Her Island: The Story of Quetico's Longest Serving Interior Ranger

Janice Matichuk first set foot on her island in Quetico Provincial Park in 1985. Located near the end of Minnesotas iconic Gunflint Trail this remote park is the heart of North Americas canoe country. Decades later and enduring beyond her untimely passing in the summer of 2020 Matichuks legacy includes being the longest serving interior ranger in the history of the park.Over the course of three decades Janice raised two children on the island. She saved the lives of canoeists who tumbled into the frigid border lakes of Minnesotas Boundary Waters Canoe Area and Ontarios Quetico. She had been charged by moose canoed nearly every inch of the 1.2 million-acre park and watched many young paddlers grow into adults.This is a story about life inside one of North Americas most remote places. It is also a reflection of a woman who broke through barriers and refused to conform to societal norms. At its heart however it is an examination of the challenges that life presents. It is a testament to the fact that peoples experiences-good bad and on idyllic wilderness islands-all have much in common.