Story Portage is a non-profit, centered in Ely, Minnesota, created to foster the art of personal narrative and to promote literacy and reading here in the Northwoods. Current and future projects include:
Ely, Minnesota Chapter of the League of Minnesota Poets
The Maud Hart Lovelace and Star of the North Children’s Choice Book Award Program
Random Acts of Poetry
VCC Visiting Writers Program
Visit our website and take a look at our current projects to learn more, and contact us if you’d like to be part of Story Portage’s future!
Story Portage
P.O. Box 286
Ely, MN 55731
The North American Bear Center is the only black bear and wildlife educational facility of its kind. Dedicated to replacing old myths with facts, it lets people learn from the bears themselves about bear behavior, ecology, and their relations with humans.
Great things await you inside! Whether you visit us in Ely or here on our website, we hope your time with us gives you a better understanding of the world of black bears.
We are a 501(c)(3) non-profit that relies entirely on the support of visitors, merchandise sales and people like you. We do not receive any state or federal funding. Help support our mission.
From the edge of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness in northeastern Minnesota, Widji is uniquely situated to provide access to some of the finest wilderness areas in North America. Four generations of young lives, spanning over eighty years, have been transformed by a Widjiwagan experience. Through wilderness travel and environmental learning experiences, they have built leadership skills, gained confidence and explored extraordinary listings.
Camp Widjiwagan offers programming for teens, ages 11–18.
10 DAYS OF CELEBRATING WINTER!
The Ely Winter Festival is 10 days in February celebrating winter. Activities include the amazing snow carvings in the Park, along with the Ely ArtWalk and other events.
Our Headquarters is Northern Grounds at Central Ave and Sheridan St in Ely where you can purchase Festival pins and T-shirts.
The Festival hotline is (218)365-7669 (365-SNOW)
The Ely Winter Festival is made possible by donations from people like you. We are a 501(c)3 non-profit and deeply appreciate your gifts!
The Spiritwood “Forget Me Not” Foundation is Fighting Alzheimer’s Disease Through The Arts as a Non-Profit 501(c)(3)
In 2004 I lost my dad to Alzheimer’s following a very ‘long goodbye.’ We formed the Spiritwood Foundation to help others on a similar journey. Our mission is to raise not only awareness regarding Alzheimer’s Disease, but also critical funds that support community organizations, programs, and facilities working with victims and families dealing with Alzheimer’s and dementia.
The Foundation has many different fund-raising tools. One of them is a musical ‘happening’ we wrote called Remember When – The Songs Of the 60s and 70s. We perform this show in communities around the country involving local performers and musicians. Our Foundation then gifts the profits to the community for its specific Alzheimer’s needs.
P.O. Box 179
Ely, MN 55731
The Ely Igloo Snowmobile Club was organized in 1960 and became the first club of its kind in the USA. The Ely Igloos were also one of the founding members of the International Snowmobile Association (ISA), which later became known as today’s Minnesota United Snowmobile Association (MnUSA).
Members of the club have developed trails in the Ely area, and each year in preparation for the upcoming snowmobile season, numerous club members volunteer their time to clear the trails of trees and branches.
An important mission of the Ely Igloo Snowmobile Club has been, from the very beginning, training of young snowmobile riders with a Snowmobile Safety Class taught each year. These classes teach boys and girls of at least 11 years of age about the proper etiquette of snowmobiling and the rules of the trail.
In recent years, the Ely Igloo Snowmobile Club has taken on the task of grooming the Ely area trails. The club receives funding from the state to maintain and groom the grant-in-aid Tomahawk Trail. Other local trails like the Bianchi Trail (off the Taconite Trail), the Ely/Winton Railroad Grade, and the 13 Corners Trail are also groomed by our club.
In addition, our club has taken on the task of staking and grooming numerous lake trails including Shagawa Lake/Fall Lake Trail, Burntside Lake Trail, Bass Lake Trail, White Iron Lake/Birch Lakes Trail, Little Long Lake Trail, Fall Lake/Cedar Lake Trail, Grassy Lake Trails and the Mud Lake Trail to Lake Vermilion.
Our mission is to provide affordable services with a vision to improve community health. To learn more about our story or find out how you can help click on the button below.
Unlike the average vacationer’s resort, Veterans on the Lake has a unique historic background for why it was founded.
In 1982, Disabled Veterans Recreation, Inc. was organized by a group of northeastern Minnesota citizens passionate about finding adequate recreational resources for veterans. Originally the Disabled Veterans Recreation, Inc., Veterans on the Lake was started for the sole purpose of creating a recreational facility for disabled veterans to enjoy vacations. As a non-profit facility, this recreational location was designed to and currently serves the needs of disabled veterans, able bodied veterans, active duty military, their families, and friends.
The Ely Community Care Team (CCT) was created to identify and address gaps in care in Minnesota’s Northeast Iron Range communities. The partnership of community members and 20 organizations that represent health care, behavioral health, education, social service and non-profit organizations serves the entire population of this remote, rural geographic region with special emphasis on individuals and families in poverty or experiencing mental illness.
The Community Care Team provides collaborative care and targeted care coordination to insure adequate resources are available for physical health, mental health and psychosocial challenges; professionals are trained in recognizing such challenges and are prepared respond to the full spectrum of a person’s needs; and patients have the tools and resources to be a partner in their wellness, treatment and recovery goals. A robust process and outcome evaluation is already showing significant benefits to patients and professionals, in addition to reduced healthcare costs.
The purpose of the Trust shall be for the enhancement, growth and improvement of:
The Ely Public Library
The arts and artisans of Ely and surrounding area, to include the
performing arts, the visual arts and literature
The creating and funding of scholarships, educational and artistic grants
The cultural and aesthetic environment of the City of Ely and its surrounding area
To date the Trust has awarded more than $625,000 back to the community artists and art organizations to enrich life in Ely.
