50 Years, 50 Legacies: Sigurd Olson
#12: Sigurd Olson
Credit: The Listening Point Foundation
Sigurd Olson (1899–1982) is recognized across the United States as one of the most influential conservationists and nature writers of his era.
Having spent most of his adult life in Ely, Minnesota, Olson is best known for his deep appreciation of and tireless work to protect both Voyageurs National Park and the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. He devoted nearly his entire life to advancing the protection of these places – both of which received federal designation and protection less than seven years before his death in 1982.
Credit: The Listening Point Foundation
Around the time of Olson’s birth, interest in establishing a national park in northern Minnesota began to take hold among local citizens and the Minnesota Legislature. Yet it wasn’t until 1959 that the National Park Service sent field staff to the Kabetogama Lake area – by which time Olson had become a prominent figure in conservation efforts both locally and nationally.
Olson played a pivotal role in the re-naming of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area, served as a consultant to the President’s Quetico-Superior Committee, authored several acclaimed books, and served nearly a decade on the board of directors of the National Parks Association. Most significantly for Voyageurs, he was a member of the Department of the Interior’s Advisory Board on National Parks, Historic Sites, Buildings, and Monuments, which advised the Secretary on new national park proposals.
In the following years, Olson participated in several trips to the region that would become Voyageurs National Park, joining key figures such as Governor Elmer Andersen, the Minnesota State Parks Director, and the National Park Service Director. On one of these trips, an informal conversation sparked Olson’s suggestion for the park’s name: Voyageurs.
Credit: The Listening Point Foundation
Working closely with Governor Andersen, Olson continued to advocate passionately for the park, testifying in support both locally – in International Falls and St. Paul – and in Washington, D.C. In an article written for Minnesota Conservation Volunteer magazine titled “Intangible Values of Voyageurs National Park,” he wrote:
“When we talk about the intangible values of the Voyageurs area we know such values are a composite of all the cultural facets of the region, that Voyageurs National Park is more than terrain. It is in a sense a living storehouse of beauty, of historical and scientific significance. If museums are places where the treasures of a people are safeguarded and cherished then Voyageurs is truly such a place.”
Credit: The Listening Point Foundation
Sigurd Olson’s vision for Voyageurs National Park went beyond protecting a landscape, it was about safeguarding a sense of wonder, solitude, and connection to the natural world. His voice and values helped shape not just the boundaries of a park, but the spirit behind its creation. Today, as visitors paddle quiet waterways and watch northern lights dance across starlit skies, they are unknowingly living out the legacy Olson spent a lifetime defending.
In his first and best-selling book, The Singing Wilderness (published in 1956), Olson captured this spirit with remarkable clarity:
“The singing wilderness has to do with the calling of the loons, northern lights, and the great silences of a land lying northwest of Lake Superior,” he wrote. “It is concerned with the simple joys, the timelessness and perspective found in a way of life that is close to the past. I have heard the singing in many places, but I seem to hear it best in the wilderness.”
Through the beauty of his prose and the strength of his vision, Olson helped generations understand what was at stake, and what was worth preserving. As we celebrate 50 years of Voyageurs National Park in 2025, we also honor the enduring influence of Sigurd Olson – whose words, wisdom, and unwavering commitment continue to inspire the protection of wild places for generations to come.
Listening Point Foundation | Home of Sigurd F. Olson
Check out the full list of our 50 legacies!
This year, we’re celebrating 50 years of Voyageurs National Park by sharing 50 inspiring stories of the people who shaped its legacy. Years, 50 Legacies is a yearlong storytelling series highlighting individuals whose lives are woven into the fabric of the park – whether through conservation work, cultural traditions, recreation, research, or personal connection.
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