Breaking News

Philip K. DuFresne, 104, Two Harbors, passed away peacefully on November 13, 2018 at Ecumen Scenic Shores in Two Harbors.
He was born June 20, 1914 to Henry and Hulda (Johnson) DuFresne in North Dakota. When he was a child, his mother remarried and they moved to Two Harbors, where Phil remained the rest of his life. He was the second oldest of the four boys and one sister.
In 1935 he married Delores (Pat) O’Brian and had two sons, David and Fred. In 1936, John (Boomer) Norlen, (a cousin of Pat’s) at age 12, came to live with them temporarily and stayed permanently.
Phil retired with 41 years working for the D.M.I.R. (Duluth, Mesabi & Iron Range Railroad). He at one time co-owned a local pool hall with a friend in the mid 1950s and ran the Dairy Queen for a few years in the early 1960s.

Photo by Tom Pearson

Hortense Louisa (Simpkins) Davis, 92, of Galesburg, IL died Tuesday November 6, 2018 at 4:15 p.m. at home.
She was born December 21, 1925 to Peter and Olga (Warden) Simpkins. Hortense married John D. Davis on June 28, 1942 in Palmyra, Missouri. He preceded her in death July 10, 1999.
Hortense is survived by her four children, Barry (Charlotte Self) Davis of Florida, Kriss (Betsy Hensley) Davis of Bloomington, Kerry (Sandy Furniss) Davis of Ely, Minnesota, and Dixie Davis-Sharp of Galesburg; seven grandchildren, Dorothy Lam, Timothy Sharp, Chad Davis, John Davis, Taylor Davis, Justin Davis, and Sara Skar; nine great grandchildren, Eleia Lam, Baron Lam, Minuet Lam, Mason Davis, Isabella Davis, Jace Davis, Cameron Sharp, Emelia Skar, and Theodore Skar; and two great great grandchildren Ivy Sharp and Lennon Sharp. She is also survived by her sister, Sylvia Simpkins-Stoutner of Penn Valley, California and numerous nieces and nephews across the country.

There is a wave of excitement moving throughout the community. Children are excited as the snow begins to accumulate and lakes freeze. Sledding, skiing and hockey are on their way. Adults are making plans for holiday gatherings with family and friends. All are anticipating the fun and celebration of the season.

Ely has long standing traditions highlighting our unique and beautiful corner of the north woods. We invite you to come and celebrate the start of winter with these great events:

ANTHONY MATHEW (TONY) KNAPP, 82, passed away peacefully in his sleep at his home in Mankato, Minnesota on November 10, 2018. He was surrounded by his family after a courageous six-month battle with pancreatic cancer.
A Celebration of Life will be held at 11 a.m. on Thursday, November 15 at Hosanna Lutheran Church. He will be interred at Calvary Cemetery in Mankato.
A memorial visitation will take place from 4 to 6 p.m. on Wednesday, November 14, at the Mankato Mortuary and also at the church for one hour prior to the service on Thursday.
Tony was born on September 27, 1936 in Ely, Minnesota to Anton and Mary Knapp. He graduated from Ely High School and went on to the Ely Junior College for two years.
Tony loved learning throughout his entire life, and he completed his teaching degree from St. Cloud Teachers College before earning his Master’s degree at Mankato State University.

by Tom Coombe -

The U.S. Forest Service will hold a public meeting following concerns raised over changes to the BWCA permit system, specifically the elimination of the lottery system for motor permits.
The meeting will be held on Tuesday, Nov. 13 at 2 p.m. at the Kawishiwi District Ranger Office conference room.
Both Sen. Amy Klobuchar and Rep. Rick Nolan have questioned the changes after Ely area businesses and residents have raised concerns.
Beginning Oct. 1, recreation reservation services on the Superior National Forest were upgraded within the nation-wide recreation.gov website.
These include stronger security controls, better protection of Personally Identifiable Information, and increased fraud protection.
The new system also enables real-time notification of availability and reservation of campsites in Superior National Forest developed campgrounds as well as Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (BWCAW) quota permits.

Armistice Day is commemorated every year on 11 November to mark the armistice signed between the Allies of World War I and Germany at Compiègne, France, for the cessation of hostilities on the Western Front of World War I, which took effect in 1918 at eleven o’clock in the morning—the “eleventh hour of the eleventh day.”
The U.S. holiday was renamed Veterans Day in 1954. As a Federal holiday, it will be observed this year on Monday instead.
At the outset of World War I, Harry S. Truman served in the U.S. Army as an artillery battery commander in France. He served later as President.
Starting in May, 1917 when the U.S. entered the war, over 4.7 million men and women served in the regular U.S. forces, national guard units, and draft units with about 2.8 million serving overseas. There were 53,402 killed in action, 63,114 deaths from disease and other causes, and about 205,000 wounded, according to sources.

Election Day has come and gone and we’re thrilled to see the extraordinary interest in the Ely area - where turnout was through the roof - and across the state and nation.
But those looking for some clarity, and a break from the political divide that exists seemingly everywhere, figure to be in for disappointment.
Voters delivered what at best could be called a split verdict Tuesday night.
Across the nation, Democrats took over the U.S. House as expected but Republicans gained seats in the U.S. Senate.
The House losses were typical for a president’s party during his first midterm and clearly not at a level suffered by recent presidents including Obama (2010) and Clinton (1994).
In Minnesota, it was more of a victory for Democrats as the party continued their winning streak in statewide elections, with crushing victories in both the governor and two U.S. Senate races, and a sweep that puts the DFL in charge of the State House.

There’s no wonder why the Ely Echo is the largest circulation newspaper in the Ely area! It’s loaded with photos, all the political news of the area, sports news and more.

Get it delivered to your home or office - just $35 a year for the email Echo newspaper. If you are already a print subscriber, add $10 and add the email pdf version of the Echo.
218-365-3141.