Writing Shack

[quiet piano music] I’m Alanna Dore, the executive director of the Listening Point Foundation here in Ely, Minnesota… and we’re standing in front of Sig Olson’s writing shack Sig started writing here… he was writing in his house and didn’t really like being there because it was too much family, too many children, too many noises, too many smells, etc… he decided to take the garage that was on the property and make it into a writing shack. He thought it would cost about $50 to make the renovation and it ended up costing $150, so he was astounded at that price. This is where all of the books were written. He had a lot of different interests, he loved to be outside, he loved to smoke a pipe, he loved to write, obviously he also loved to collect rocks… he has a lot of photographs... he was big reader of all kinds of magazines… had all kinds of conservation magazines maps are everywhere… his snowshoes are in there… the typewriter is there… And that typewriter is a famous typewriter, Sig was known for responding to anybody that wrote him a letter. And there is a piece of paper in the typewriter that was the last line that he typed. The last thing that he typed was, ‘There is a new adventure coming up and I think it will be a good one.’ There are a lot of people that have read his works in the early 50s and into the 60s, those writings have affected their lives. So many people come and it’s a very spiritual experience. I’ve had people in tears, people not want to go in the door, I’ve had people come in and, ‘Can we touch the typewriter?’ I’ve had people say, ‘Can I sit in the chair?’ Sig Olson and his writings, and his philosophy means a lot to a lot of people in lots of different ways. But it all is connected to the wilderness and the spiritual effect that it has on us as humans. [quiet piano music fades out]