St. Louis River crossing goes awry; 3 rescued
Go Deeper.
Create an account or log in to save stories.
Like this?
Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories.
A man and his two young sons were nearly undone by their determination to cross the St. Louis River.
Joe Matuza of Shakopee and his 11- and 8-year-old sons were camping at Jay Cooke State Park on Wednesday when they tried to cross the river by hopping from rock to rock. Matuza says they got stuck in the middle and his younger son got panicky.
Matuza tells the Duluth News Tribune that he swam across about 30 feet of fast current to the riverbank, reached a phone and called 911. His boys stayed put on their rock and waited for rescue crews to arrive.
The rescue took hours and included having Minnesota Power drop water levels on the stretch of river. A Cloquet police diver retrieved the boys one by one.
Turn Up Your Support
MPR News helps you turn down the noise and build shared understanding. Turn up your support for this public resource and keep trusted journalism accessible to all.
Joe Matuza says his boys stayed calm. He says he's embarrassed but happy, and thanks the rescuers.
An assistant park manager says visitors get stranded on river rocks once or twice a year.
---
Information from: Duluth News Tribune
(Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
