Some of you may remember the Hamm’s Beer Commercials with Sascha the bear and trainer Earl Hammond. What you may not know is many of the commercials were filmed at the end of the Gunflint Trail.
It’s difficult to get a dog to behave in a canoe so imagine getting a fully grown bear to ride around in a canoe. That is exactly what the red canoe hanging above the retail area in the taproom was used for. Sascha stood on the gunwales in the bow of the canoe as Earl motored at the stern.
Ralph and Bea Griffis, owners of Chik-Wauk Lodge at the end of the Gunflint Trail, hosted Earl and Sascha at the lodge during the filming of the commercials. The canoe hung in their lodge until 2000 when the USFS took over ownership of the property. We were good friends with the Griffis and when we had an opportunity to purchase the canoe we couldn’t pass it up. It hung in our lodge at Voyageur Canoe Outfitters until 2015 when we moved it to the taproom where more folks could enjoy it’s beauty.
Today you can visit Chik-Wauk during the summer months, it’s a great museum and nature center at the end of the Trail. If you’re up there, stop by Voyageur Canoe Outffiters and enjoy a Voyageur beer!
