BWCA enthusiasts had an opportunity to learn about some of the area’s Indigenous history and traditional ecology Sunday during an author presentation.

Head of the Lake Chapter and the Boulder Lake Environment Learning Center hosted a glimpse into the past of the Boundary Waters with author Tim Cochrane.

His book “Making the Carry: the Lives of John and Tchi-Ki-Wis Linklater,” is about a couple of Indigenous descent who lived in what is now the BWCA in the late 1800s.

He said learning about the Indigenous culture of the area is important.

“I think it’s important to understand that there were people living in the Boundary Waters and enjoying it and raising families,” Cochrane said. “That’s what we’ve inherited in a way, I mean you just want to recognize people that, that’s their homeland and understand a bit what it meant to them, so it can give you a deeper knowledge of what you’re experiencing.”

Cochrane himself spent many years working as a superintendent for the National Park Service in Minnesota, Alaska and Michigan and has worked extensively with native Americans.

The book will be released in February 2023.

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