| Ely, Minnesota acts as the doorway into the | | | | feedings. Workshops, behind the scenes tours, |
| Boundary Waters Canoe Area, which extends | | | | and summer day camps are also available. On the |
| over the Canada-USA borders. A museum in Ely | | | | opposite side of town is the North American Bear |
| celebrates the life of one remarkable woman, | | | | Center. Their population consists of two male and |
| Dorothy Molter, a.k.a. The Root Beer Lady. For | | | | one female black bears. Ted, who is a bit |
| over fifty years she lived on the Isle of Pines | | | | overweight, loves to lounge in front of the |
| Resort on Knife Lake. A registered Nurse she | | | | viewing window and pose for pictures. The other |
| tended to the physical and mental needs of the | | | | two are more reclusive. The center goes out of |
| canoeists who visited her. She provided food, | | | | its way to overcome the prejudices man has |
| lodging, and her famous root beer, bottling over | | | | about the bear. Forty-three video exhibits teach |
| 11,000 bottles per year. For many years canoeists | | | | different bear behaviors, including cam cameras in |
| would come to see her while they paddled the | | | | their den, while they are hibernating. The main |
| lakes of Northern Minnesota. In 1964 the | | | | movie shown in the theater is called, “The |
| Wilderness Act condemned and purchased her | | | | Man Who Walks with Bears”. It describes the |
| property by the United States Forest Service. A | | | | years of dedication that Lynn Rogers, Ph.D. has |
| cry of protest arose among the thousands of her | | | | made living and working with black bears. He has |
| friends whom she had befriended. The US | | | | found them to be gentle giants and accept him as |
| government allowed her tenancy for her lifetime. | | | | one of the family. The Center has a children’s |
| But she could no longer run her business as a | | | | area, an indoor and outdoor viewing area, |
| resort. She continued to make her root beer and | | | | hands-on activities. A short distance from town is |
| gave it to the thirsty: a two-bottle limit. She also | | | | the Soudan Underground Mine State Park. Journey |
| provided shelter for those who wanted it. Of | | | | ½ mile underground for a ninety minute tour of |
| course there was no charge. But in return for her | | | | the mine and mining history and techniques. Also |
| kindness, everyone left a monetary donation. This | | | | take that same journey to explore the High |
| allowed here to live the life she was accustomed | | | | Energy Physics Tour. Soudan is Minnesota’s |
| to live. She had no electricity. She lived thirty miles | | | | oldest iron mine opening in 1882. It is also the |
| from the nearest road. She traveled to Ely for | | | | deepest going down ½ mile into the earth. The |
| supplies by canoe in the summer over four | | | | visitor takes the same two-story elevator that |
| portages. During the winter, she could use a | | | | the miners took to work the mines. Tours of the |
| snowmobile. Snowmobile usage stopped when | | | | mine are given hourly throughout the day. The |
| The Forest Service banned motors in the | | | | ambient temperature is 50? F. So bring a warm |
| Boundary Waters. She cooked with wood and | | | | jacket and sturdy shoes. The High Energy Physics |
| occasionally propane, when she was supplied. She | | | | Tour is a must for geeks. Soudan was chosen by |
| made thousands of Christmas Tree Ornaments, | | | | the University of Minnesota because of the lack |
| which she gave out as presents. In return her | | | | of cosmic interference from other atmospheric |
| friends painted paddles for her which she used as | | | | particles, which occur on the surface. About 2,400 |
| a fence. She hauled in topsoil so she could plant | | | | feet underground this interference is greatly |
| flowers, an unusual sight upon the island. She | | | | reduced. Presently there are three experiments |
| continued to bottle her Root Beer. One great | | | | being conducted. They are: For twenty-five years |
| story about The Root Beer lady is that she had a | | | | The MINOS (Main Injector Neutrino Oscillation |
| dog who loved to chase sea planes. One day it | | | | Search) Far Detector is a 6,000 ton particle |
| got too close to one of the propellers. Both the | | | | tracking device that is observing neutrinos sent |
| prop and the dog’s jaw were broken. The | | | | from Fermilab, which is near Chicago, almost 500 |
| pilot was going to destroy her dog, but Dorothy | | | | miles away. The goal of MINOS is to precisely |
| Molter said, “No!. I am a nurse and I will take | | | | determine mass differences among neutrinos, 3 |
| care of him.” She made a splint out of birch | | | | of the 12 fundamental building blocks of matter. |
| bark and attached it to the dog’s jaw. After | | | | They want to see if the neutrinos change during |
| a few weeks, the dog’s jaw was healed. | | | | their journey. They are divided into three types: |
| From that time onward, it had a slightly crooked | | | | electron neutrinos, muon neutrinos and tau |
| jaw and never chased planes again. The propeller | | | | neutrinos. The scientists at Soudan isolate the |
| is on display at the museum. Upon her death in | | | | muon neutrino from Fermi Lab, near Chicago and |
| 1986 at the age of 79, her many friends from Ely | | | | examine if the flavor has changed to tau or |
| took her cabins and all of her possessions and | | | | electron. Another Far Detector is being built a |
| created the Dorothy Molter Museum in Ely. They | | | | distance away from Soudan to see if these |
| continue to produce her root beer, the profits | | | | neutrinos change the further they travel. The |
| going to the upkeep of the museum. A trip to Ely | | | | CDMS 2 (Cryogenic Dark Matter Search) |
| demands a visit to Dorothy Molter Museum. | | | | Detector operates at near absolute zero to seek |
| Expect to spend two hours there, being awed by | | | | traces of Weakly Interacting Massive Particles |
| this fascinating woman. While there buy a six-pack | | | | (WIMPs) that might comprise a significant fraction |
| of her root beer. A couple of blocks away are | | | | of Dark Matter. It is the coldest place on Earth. |
| the International Wolf Center. Learn about the | | | | This facility is not open to the public, because of |
| importance of wolves and their interaction with | | | | the strict rules it must obey to keep at this |
| humanity. A major exhibit, Wolves and Humans, is | | | | temperature. The theory is that the colder an |
| undergoing reconstruction. Enclosed on a two-acre | | | | object is the less movement. When something is |
| site, six wolves live and interact with each other | | | | introduced to the object, the difference in |
| and with humans. Presently there are two adult | | | | movement shows a rise in temperature and so a |
| Arctic wolves and four younger timber wolves. All | | | | certain weight. This is very confusing to a mere |
| have been raised in captivity and have been | | | | mortal like myself, but speaks volumes to |
| socialized with humans since puppyhood before | | | | physicists. LBCF (Low Background Counting |
| being introduced to the pack. A viewing window | | | | Facility) now under installation at Soudan will |
| allows the visitors and wolves to interact with | | | | provide a range of highly sensitive detectors, |
| each other. Many programs are available for the | | | | available for use by the science and engineering |
| public. Movies are shown hourly in the theater. | | | | community for designing, testing, prototyping and |
| Talks by docents are given before the viewing | | | | calibrating scientific and technical apparatus. Ely is a |
| area. The staff tries hard to combat the many | | | | special place: a small name, but a big hearted |
| prejudices we have about wolves and their | | | | town. Come and enjoy the great North. Be like |
| behavior. Feeding is done on Saturday evenings. | | | | Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz: Bears and wolves |
| An additional charge is made to attend these | | | | and root beer and neutrinos. |