‘Hooked on Minnesota’ weaves what’s wonderful in the state, and features local photographer
It was Alan Burchell’s folksy photographs that got him acquainted with Dick Hill, author of the new book “Hooked on Minnesota: Guide to the Good Life” — a handbook that provides a montage of the state’s attributes including the seasons, natural wonders (lakes and prairies), sights, statistics, trivia, history, folklore, resorts and fishing, and tourist tips.
Hill illustrates his love affair with Minnesota with quaint observations about many of its regions, and characters — Burchell was one of them.
Hill is truly enamored with Minnesota. The dedication page in his paperback reads as follows: To everyone who has a Minnesota connection. And for those who moved away, may Hooked on Minnesota take you home again.
He also dedicates a few pages to Voyageurs National Park. “... the sky blue waters, wildflowers, and untouched wilderness — is unforgettable,” he writes.
The guide’s chapters on VNP and Lake Kabetogama feature several black and white Burchell photos, but the retired Kabetogama resort owner’s color photos also appear on the back cover and pages of the book.
Under a posed image of Burchell and his wife Miriam, the couple is described as VNP historians. The Burchells owned and operated Moosehorn Resort on Lake Kabetogama for more than 30 years. Hill flavors the Lake Kabetogama chapter with excerpts from Miriam Burchell’s creative writing “Seasons to Savor.”
Hill informs that “National Geographic” named the BWCA one of its “50 Destinations of a Lifetime.” And he lists the United States Hockey Hall of Fame in Eveleth as one of Minnesota’s “Hidden Treasures.” Among many easy-to-read bits and bytes, Hill lists The SPAM Museum in Austin as one of Minnesota’s “Curious Side Trips.”
The guide also includes state weather records and “mile markers” that changed Minnesotan’s lives including the collapse of the I-35W bridge in Minneapolis, and other events.
The author also reports that Minneapolis has been in the top 10 rankings of “America’s Most Literate Cities” for the past four years and includes in a list of Minnesota authors the names F. Scott Fitzgerald, Judith Guest and Garrison Keillor.
And famous Minnesotans such as Bob Dylan, Judy Garland, Jessica Lange, Charles A. Lindbergh Jr., Prince and others are listed with bio clips.
Sports stats and Minnesota brands are also part of the weave, and they’re offered in a “chat style” requiring just a casual commitment by the reader. Resort logos are scattered throughout the book.
The guide is priced at $14.95 and is published by Beaver’s Pond Press in Edina, where the author and his wife Mary live. Hill is also the author of “Battle Talk,” reportedly called the best book on the Korean War in the last 20 years by the Military Writer's Society of America.
According to Burchell, “Hooked on Minnesota” has been ordered and will be offered for sale at City Drug and Ronning’s in International Falls.
Alan Burchell is also included in a story in the 2008 November/December issue of “Minnesota Conservation Volunteer” about muskie fishing in Shoepack Lake centered in the Kabetogama Peninsula.
Minnesota’s Top Ten Wonders
(according to author Dick Hill)
1. 10,000 lakes, including one Great Lake (Superior)
(Hill reports there are actually 11,871 Minnesota lakes.)
2. Mall of America, Bloomington
3. Boundary Waters Canoe Area, Superior National Forest
4. Mayo Clinic (World’s Health Clinic), Rochester
5. University of Minnesota (leader in education) in Twin Cities,
Duluth, Crookston and Morris
6. Minnesota State Fair, St. Paul
7. Mississippi Headwaters
8. Paul Bunyan in Akeley, Bemidji, Brainerd and Chisholm
9. Minnesota casinos in 19 cities
10.Voyageurs National Park, International Falls