The Ely Echo is the weekly newspaper known as the voice of the North Country, which was founded in 1972 by Miles Aakhus. Ownership passed to Anne Wognum Swenson in 1977 after she had worked for the paper for three years. At that time the editor was Bob Cary, a Chicago, Illinois writer. The Echo has been fortunate in attracting excellent journalists, photographers, designers and artists during its existence. It prides itself in welcoming all sides of any issue. It has had a diverse group of employees over the years. Currently, ownership is shared by Publisher Anne Swenson (thepub@elyecho.com), General Manager Nick Wognum (elyecho@aol.com), Editor Tom Coombe (tcoombe@aol.com) and Ad manager Lisa Vidal (ads@elyecho.com). Together they bring over 100 years of skill, service and training to Ely’s hometown newspaper. Their familiarity with Ely’s rich historical past gives the Echo insight into the changing times along the Canadian border.

“Untouched & Serene”…… These words are often used to describe Northern Minnesota. It’s what draws folks “Up North” and the crew of Low Impact Excavators is serious about keeping it that way. With over 31 years experience with heavy equipment, John Wavrin knows the damage excavating does to the land. He also knows it’s necessary when building a road, installing a septic system or even building a house. That’s why at Low Impact Excavators, John and his crew, leave “small footprints” removing only what is necessary-leaving the job site naturally landscaped, as close to original as possible.

Joe’s Marine is a full service marine maintenance and repair facility. Joe’s Marine & Repair has been family operated since 1974. Joe Gilbert had a vision for the need of a repair shop in the Ely area. He purchased Nordstrom’s Blacksmith Shop on the west end of town and transformed it into a repair shop. In the beginning the shop was run by Joe, his daughters Sherry and Cathy and his son Kevin. Soon after the business grew Cathy’s husband Rico joined the business. In the early 80’s Kevin came back full time and his wife Paulette came on board. In the mid 80’s Joe’s wife Nancy became the bookkeeper. When Nancy retired Cathy took over the bookkeeping duties. Joe even had his grandchildren Jason, Tony and Jenni working in the shop. Over the years we have had many wonderful employees helping make Joe’s Marine what it is today.

Since 2005, the WEE CABIN Company has been building craftsman timber-frame cabins and other structures in the northern landscape of Ely, Minnesota. We build for people who want to live in the woods, close to nature seeking a simpler lifestyle. Our structures are all built with care, attention to details and made to last for generations. The original focus when we started this business, was to build small cabins in remote locations around the Ely area. We’ve since expanded to larger family-sized cabins for year round living and associated structures creating what we affectionately call WEE CABIN Hamlets. The WEE CABIN Company is a licensed and insured Residential Building Contractor in the state of Minnesota. We design and custom build structures to satisfy your wants, needs, and budget. We will work with you to understand what size structure will best suit your lifestyle and family size. We can develop the plan, or cooperate with your architect. PO Box 746 Ely, MN 55731