Dorothy Molter

Dorothy Louise Molter (May 6, 1907, in Arnold, PennsylvaniaDecember 18, 1986), lived for 56 years on Knife Lake in the Boundary Waters area of northern Minnesota. She was known as "Knife Lake Dorothy" or as the "Root Beer Lady", as she made root beer and sold it to thousands of passing canoeists in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (BWCAW), near Ely, Minnesota. Various factors combined to give her national prominence, extensive coverage in media, books and documentaries, and tens of thousands of visits by Boundary Waters Canoe Area canoeists, often with 6,000–7,000 visitors per year.

She first visited her future home (''The Isle of Pines Resort'') on Knife Lake in 1930. It became her home starting in 1934. Molter's life, and her place in the public eye was significantly influenced by the evolution of the area where she lived into the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. Changes related to this transition affecting her life occurred from 1948 through 1984. She died in 1986 at age 79. She was the last full time resident of the BWCAW. Provided by Wikipedia