January 1950 (age 50)

Opponents of President Truman's ban on airplanes in the canoe country wilderness of northeastern Minnesota lashed out at the executive order, which had been signed in mid-December. St. Louis County Commissioner Richard Floyd, complaining that the air ban became law "after a few stinking little politicians drank whisky with the President at Key West," charged that "Senator Humphrey sold us all down the river. Never once did he give us the courtesy of a hearing." An Ely opponent of the ban, John Smrekar, hinted at a conspiracy "that would take hours to expose....The more we've dug, the more we've found, and the more we've found, the more we've dug." The Ely Chamber of Commerce demanded that the federal government provide a new industry to replace the $750,000 annual revenue the chamber claimed Ely would lose because of the air ban.

January 1965 (age 65)

Wisconsin Sen. Gaylord Nelson and Minnesota Sen. Walter Mondale introduce legislation to establish the St. Croix National Scenic Riverway; Sigurd Olson publicly supported the bill.