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LarrySw45
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What.............No Red Plaid ????
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Harv
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Stumpy: "Such an over rated, newer, tourist trap.
Crabby owners as well.
Several bars in town had way better feel.
"
It was a fun place after a trip. Owners could be gruff, but not if you were from up there or knew them. I remember working for one of the local outfitters in town, drop off some tourists and head up the stairs and kill a half hour or so bs'ing with Mark and/or Michelle. It was good intel to know how many people went through that day, if the game wardens or forest service was up that way too.
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timatkn
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Stumpy: "Such an over rated, newer, tourist trap.
Crabby owners as well.
Several bars in town had way better feel.
"
Like the Kwazy Wabbit? It was like walking into Roadhouse every time I went in there...which wasn't much...except briefly to show friends new to Ely the "S" show that existed there :)...
I've heard it changed hands and is a great place now.
Your right the owners were crabby--ish...but in an enduring way. On my Dad's first trip a pack broke on the portage to Mudro, went to Spirit of the Wilderness to rent one while my Dad drank coffee with the owners. He said they were gruff at first but were buds by the end. It was sort of like this website in an away…everyone that was at the bar was there because they were doing a trip or just finished a trip. Created a fun atmosphere. Everyone else was very happy/excited…maybe that was the magic, that countered the “crabby” owners?
Whatever...your opinion is your opinion…and based on your own experiences, I certainly can't deny. I just didn't have the same experience, nor opinion you do.
T
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Digger07
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Stumpy: "Such an over rated, newer, tourist trap.
Crabby owners as well.
Several bars in town had way better feel.
" I never had the chance to visit this place, but I'm sure it was friendlier than Dee's Tavern in Ely.
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Culinarytracker
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bruceye
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Are there certain sceneries that invoke the photographer in all of us, or is this just coincidence? I really think its the former. At any rate, its a setting that was the gateway to my first and most memorable Q-trip up to Argo. Late april early may 2002 we made it from Picket to Friday bay without a hitch. Took a break on the north shore of Crooked at the portage into Argo. Sent Mark ahead to report on condition of portage, the news wasn't what we wanted to here. 'Argo's froze in' he said, Barry and Tyler thought he was kidding but I'd been around liars and charlatans enough in my life to know he wasn't. The scene at the shore of Argo was sureal, it reminded me of a glacial shield version of the Blue Lagoon, unarguably, one of the most beautiful places I'd ever seen and yes, with the exception of fifty to ten feet nearest the shoreline, it was iced over. At that we converted to icebreaker mode as the bow men chopped our way through to the north island campsite. Temps warmed up enough in the next couple of days to burn off most of the ice and we were entreated to some robust Laker action. Truly unforgetable!
Oh yeah the picture, front to back; Tyler (1/2 the 6'7" of him) Yours truly, Barry and Mark.
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Kendra
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Wow, check out the shorts up around my neck! LOL
June 1995. Hubby and I.
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Bang
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Here are some shots from July 2005.
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wawasee
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I went out of mudro this year and miss drinking a beer with Mark on my way out.
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The Great Outdoors
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stevenjames,
I heard through the grapevine that Otis did 7-10 years in the dog pound after getting caught 8 times without a BWCA permit:)
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overthehill
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Nice umbrella Bog! :)
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Kevlar
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Thanks, Great Outdoors...I knew somebody would have better info (or a better memory) than me. I would take the kids I was guiding in there for a cold pop after a trip...dollar bills tacked all over the ceiling. They loved it and so did I.
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bojibob
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Very cool post and pictures. I regret that I never got to experience this. :-(
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Basspro69
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My first trip to the BWCA was through Mudro and the Chainsaw Sisters, Im sad to see that its gone !
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Ozarker
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Been there several times and had some good conversations with Marilyn and her husband. I'm impressed with some of those old time chain saws that were laying around. From the size of them, I'd say it took a pretty good sized person to run those things all day.
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wa0yle
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Yeah, Otis was a good guest. We went thru Mudro a couple of years later and Otis was tied up. One too many trips I guess.
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allfish
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Yep...Schmidt's, Schmidt's Light, and Camels...
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wawasee
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If you have a picture of the Chainsaw Sisters Saloon please post. I really miss that part of the trip, coming out to a cold beer and excellent conversation. This is from my 2006 trip. 
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HowardSprague
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I think this was in '95...
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ktoivola
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thats too bad....I do enjoy the free parking though
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timatkn
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2006 May.
T
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kanoes
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it was at the mudro entry point. 22 and 23. you had to pay for parking but the cold beer coming out was well worth it.
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SunCatcher
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That is awesome. never been there first time I ever heard of it.
Explain more please?
SunCatcher
P.S. Kind of reminds me of the Moonshine Gulch Saloon in the Black Hills. over 100 year old place (FYI Big n Rich did a video there)
That is a "unique" place also.
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wawasee
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I had been there maybe five or six times before 2006. Great atmosphere friendly people we would rent our canoes off of the owners. My friend Ken is the one who always rented our canoes. They would tell him to put the money under the door and grab our canoes on the way out to Mudro.
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Kevlar
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The story I heard was that these two sisters worked for the Forest Service. The F.S. screwed up and put 40 acres of land on the market and they snapped it up, and then the F.S. realized their mistake and tried to buy it back...no deal. The sisters opened the saloon and it was more popular in the winter to snowmobilers than to us summer people. The part of the story that I haven't heard is why they sold it. Anyone have better info about the start, or the demise, of the saloon?
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otter1
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I miss my "I got buzzed at the Chainsaw Sisters Saloon" sweatshirt!! My girlfriend really hated that thing. Wish I new what landfill it ended up in.
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motdur
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Winter trip 2005 through Fourtown and Horse. 
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The Great Outdoors
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Kevlar,
Potlatch had the land for sale, and the Sisters (Marlene & Michelle)purchased it from them through their brother.
They knew that the Land Trust(???)or some similar group wanted to buy the land and turn it over to the Forest Service, who they both worked for.
The girl's bid was higher, and presented before others made any offers.
Both girls married.
A few years later, Michelle with her husband Mark purchased it from the other couple & ran the Chain Saw Sister's Saloon until the end.
They sold because they were getting older, and got tired of traveling to Ely every time they needed something.
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tony
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don't know the exact date but some time in the early 2000's 
tony
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dicecupmaker
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I have a picture but have to get it scanned. I made them a custom dicecup when we finished back in 2004. I don't think they carried O'douls at that time. The other guys hammered down a few barley pops.
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wa0yle
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One of their dogs (the black and white one) followed us out to Fourtown one year. As we were going across Mudro, I saw the dog running the shoreline. We made camp and the dog showed up and stayed with us for the entire time. The FS stopped by to check permits and asked us if the owners knew he was with us. We replied 'no' and he was going to tell Mark and Michelle where the dog was. He would disappear at night and show up for breakfast. We fed him our leftovers. I still have a couple of photos of him.
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Bannock
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After the Sisters was removed I took a picture of where the staires were:
And of where the saloon was:
This picture was taken from the porch of The Sisters looking down the stairs and overlooking the parking lot. Bogwalker is coming up the stairs (with his unbrella):
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stevenjames
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the black and white dog's name was Otis. he followed a couple of groups in
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Stumpy
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Digger07: "Stumpy: "Such an over rated, newer, tourist trap.
Crabby owners as well.
Several bars in town had way better feel.
" I never had the chance to visit this place, but I'm sure it was friendlier than Dee's Tavern in Ely."
Far from it.
Dee's was tops in the 70s & 80s.
I proposed to my late/great wife in Dee's.
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OneMatch
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September 12, 2005. My wedding reception was there:
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timatkn
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Sometimes I love when these old posts come back up.
That place had what us tourists call “Character” loved it! Was sad to see it go, but get why the family moved on. Been back a few times and it just doesn’t look right.
T
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Stumpy
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Such an over rated, newer, tourist trap.
Crabby owners as well.
Several bars in town had way better feel.
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The Great Outdoors
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I think Otis' last "trip" was the time Chain Saw Sister Michelle was going into Zup's store in Ely and saw him in a parked car in the lot.
She waited for the owners to come out, and was told he joined them on some lake, followed them out during their trip, and jumped into the car to go with them at when they reached the landing which was not at the Mudro access.
He was quite an adventurer:)
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marmsey
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Thank you all for sharing your photos and memories of an icon that will remain with BWCA'rs for another 50+ years.
As much as I understand why people/groups wanted it gone, I equally don't understand why it had to go.
Some of my fondest memories of youth are where after a long travel or journey there was reward at the very end, even if it was only an ice cold soda. I'm sure that there were a lot a first trippers that had a long trip changed their minds after a visit to the 'Sisters'.
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VoyageurNorth
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Paddle96
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The first trip I was invited on was capped off at the Chainsaw Sisters. It felt perfect. Dating a dollar bill with our initials and “camping catch phrase” then pinning it on the ceiling next to the others was a fun way to mark the years.
I’ve always wondered what happened to all the dollar bills. Were they cataloged or made available for a charitable donation? Getting a couple back or a photo of where they where would be cool.
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Jackfish
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I used to have a long-sleeved t-shirt with the Chainsaw Sisters logo on it. Bought it in Ely after the place was shut down. Anyone know if they're still available anywhere? I'd like to have another one.
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timatkn
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Jackfish: "I used to have a long-sleeved t-shirt with the Chainsaw Sisters logo on it. Bought it in Ely after the place was shut down. Anyone know if they're still available anywhere? I'd like to have another one."
My wife has a “I got buzzed at Chainsaw Sisters Saloon” tshirt. I believe it got retired a few years ago. If it was mine, I’d still be wearing it :)
T
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Mocha
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This is a cool photo. Would be interesting to see a today photo, minus the sign of course, where are these kids now
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schweady
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Sorry for exhuming such an old thread, but they're such good memories.
August 1996:
Sure glad we've learned a lot about more efficient clothing and gear in the past 14 years...
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