Listening Point cabin added to historic Register

Olson's cabin at Listening Point
Listening Point, located on the south arm of Burntside Lake, was Sigurd and Elizabeth Olson's getaway place. They bought the land in 1955.
Photo by Richard Frank, courtesy of the Sigurd F. Olson Web site

The cabin in wilderness writer Sigurd Olson's "Listening Point" has been named to the National Register of Historic Places.

Olson wrote nine books, including "The Singing Wilderness" and "Listening Point," titled after a spot on an island in Burntside Lake.

The cabin is maintained by the Listening Point Foundation. Executive Director Alanna Johnson says Olson worked for wilderness preservation on a national level, but he lived for many years in Ely.

"He built the cabin with idea in mind that he was going to write out there, and he tried it a couple of times and for him there was too much going on," Johnson said.

Johnson says the recognition will help the foundation get grants to educate new wilderness leaders.

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