Sigurd Olson

1899 – 1982
Inducted 1987

“By saving any wilderness, what you are really m saving is the human spirit.” — Sigurd Olson

Sigurd Olson’s name is synonymous with the preservation of wilderness. He believed that wilderness contributed to humankind’s spiritual and intellectual growth. That philosophy guided his career as a teacher and writer, but he didn’t stop there. Olson led efforts to preserve the Boundary Waters Canoe Area in the Quetico-Superior National Forest of northern Minnesota. He came up against powerful forces in that effort, but was rewarded in 1934, when President Franklin Roosevelt created the Peace Memorial Forest, today’s Boundary Waters area.

Born in Chicago, Olson was raised in Ashland, WI. The north would be the heartbeat of his life’s work, providing inspiration and challenge as he sought to imbue the spirit of wilderness preservation in his students and those who would read his interpretive books, including “The Singing Wilderness,” “Reflections from the North Country,” “Open Horizons” and “Listening Point.”

He served as president of The Wilderness Society and the National Parks Association, and worked within the system to achieve his goals. In addition to saving the Boundary Waters Area, he is credited with leading efforts to create the Wilderness Act of 1964.

Once a student at Northland College in Ashland, his legacy is alive at that institution today through the work of the Sigurd Olson Environmental Institute. The Institute serves as the environmental outreach arm of the college, focusing on a variety of environmental issues in the Lake Superior region.

It was during his time while teaching in the biology department at Ely Junior College in Minnesota that Olson became engaged in efforts to save the Boundary Waters area. He was accompanied on one canoeing trip by Will Dalg, founder and president of the Izaak Walton League. Dalg pledged that the Izaak Waltons would join in efforts to preserve the area.

Olson also became involved in numerous national causes, including defense of the Grand Canyon. But Olson’s beloved north country was closest to his soul.

Resources

Sigurd Olson Biography

Sigurd Olson Legislative Citation

Preserving the endangered principle, speech/article by Michael Frome for Sigurd Olson’s Induction into the WCHF, 1987

Quotes from Siguard Olson, excerpts from AFIELD: Portraits of Wisconsin Naturalists, Empowering Leopold’s Legacy, by Sumner Matteson

Program from Siguard Olson’s WCHF Induction Ceremony

A Voice for the Wilderness: Northland College Salutes Sigurd F. Olson (booklet)

Sigurd Olson memorial booklet