Isle Royale Forums

So far I have bought 5 nice books about Isle Royale. They include The Diary of an Island School Teacher,The Superior Way, Once upon an Isle, A Good Boat Speaks for Itself, and Superior Wilderness The Natural History of Isle Royale. These are a good start but can anyone tell me what books they would buy if they had 250 dollars to spend. I have a great interest in the mining and fishing history of the island. I not only like being on the island I like studying the history. I am also looking for books about the wolf and moose. Of course I have the Hiking Trails and Waterways book also. Thanks much, Richard

The foremost book on the Island's wolf-moose relationship is "The Wolves of Isle Royale" by Rolf Peterson. Rolf has been the long standing head of the longest running research of its kind. My copy is about 30 years old but it has been updated many many times. John Vucetich joined Rolf in recent years in order to ultimately takeover the research. John has published his own works as well.

The mining history on the Island has strong ties to the much larger mining industry that took place on the Keweenaw Peninsula. There is a relatively new NPS national historic site designation for much of this mining history, especially in the Calumet area.

~Ed

For history I'd recommend the following:
"Images of America- Isle Royale" by Poirier & Taylor, Arcadia Publishing
"Isle Royale-A Photographic History" by Gale & Gale, Natural History Association
Both of these have great photos and captions from the island.

"Beyond the Boundaries-Life and Landscape of the Lake Superior Copper Mines" by Lankton, Oxford University Press.
This is not specific to Isle Royale, but covers copper mining history for the whole region.

"The Grand Portage Story" by Gilman, MHS Press
History of the Grand Portage area with mentions of Isle Royale.

"Island Folk-The People of Isle Royale" by Oikarinen, University of Minnesota Press
Personal interviews and stories from people who lived on the island.

"Place Names of Isle Royale" by Parratt & Welker, Natural History Association
The guide to places on the island and the history of their names.

As far as trail guides go, I am going to plug my own linked below.

If you later want to take a break from all that history and non-fiction, there is at least one novel based on the Island: "Winter Study" by Nevada Barr.

I'm on amazon now. I will add these to my list. keep the tips coming please. Richard

If you're wanting to know more about the Isle in general, to build up that knowledge and love, also consider:

"Island Life - An Isle Royale Nature Guide" by Ted Gostomski and Janet Marr, IRNHA
That is my go-to guide when I see a flower or plant that I can't place. It covers Mammals, Birds, Reptiles/Amphibians, Aquatics, Insects, Trees and Shrubs, Wildflowers, Ferns, and Mushooms/Lichens/Liverworts/Mosses. I almost consider this a must-have if you like to get to know what's around you.

"The Geologic Story of Isle Royale National Park" by N. King Huber. (AKA US Geological Survey Bulletin 1309)
It reads just about like the title sounds it would, as it's really a reference. BUT, if you like rocks, and the structure of the island, it's your book.

MikeT already mentioned "Place Names of Isle Royale" and I like that one, as well as his guide book.

I do have "The Wildflowers of Isle Royale" but the Gostomski/Marr book is newer and covers all of that, with pictures.

Forgot to mention, most of the books mentioned are available through the Isle Royale Natural History Association at: www.irnha.org

They do great work and deserve the support.

Please keep the ISRO book titles coming. I have ordered 5 more and will be ordering 5 more next week. That should hold me over till I get to the island in September. I am also interested in the ships and shipwrecks of ISRO. The one advantage of having a 6000lb backpack is that I can bring my reference library with me to the island. I can almost count the hours till September. Richard

Hi Richard, dont be afraid to check out the books at the ranger staiton. I have bought one from them each time I am there..Diary of a fisherman is very interesting,and the school teacher one is good too. They talk about what life was like thru bad days and good island life.
zims

Please keep the ISRO book titles coming. I have ordered 5 more and will be ordering 5 more next week. That should hold me over till I get to the island in September. I am also interested in the ships and shipwrecks of ISRO. The one advantage of having a 6000lb backpack is that I can bring my reference library with me to the island. I can almost count the hours till September. Richard

Do Rafiki's trip reports count as books?

I love his "books". When I am missing the island I read his reports again and it is like I am there with him. The thing I am most happy about is that he omitted pictures of the following

I am pleased to inform you that I dropped the kids off at the pools several more times,

I thought his pictures will give others who might plan an early trip an idea about what to expect on the island befor the park crews get out. He has great skills with both a camera and the keyboard

By the way is there any word on the shelly graffitie bandit ? Have they tracked down that foul beast or do you think they are setting a trap and waiting for him to return? Richard T-37 days and counting down

MikeT wrote:Forgot to mention, most of the books mentioned are available through the Isle Royale Natural History Association at: http://www.irnha.org

They do great work and deserve the support.

Second that! If you're not supporting a local business, consider supporting the park, even if it is a couple bucks more (and often it isn't).

Does anyone know the name of the paperback book that has all the trail descriptions in it? I loaned it to someone and never got it back, and now searching amazon and the national park site, I cannot find it.

zims wrote:Does anyone know the name of the paperback book that has all the trail descriptions in it? I loaned it to someone and never got it back, and now searching amazon and the national park site, I cannot find it.

Around here, loaning an IR book and not having it returned, I hope you are not friends with this person.

http://www.amazon.com/Isle-Royale-Natio ... 0983015007

You can buy it through IRKPA.