ELY, Minn. – Two days after a pair of Minnesota canoeists disappeared over roaring Curtain Falls in the Boundary wilderness, the status of the search was changed from a rescue to recovery. Presumed to have drowned were Jesse Melvin Haugen, 41, of Cambridge, and Reis Melvin Grams, 40, of Lino Lakes. Their overturned canoe and gear were found downriver from the Iron Lake escarpment. A rescue team had been flown into the wilderness by helicopter. On Sunday two other canoeists were found injured. They were airlifted 110 miles to a Duluth hospital. A fifth canoeist was found uninjured at a campsite.
Curtain Falls. No matter the water level, the lower end of Curtain Falls can cause a canoe to swamp if approached from the channel-side landing. With high waters, it’s even more dangerous.