Two Men Missing After Going Over Waterfall in Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness
Bad weather on Tuesday was hindering the search efforts for two men who went over a waterfall while fishing in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness of northern Minnesota over the weekend.
St. Louis County Sheriff’s Cmdr. Nate Skelton informed the Star Tribune of Minneapolis that the cloud cover was too low for aerial surveillance and up to 2 inches of rain was expected, making the next two days challenging for search operations.
A search crew was camping on site, equipped with drones and remotely operated vehicles, waiting for conditions to improve in the remote area, approximately 100 miles north of Duluth. The closest town, Ely, is about 20 miles away. Superior National Forest officials closed trails, campsites, portages, and bodies of water in the area to assist in the search efforts.
The missing men have been identified as Jesse Melvin Haugen, 41, of Cambridge, and Reis Melvin Grams, 40, of Lino Lakes. They went over Curtain Falls, located between Crooked Lake and Iron Lake on the Minnesota-Ontario border while fishing in the area on Saturday.
The two missing men were part of a group of five in two canoes. According to Skelton, “One of the canoes got into some distress, and the others tried to give assistance. That’s when they both went over the falls.” Two of the men who went over were later rescued, with one flown to a Duluth hospital with serious but non-life-threatening injuries. The fifth man was found at a nearby campsite.
Skelton described the waterfall as not a straight drop but going down about 30 feet with a rapid current. He mentioned that the group was familiar with the area and had been fishing there in the past.
The search efforts continue as authorities work to locate the two missing men in the challenging wilderness of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area.
