Come listen to Bill Hansen share the history and stories of Sawbill Canoe Outfitters. "There is an outfitter at the end of the Sawbill Trail, to the northwest of Lutsen, Minnesota, where customers and staff return year after year and whose names are remembered. They become part of a kind of family tree, a network of people connected to the place and the family at its center. The Hansens, and now the (Clair Hansen Shirley) Shirleys, have been running Sawbill Canoe Outfitters since 1957, creating more than a business. It’s a place where annual traditions, lifelong friendships and marriages have been born."

So many stories Bill could tell. We look forward to seeing the stories he weaves together...maybe they will include Sawbill's work credit system, growing up in the North Woods, wild animal encounters, the history of Sawbill, the people he has met along the way, wilderness rescues, being part of a family business, and so much more!

It is incredible how many people that Sawbill has invited to work for them that have chosen to stay or return to Cook County and become impactful community members - including our own Executive Director, Karen Blackburn. Maybe we will hear a fun story or two about people you didn't even know originated from Sawbill, back when they were fresh faced and new to Cook County.

Bill Hansen: Bill Hansen was born in Duluth. He spent most of his life at Sawbill Canoe Outfitters on the edge of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness in Tofte. His parents, Mary Alice and Frank Hansen, founded the business in 1957. Bill and his wife, Cindy, owned and operated it for 30 years before selling it to their daughter and son-in-law, Clare and Dan Shirley, in 2016.