BREITUNG TWP- Old Settlers is all about families and friends, both old and new. The picnic is an annual tradition, started by the mining company over 100 years ago as a celebration for their employees and the community.
And this year, for a few new visitors, Old Settlers was a taste of small town life in Minnesota. Tom Mattson, who lives in Gilbert, brought three young men, Leider, a piano student from Columbia, who was attending the Northern Lights Music Festival camp, plus two others, one from Sweden and the other from Mexico, both international staffers working at Camp Esquagama in Gilbert. It was Leider’s first trip to the United States, and he was enjoying his time in the northwoods. The three were excited to sit down for their first-ever bowl of booyah, as well as learn a little more about the history of iron mining on the Range.
The three were certainly the farthest ones travelling to the 112th annual Vermilion Range Old Setters Reunion and Picnic, though they didn’t stay around long enough to get officially recognized by the committee, because the pianist was due back in Aurora for one of his final lessons.
This year’s oldest “old settler” was Janice Morin, who was a little mortified at being the oldest while still a spry 88.
“I remember the year when my grandmother, well into her 90s, was the oldest,” she said with a smile.
She had no trouble making friends with this year’s youngest “old settler,” three-month-old Claire Malmgren, the granddaughter of Deb and Dan Wiirre. Janice probably also holds the record for the most grandchildren, which now number 60!
And then it turned out that Janice had been friends with Claire’s great-grandmother, Pauline Mesojedec-Wiirre. So, some new friendships were made.
Friendships both old and new are commonplace at the picnic.
Jeanne Macomber had her two granddaughters, Shiloh and Everly Smeal, who had traveled from Pittsburgh with their parents for their first-ever Old Settlers.
Cyril, Jay, and Signe Bihn traveled up from Delano to join other Wahlsten relatives at the picnic. The three youngsters were very enthusiastic while spooning down their booyah.
The booyah crew did not disappoint, and there was even a little leftover for second helpings. The booyah was prepared from the same recipe that’s been guarded, at least somewhat, for over 100 years. Beef and pork stew meat are brought to a boil in the five large iron kettles, which date back to the original community gathering, and are brought out only once a year on the third Saturday in July. The vegetable-cutting crew sported some new faces this year, but came prepared with their requisite knives and cutting boards, and made quick work of the hundreds of pounds of potatoes, carrots, cabbage, celery, and onions, that get added once the meat is almost ready, along with canned corn and green beans.
Attendance this year was down a little, at 215, probably down due to the smoky weather, but the air quality for the picnic stayed in the safe range, and the park and playground were full all afternoon.