A grave in the BWCA. Photo by Dan Johnson via BWCA Wild
The Magazine, Subscribers Only
Legend of the Lost Girl: A Boundary Waters Story
By Joe Friedrichs
I’d never heard of Ella Hall. Not the lake. Not the girl.
It wasn’t until a discussion we were recording in St. Paul with two Boundary Waters aficionados for the Paddle and Portage Podcast did the name Ella Hall enter my psyche.
Ever since, I frequently find myself thinking about how Ella Hall came to be buried on a small island in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness.
To continue reading, login below or sign up here.
Other Recent Articles
What Forest Service Headquarters Moving to Utah Means for the Boundary Waters
Information kiosk near the Tofte Ranger Station. April 2026 photo by Joe Friedrichs The federal government announced this week it is moving the headquarters for the U.S. Forest Service from Washington, D.C. to Salt Lake City. As part of the move, the Forest Service...
Forest Service Uses Dog Sled Teams in First Steps to Improve Monument Portage
Monument Portage in summer 2025. Photo by Mark Zimmer (the Barefoot Paddler) It became known as the portage where boots and socks vanish for parts unknown. The Monument Portage. Straddling the U.S.-Canada border, this well-traveled portage between Ottertrack and Swamp...
The Political Theater of the Boundary Waters
A land of legislation (and wilderness?). Photo by Joe Friedrichs ST. PAUL – State Senator Grant Hauschild went fishing for the votes of some Boundary Waters enthusiasts this month. Most regional media took the bait. In a move that some media outlets say will “protect...