PICTOGRAPH QUEST   by James W. Rhodes

Pictograph Quest by James W. Rhodes is the story of dreams fulfilled.

 

Jim, a Boundary Waters canoe guide, dreamed of emulating the voyageurs of old with a canoe trip along the famed Voyageur Highway from Rainy Lake to Lake Superior. Photographing all documented pictographs in Quetico Provincial Park of Ontario would be another dream fulfillment. Pictographs, the mysterious rock art paintings, were a fascinating subject. The 200 mile Voyageur Highway canoe trip and the 40 pictograph sites visited in Quetico Provincial Park are highlights of Pictograph Quest.

 

Visiting Dorothy Molter, the legendary “Root Beer Lady” and “Boundary Waters Nurse” is another highlight. After Dorothy’s death in 1986, Jim’s ballad booklet on Dorothy’s life entitled Dorothy Molter Boundary Waters Queen was published.

 

Jim’s participation in the first International Canoe Derby, a grueling 200 mile marathon from Ely, Minnesota to Atikokan, Ontario and back is also highlighted. Pictograph photography, picture-poems, a bit of Indian lore and area history, provide additional highlights of the fascinating sites and unspoiled beauty found in the canoe country.