John Beargrease facts for kids
John Beargrease was born in 1858. His father was an Anishinaabe chief named Makwabimidem. John is best known for delivering mail in the winter. He worked along the North Shore of Lake Superior in Minnesota. He delivered mail between Two Harbors, Minnesota and Grand Marais, Minnesota.
John used a rowboat and a dog sled for his deliveries. His amazing dog sled trips are still remembered today. A long dog sled race, the John Beargrease Dog Sled Race, is named after him. This race is 411 miles long! It goes from Duluth to Grand Portage, Minnesota. John Beargrease died in 1910 in Beaver Bay, Minnesota.
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Growing Up in Minnesota
John Beargrease was born in 1858. This was the same year that Minnesota became a state. He was born near Cass Lake or Beaver Bay. His father, Chief Moquabimeten, was also called Beargrease. He led a small group of Ojibwe people. They moved to Beaver Bay in 1858 to work at a sawmill.
John's mother was Newagagamsbag. He had two brothers, Peter and Joseph. They lived in a traditional wigwam near the town. John's father was a trapper. He also worked as a sailor on a boat. The boat belonged to Albert Wieland, who started the town.
Delivering Mail by Dog Sled
The Beargrease brothers learned many skills from their father. They learned how to trap, hunt, and fish. They also found work with the Wieland family. When John was a teenager, he worked on ships. These ships carried fish, people, and goods on Lake Superior.
By the 1880s, John was in his twenties. Many small towns were along the North Shore. A new railroad reached as far as Two Harbors. But it didn't go further north. So, in 1879, John and his brothers began delivering mail. They traveled between Two Harbors and Grand Marais. Sometimes they went all the way to Grand Portage.
The Challenging Mail Route
The trail they followed was tough. It was a footpath from Duluth to Thunder Bay. The Anishinaabe people used it first. Later, fishing families and fur traders used it too. The Beargrease family knew the route well. They used it for their trap lines to sell furs.
The trail had many challenges. There were hundreds of streams and rivers. The footbridges were often weak. In winter, blizzards brought huge snowdrifts. In summer, there were heavy rains. And lots of mosquitoes, ticks, and flies!
A Link to the Outside World
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John is most famous for his dog sled trips. The 400-mile John Beargrease Dogsled Race honors him. Each week, or sometimes twice a week, he or a brother delivered the mail. They went from Two Harbors to Grand Marais. His fastest dog sled trip took 28 hours. He once made the trip by boat in 20 hours.
The Minnesota Historical Society explains how important he was. They wrote that the mail carrier was a "link to the outside world." People along the North Shore eagerly waited for him. He shared weather news and other important updates. He brought national news and letters from loved ones.
John started a direct mail contract in late 1894. He was paid $728 each year for his service. After 1899, he stopped his mail contract. But he kept working in the fur trading business.
Later Life and Legacy
John Beargrease married Louise Wishcob. She was from another well-known family in the area. Some records say they had twelve children.
John Beargrease died in Beaver Bay on August 10, 1910. His death certificate says he died from tuberculosis. However, some stories say he died heroically. They say he got pneumonia after saving another mail carrier. This carrier's boat was caught in a storm on Lake Superior. John dove into the freezing water to help.
One story says: "He never forgot how much the people living on the North Shore depended upon the mail. One day in 1910, he went out in a storm to rescue another mail carrier whose boat was caught in the waves off Tamarack Point... He caught pneumonia after the ordeal and died soon after." His grave can be seen today. It is at the Indian Cemetery in Beaver Bay.
