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The Ely-Winton Historical Society presents a History Night event on Wednesday, July 24.
The presenter will be Lee Johnson of the Forest Service who will speak on “Peeled Pine, Birch Bark Canoes, and the Fur Trade in the BWCA.”
The event starts at 7 p.m. in lecture hall CL104 which is near the entrance to the classroom wing at VCC.
Johnson is a U.S. Forest Service archaeologist. His presentation will include new dates from culturally-modified red pine rediscovered in the BWCA.
This new information provides an opportunity to merge tree ring records of human land use with archaeological records, historical travel accounts, and traditional knowledge to enhance understanding of Anishinaabeg land tenure in the BWCA.
Records from 244 culturally modified trees (CMTs) demonstrate varying intensities of human use along historical water routes, notably the Border Route that connected Grand Portage to Rainy Lake and Lake of the Woods during the North American fur trade.
Pine pitch from the scarred pine was a valuable fur trade commodity which was used to seal and repair birch bark canoes.
Johnson received an undergraduate degree in Anthropology and History from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and a Masters of Anthropology from the University of Minnesota- Twin Cities.
He has worked as a biological technician, wildland firefighter and archaeological technician for the Superior National Forest since 2001, and has served as the forest archaeologist since 2012.
Johnson has worked for the Wisconsin State Historic Preservation Office, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources and, in a previous life, spent considerable time guiding wilderness canoe trips across the Canadian Shield for private and non-profit organizations.
His research interests include the archaeology and history of the fur trade period and historic land tenure among the Ojibwe of the Border Lakes.
Johnson makes his home near the Lester River in Duluth with his wife and two boys.d
