September 1957 (age 58)

On September 5, the Ely Miner published an article about the new wilderness bill that accused Sigurd of "openly and vigorously advocating the prohibition of the use of outboard motors," and claimed that he had "made the boast and prediction that he will effectuate such a ban to follow the airplane ban effectuated by Presidential Order."

The Miner had distorted the truth. On August 20, Olson had told members of the Lutheran Men's Club, "I feel personally that it would not be too much to consider setting aside some of the interior lakes for canoe use only, allowing the use as now of motors on the larger waters adjacent to the resort areas." But he made a point of telling the group that the wilderness bill specifically allowed motorboat use to continue in the canoe country. What he told the Ely group also was consistent with what he had told Howard Zahniser three years earlier. "The Quetico-Superior Committee," Olson wrote on May 28, 1954, "has never taken a stand against outboard motors because we have decided to wait and see what public use is made of them. You can only fight one battle at a time. It may be that public opinion will demand their elimination if it gets too bad. Time will tell."

Sigurd responded to the Ely Miner on September 10. You can read his letter here. For background context, read this excerpt from A Wilderness Within.

September 1972 (age 73)

The September 11 issue of Time (cover at left) reviewed the book A God Within, by Rene Dubos. Sigurd highlighted this quote from the book: "Our salvation depends upon our ability to create a religion of nature and a substitute for magic."