The Gunflint Trail branches off Highway 61 just north of Grand Marais, past where a pair of entry markers built by the Civilian Conservation Corps in 1937 and 1938 used to be, and climbs north into the kind of country that takes your breath away. Sixty miles of road pass through boreal forest, past lakes that don’t have a house or cabin on them, ending at Saganaga Lake on the Canadian border.
It started as a foot path used by American Indians traveling to Grand Marais, became a wagon road for prospectors chasing mineral wealth that never materialized, and was gradually improved as loggers moved in and the county needed fire protection for the timberland. The road reached Seagull Lake in 1929. Even then, “road” was generous. Just two dirt tracks with weeds growing between them. But it was enough. Almost as soon as the road reached a lake, people followed.
By the 1930s, the name Gunflint Trail had taken hold, and resorts and private cabins began appearing as soon as a new section of the trail was built. The pattern has repeated ever since. People drive up, not always sure what pulled them there. As they talk to the locals, they find themselves drawn in by the stories and the stillness. For some of us, memories of the trail stay with us even after we return home.
Cindy and Tony Faras were like that. They’d been visiting the Gunflint area for years before they decided to make it home. In 1992, Cindy traded a hair-design career in Minneapolis for a chainsaw and a new life with her husband in the Northwoods.
Rather than buying one of the existing resorts when they came up for sale, they built their own business from the ground up with a new vision about what a vacation resort could be along the Gunfling Trail.
Boundary Waters Adventures offered guests private cabins on individual parcels on Saganaga and Seagull lakes. One of those cabins had been built in 1934 by Bill and Margarite Henton. Cindy and Tony bought it from their son in 1995, restored it with care, and kept the Henton name on the cabin as a tribute to their family.
I was thinking about all of this while making a pickle recipe that they contributed to a cookbook. It’s likely a Faras family recipe, the kind that gets passed down and eventually shared with guests because everyone asks for it.
These were the first pickles I’d ever made. Thankfully, they were easy to make, and after three weeks watching them transform from cucumbers into pickles in my refrigerator, I found them crunchy and sweet, with plenty of flavor from the green pepper and onion. I added extra celery seed for a little more depth. Next time, I want to try adding some fresh dill to see how that tastes. Chop everything up together, and they’d also make a nice relish for hot dogs or wurst at a summer cookout.
Standing in my kitchen with the cucumbers on the cutting board, it was hard not to think about what it would be like to wake up on Seagull Lake every morning with the smell of the woods around me and the sound of a loon carrying across the water. Maybe that’s what makes these recipes so special for those of us who can only visit these wild places. It’s an artifact from the place that allows us to linger in a place long after we leave.
Mom’s Refrigerator Pickles
Ingredients
- 7 cucumbers, sliced
- 2 cups sugar
- 2 Tbsp. salt
- 1 cup green pepper, diced
- 1 cup onion, sliced
- 1 cup white vinegar
- 1 Tbsp. celery salt
Instructions
- Pack all ingredients into a jar with vinegar. Shake to mix.
- Refrigerate for three weeks before eating.
