and the world is the poorer by one great heart and kindly 

 spirit which shed its influence on all with whom it came in 

 contact. "Gus," for so he was lovingly known to all of his 

 friends, had spread his influence far beyond his own ranger 

 district, large as it was. In 1898 he was selected, with his 

 friend, Murdo Gibson, by a group of Duluth men for an over- 

 land expedition to the Klondike. Out of the thousands who 

 made the attempt to cross that wilderness these two were of 

 the very few who finally made Chilkoot Pass and gained the 

 goldfields safely. They braved hardships which only the stout- 

 est hearts could have overcome, only in the end to lose their 

 hard-earned mines through some technicality of the Canadian 

 mining laws. As a result of this trip, he gained a national 

 fame and Hamlin Garland made him the hero of his novel, 

 "The Long Trail." 



Gus was of the type of the old time voyageur, fearless, tire- 

 less and incorruptible. His duty was carried out with such a 

 quiet, irresistible efficiency that the state forester could say 

 of him: "He was an ideal ranger. In fact he was the best 

 woodman and the most noted ranger in the State Forest Serv- 

 ice. He was not only valuable by reason of his great knowl- 

 edge of the woods, but also for his tact in dealing with set- 

 tlers, loggers and hunters whose interests often clashed with 

 those of the forest service. They trusted him implicitly. He 

 was a real man in every way, hardy as an oak, thoroughly at 

 home in the woods or on the plains, of immense strength and 

 tireless endurance. He feared neither nature, nor weather, 

 nor man in their most savage moods. His courage, like his 

 character and reputation, was unquestioned." 



And so could every other man say who knew him. His help- 

 ing hand was always extended to those who needed it, and his 

 strength -was always at the disposal of the weak. Few men 

 have exerted a better influence than he did; few of us indeed 

 who would not be proud to leave such a hole in the world 

 when we follow him on "The Long Trail." 



