Dorothy Molter - Cabins and Museum

Cabins and Museum

After Molter's death, her cabins were dismantled and moved to Ely, as the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness Act of 1978 banned permanent residences and structures within the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. The first part of the effort involved transporting the disassembled cabins by dog sled to a landing point at the Boy Scout canoe base on Moose lake. Time was of the essence as the Forest Service was directed to burn her cabins down by a certain date. An unseasonably warm March stymied those efforts to move her cabins by dogsled and special permission was obtained to use motorized transportation such as snowmobiles. Her residence was re-erected on the east side of Ely, Minnesota on a site near the Chamber of Commerce building. The Dorothy Molter Museum was formed to preserve her legacy. The cabin was moved from the chamber of commerce site to the museum, and a second cabin of hers was also erected and restored at the museum. The museum is located on the south side of Route 169 (Sheridan St.) at the east end of Ely.