Ingvald Walter “I.W.” Stevens purchased a 400-acre island in what is now Voyageurs National Park in 1932. Stevens had been a shoe salesman in Hibbing, Minnesota, but after stress-related health issues and advice from his doctor, he moved toward the solitude of Namakan Lake. In the beginning, he ran a summer resort in the area and later lived year-round on the island, eventually living there for nearly 50 years.
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