/2012 11:09AM
 
These were taken close to 30 years ago(about 1982 or 84)on a Fraser Lake Island.


The buildings looked like a Forest Service fire crew camp with dining hall, out house, propane tanks for the stoves and the big rock-crib dock.










A long time ago - 4 of us were on an August trip from Lake One to Seagull through Boulder. Great trip and wonderful memories!!
 
johno
06/08/2013 02:03AM
 
quote BearDown: "Id like to stop by here, sounds like its the big island right south of the two campsites on the north shore of Fraser?"
I'm not sure if it is the big island or the small island a little south and west of the big island. I'm surprised I didn't mark it on my map, but my memory is telling me it is the small island. The landing is on the south side of the island and is easy to see. It's an interesting site, have fun!
 
eagle98mn
09/27/2023 05:43PM
 
TuscaroraBorealis: "Anyone visited here recently (last year or so)???"


I just passed through Fraser last Thursday. It was my first time on the lake and we stopped at both islands to look for this. Unfortunately, I couldn't find anything like this on either island's southern shores. I wonder how far in from the shores the concrete slabs were? We were on our way to Adams from Jordan, so we could only afford a short hunt.
 
johno
11/02/2012 09:09PM
 
quote TuscaroraBorealis: "Here is a link to an old thread. old cabins
"



Thanks for finding that thread as bolavand's comments were quite interesting, but it's too bad he went back and deleted the majority of them.


The video also said that when the cabin was burned the fire got away and burned some of the island. When we were there in '95 we didn't notice any indications that anything had burned where the cabin was located. I wonder if the cabin was actually dismantled and then burned at another location on the island. I'll have to remember to investigate the rest of the island the next time I'm on Fraser.


In the other thread Mooseplums stated "I read somewhere or it was told to me that asparagus still grows there".





We found an area we assumed was a garden and asparagus is still growing there!

 
Kevlar
10/31/2012 09:16PM
 
McSween, you are right...good memory. I saw that cabin in the late 70s, occupied, and talked to an older guy there. In that same thread you mentioned the grandson gave a lot of info. I have been past the spot since but didn't go ashore and didn't know there was a cement slab or artifacts..
 
PINETREE
10/31/2012 09:12PM
 
I winter skied also thru there in March in the late 80's(that spring burnt down). It use to have pictures on the wall with huge catches of walleye. The year before in the spring we went thru there was people everywhere.
The forest service may have burnt it down or was going to,but for some reason I want to say lightening hit the island and burnt the cabin and part of the island.I remember down the shore there was also burnt forest. That's a long time ago.

That was my first winter camping and lake trout fishing trip.
 
JackpineJim
03/20/2013 07:33PM
 
quote bruceye: "USFS deliberately burned it down in the early 90's, so I was told by one of their personnel. Dumbasses accidentally torched the island in the process."
Yep, went through Fraser several times, once the spring before the cabin was 'removed' and the early May the next year, cabin gone. The dumb-asses sure enough did burn the island off too! We camped on one of the sites just north of the island and there were hundreds of cigarette butts on the ground around the fire pit, which we attributed to said dumb-asses.
 
Savage Voyageur
06/06/2013 05:56PM
 
quote Canoe42: "quote marsonite: "quote johno:
What is this wheeled tool used for and what it is called?
"





I believe it would be called a "go devil" although the ones my dad talked about had runners, not wheels.
"
Looks like old portage wheels for a wooden canoe to me."




Maybe a dugout canoe.
 
OBX2Kayak
06/06/2013 04:00PM
 
quote mcsweem: "I seem to remember somebody posting on this board that this cabin was their grandfather's cabin, or some other relative's cabin. I don't remember the specfics "


I vaguely remember the same discussion.
 
Woods Walker
06/06/2013 05:51PM
 
quote TuscaroraBorealis: "Here is a link to an old thread. old cabins



About half way through the posts, (just after Amok's comment) DTrain provides a video link which discusses that cabin in some detail by people who apparently knew the owner. Also, later in the thread, a member named bolavand (who apparently was the owners grandson) provided some info. But, most of that information has since been deleted."



Thanks for the video link... enjoyed the history lesson at the end.
 
Canoe42
06/06/2013 02:16PM
 
quote marsonite: "quote johno:
What is this wheeled tool used for and what it is called?
"




I believe it would be called a "go devil" although the ones my dad talked about had runners, not wheels.
"
Looks like old portage wheels for a wooden canoe to me.
 
BearDown
06/06/2013 01:27PM
 
Id like to stop by here, sounds like its the big island right south of the two campsites on the north shore of Fraser?
 
TuscaroraBorealis
11/01/2012 01:02PM
 
Here is a link to an old thread. old cabins


About half way through the posts, (just after Amok's comment) DTrain provides a video link which discusses that cabin in some detail by people who apparently knew the owner. Also, later in the thread, a member named bolavand (who apparently was the owners grandson) provided some info. But, most of that information has since been deleted.
 
arctic
10/31/2012 12:00PM
 
I remember camping by that cabin in the winter of 1982-82 while on an 8-day ski-camping trip. There were lots of ice holes below the nearby cliffs where folks had been fishing for trout earlier in the winter.
 
johno
11/01/2012 10:53AM
 
quote bruceye: "USFS deliberately burned it down in the early 90's, so I was told by one of their personnel. Dumbasses accidentally torched the island in the process."


That must be a different island as there is no fire damage on this island at all. I believe this area is where the cabin stood, I'm standing near the concrete slab and looking to the east.





And this photo is taken from the south to where we remember the outhouse being located.





Here are some of the other artifacts that have been gathered over the years.






 
TuscaroraBorealis
09/27/2023 09:17PM
 
Treebear posted a trip report earlier this year with some information.
 
eagle98mn
09/28/2023 11:56AM
 
TuscaroraBorealis: "Treebear posted a trip report earlier this year with some information."


Thanks for pointing this out. It is frustrating that I missed it, but Fraser was a beautiful lake and I can see heading out that way again sometime.
 
TreeBear
09/28/2023 01:23PM
 
eagle98mn: "TuscaroraBorealis: "Treebear posted a trip report earlier this year with some information."



Thanks for pointing this out. It is frustrating that I missed it, but Fraser was a beautiful lake and I can see heading out that way again sometime."



It is there and it does have a pretty good-sized canoe landing to it. As with all historical sites, visit with the utmost respect. There is quite a few artifacts around and the traditional "Nordhal Anderson Homesite, No camping" sign.
 
eagle98mn
09/28/2023 07:58PM
 
TreeBear: "eagle98mn: "TuscaroraBorealis: "Treebear posted a trip report earlier this year with some information."




Thanks for pointing this out. It is frustrating that I missed it, but Fraser was a beautiful lake and I can see heading out that way again sometime."




It is there and it does have a pretty good-sized canoe landing to it. As with all historical sites, visit with the utmost respect. There is quite a few artifacts around and the traditional "Nordhal Anderson Homesite, No camping" sign. "



Of course, here’s a photo of where I looked, which island was it on? Was I in the right area?
 
OldFingers57
06/06/2013 03:47PM
 
quote serenityseeker: "if I had to hazard a guess I would say the wheeled device would help with hauling timber out of the forest. one great big trunk held by the rusted teeth. and the other looks to me like a furnace or firebox door.



those are my guesses.



haven't ever heard of the cabin before."



I agree with the wheeled device being used for hauling logs. It would keep the front of the log up off the ground preventing it from digging into the ground. Thus making it easier to pull.
 
Exo
06/06/2013 04:32PM
 
Good post. And good post that was linked. A trip next spring may bring me through Frazier again. I'll stop for sure to take a look...love that type of history.
 
johno
10/28/2012 11:13PM
 
Does anybody know anything about "Brainerd Cabin" on Fraser Lake?

During our second trip to the BWCAW my paddling partner Tom and I stumbled upon a cabin located on an island on Fraser Lake. What we remembered about it was that it was a nice little cabin with a padlock on the door, we could see cans of food on some shelves, an outhouse with two holes (no waiting!), and a small concrete slab that was inscribed with "June 6, 1944 D-Day".

In 1995 we again paddled through Fraser and found the island, but the cabin and outhouse had been dismantled and removed. The concrete slab was still there.

A month and a half ago Tom and I once again paddled through Fraser and found the island and concrete slab. The slab actually has two tiers and on the top tier it says "Brainerd Cabin", with the D-Day reference on the bottom tier.

This time I actually got some pictures of it.



This is the top tier of the concrete slab:



It looks as though others through the years have found tools and other items on the island and have arranged them around the concrete slab.


What is this wheeled tool used for and what it is called?

 
Papinator
10/29/2012 12:25AM
 
Very interesting :) Nice pictures.
 
marsonite
10/29/2012 05:46AM
 
quote johno:
What is this wheeled tool used for and what it is called?
"



I believe it would be called a "go devil" although the ones my dad talked about had runners, not wheels.

 
TuscaroraBorealis
03/07/2019 04:51PM
 
Anyone visited here recently (last year or so)???
 
bruceye
10/30/2012 10:58PM
 
USFS deliberately burned it down in the early 90's, so I was told by one of their personnel. Dumbasses accidentally torched the island in the process.
 
serenityseeker
10/29/2012 12:22AM
 
if I had to hazard a guess I would say the wheeled device would help with hauling timber out of the forest. one great big trunk held by the rusted teeth. and the other looks to me like a furnace or firebox door.


those are my guesses.


haven't ever heard of the cabin before.
 
mcsweem
10/29/2012 01:21AM
 
I seem to remember somebody posting on this board that this cabin was their grandfather's cabin, or some other relative's cabin. I don't remember the specfics
 
TreeBear
09/29/2023 11:33AM
 
eagle98mn: "TreeBear: "eagle98mn: "TuscaroraBorealis: "Treebear posted a trip report earlier this year with some information."





Thanks for pointing this out. It is frustrating that I missed it, but Fraser was a beautiful lake and I can see heading out that way again sometime."





It is there and it does have a pretty good-sized canoe landing to it. As with all historical sites, visit with the utmost respect. There is quite a few artifacts around and the traditional "Nordhal Anderson Homesite, No camping" sign. "




Of course, here’s a photo of where I looked, which island was it on? Was I in the right area? "



I just sent you an email with more info.