Church Photos

 A Woodcarver’s Tale
 

The Daily Journal, International Falls, Minn. Thursday, March 27, 2008

In the early 1900's, a Norwegian emigrant named Hermund "Herman" Melheim
arrived in Kabetogama. He'd first come in search of the unique plant life that peppered the
bogs and open woodlands of the area, and later settled onto land near the present day
Woodenfrog campground. Here, he began the rich,extraordinary life that has
fascinated so many.  Melheim was not a botanist seeking a rare species to study or
catalogue. Nor was he a chemist or doctor searching for medicinal herbs.
Instead, he'd come to harvest a special lichen that proliferated in the area
commonly known as reindeer moss — to feed his herd of Alaskan reindeer.
Later, when the reindeer were gone and the Melheims built their homestead in Kabetogama,
Herman took a pocket knife to the surrounding pines and began carving out his legacy.

A master craftsman today, Melheim's name is widely known in northern Minnesota and beyond.
Even the discussion of Melheim at a table in an International Falls restaurant brings the
attention of nearby diners, who stop to offer their own knowledge of Melheim
and his work.  Many remember him as "the reindeer man" who traveled cross-country
with his team and sleigh, visiting sick children in hospitals and bringing smiles to
paradegoers as he joined Chamber of Commerce festivities nationwide. During these events,
Melheim and Lillian Dimond, who would later become his wife, would dress as Santa and
Mrs. Claus and delight children of all ages.  Kabetogama native Pam Mathys remembers
Melheim well. Her grandfather, Verna Tolle, was one of Melheim's dearest friends, and
Mathys spent many childhood days in the company of the Melheims. "The reindeer were
gone by the time I was there. But they used to pull my mom and sister around in the sled.
He was the most gentle, soft spoken man," says Mathys of Melheim. "He always
took the time to explain to me what he was doing."

In 1935, Melheim built the little log home near Woodenfrog on Lake Kabetogama where he and
Lillian lived for over 40 years.  The simplistic beauty and craftsmanship of the home has
stunned many who have seen it. The two-story cabin has three bedrooms, an open stairway
and log-partitions within, each log grooved and fitted together precisely. "It was a
beautiful log cabin that looked like a fairy cottage," recalls Mathys. "There was no chinking
whatsoever. The logs fit together perfectly — we never felt a cold breeze or anything."
Today, the cabin still stands in its original place and is privately owned by a family who has
retained the original look and character of the house, complete with pine tree
shutters and lively green trim.  "My grandfather's garage and sauna — and I dare to call it a
tool shed because I could live in it easily — were all built by Herman," says Mathys.
"He was building the shed when I was a young teen and I was just fascinated by how
he would work. Some of the tools he used he had made himself."

Later, when Melheim began to carve furniture to supply his little log cabin, the pieces
that evolved were a notable blend of function and art. It is these intricate woodcarvings
that have garnered the greatest reverence and attention. Melheim carved everything
from a dining table and chairs to candlesticks, consoles, and clocks. One such clock
was featured in an edition of Robert Ripley's "Believe It Or Not" column that appeared in
newspapers across the country in the 1930's, '40s and '50s. Ripley featured the large
pendulum clock that stood 8- feet 10-inches tall on a 2-foot wide base. Melheim spent six
months crafting the clock, carving its intricate acanthus motif with the skill of a
formally trained carver. As stunning as it was to those who saw it, what was
“unbelievable" about the piece was not only its ornamentation: Melheim carved the
giant clock from a single white pine log with a mere pocket knife.

In the book "Norwegian- American Wood Carving of the Upper Midwest,"
Melheim's work is described as: "a kind of free-standing sculpture consisting of
decorative motifs put together in such a way that they create a practical object.
Melheim has, in a sense, again closed the gap between function and decoration." 
Melheim also carved totem poles that reflected the cultural heritage of the area.
One such totem pole stood in the Tolle's living room, inside the log cabin Melheim built for them.
"I remember playing jacks on the floor near the base of the giant totem pole," she says.
"It had a bear holding a rainbow trout at the bottom, then a wolf head, an Indian head
and a great horned owl at the top, because that was grandfather’s clan.”

SEE IT TO BELIEVE IT

Most of Melheim's pieces are still being used and displayed today in various
homes and museums throughout the region. Those wanting to see his work
firsthand may want to visit the following places:

• Kabetogama Methodist Church: Melheim carved the baptismal fountain. Melheim
also carved the church's pulpit, candelabra and altar when he was in his seventies.
See Mr. Melheim's Carvings at the Kabetogama Church

• Koochiching County Museums in International Falls

• St. Louis County Heritage and Arts Center, known as The Depot, in Duluth: 
The furniture that once was inside the Melheim cabin is now permanently displayed
in the museum. Melheim donated the pieces to the
St. Louis County Historical Society in the mid1970s.

FROM ROBERT RIPLEY'S BELIEVE IT OR NOT

A portion of the illustrated column from Ripley's Believe It Or Not that featured
Melheim and his 8-foot pendulum clock. Melheim carved the clock from a single
white pine using only a pocket knife. The clock took six months to complete.

I was only a tiny walnut seedling when Grandma Shelley, then a bride,
planted me a stone's throw from her house. The soil was rich and thick, so inch
by inch and foot by foot I soon grew into a sturdy tree with my limbs and leafy
fingers reaching up into the sky, drinking of the falling rain and bathing in
life-giving sunshine. My body was the most beautiful in the forest, so when I had matured,
the woodsman came and cut me down so my body would be made into many
things of beauty. From one of my limbs, a craftsman sculpted a pair of candlesticks
in loving memory of Grandma Shelley, who planted and cared for me. — And may these
candlesticks stand and hold these candles in her memory.
Not for a score of years, but always.

See Mr. Melheim's Carvings at the Kabetogama Church

9853 Gamma Road, Lake Kabetogama, MN  56669
218-875-3010    Google Map Directions