Witch's Tree #1

Located just north of Grand Portage, Minnesota on the shore of Lake Superior - the Witch's Tree has long been a landmark for both tourists, early... more

by Wayne Pruse

Title

Witch's Tree #1

Artist

Wayne Pruse

Medium

Painting - Acrylic On Canvas

Description

Located just north of Grand Portage, Minnesota on the shore of Lake Superior - the Witch's Tree has long been a landmark for both tourists, early explorers and native peoples. During the Pre-American Revolution fur trade the French-Canadian Voyagers used her as a landmark to let them know when their journey from Montreal to Grand Portage was over. They would offer prayers and thanks for a successful journey across the big lake and they would camp nearby for the night. The next day they would round Hat Point, refreshed and dressed in their finest and singing their hearts out.
The Witch's Tree is now part of the Chippewa Reservation located about 60 miles from the Canadian U.S. border - recently the land it grows on was purchased by a private party and to my knowledge the public doesn’t have access to it anymore. Good? Bad? Hard to say - the last time I saw her was about 10 years ago. The path to her is very mystical, the pines that line the shore were draped in cobwebs to add a more surreal approach. The tree herself only stands maybe 6-7 feet tall but when you see it
you know you're looking on something special.
The native people have many different legends about its name but the one that was told to me many years ago is the one I subscribe to. Long ago the daughter of the village chief fell in love with a young warrior and he with her. Unfortunately she was promised to another man in the village so her father forbid her to see her beloved again. The two lovers continued to sneak off to see one another. She would meet her lover on a small outcropping of rocks away from the village and the young man would paddle his canoe around the point and the two would spend time together. The village witch discovered them and told her father. Outraged he commanded her to never see her beloved again. When she told her lover of this they made plans to elope. He would meet her with his canoe and they would escape. The witch learned of the plan and told the father who instructed the witch to stop the meeting. That night when the young woman left to wait at their secret spot her beloved set sail in his canoe to round the point and pick her up. When he was far from shore the witch caused a storm to kick up on the lake and the warrior's canoe capsized and he drowned. The witch then went to tell the young woman what had happened. The young woman blamed the witch and her father for what had happened and cursed them both. Furious the witch changed herself into a snake and coiled around the young woman attempting to kill her. The young woman's goodness and true love however was too strong for the wicked ways of the witch and both were changed into a tree.
To this day she remains waiting . . .

Uploaded

November 22nd, 2016