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| Reclamation |
In October 2011, I was Artist in Residence at Porcupine
Mountains Wilderness State Park. With old growth forests, waterfalls, Lake
Superior and a plethora of hiking trails, I was inspired until I was
overflowing.
We were fortunate to go on two guided hikes with Park Interpreter,
Bob Wild, which I highly recommend you do if visiting there. The first was an early evening bear den hike –
during a time when posted signs in the Park said “Bear Activity is High”! The
second was a twilight, 90 minute guided hike through the former town site and
copper mill of the Nonesuch Copper Mine.
The former copper mill’s limestone building shells and processing pits
are slowly disintegrating and there is talk of archeological work being done
there in the future if funding can be found.
It was the old town site that really interested me. The buildings are long gone – torn down or
moved during the Depression. Lilac
bushes and fruit trees that now feed only wildlife are the only things left
that show that humans inhabited the town site. As we walked back out of the
area, the full moon shone down on Nonesuch.
The relatively young trees, holding on to the last of their golden
leaves, glowed softly. The Reclamation by the Wilderness was well on its way.
