Eric, 43, and Reis Grams, 40, were fishing 50 yards above the falls. NO PFDS
Jesse Haugen, 41, and Carl Sellers, 47 in canoe #2 broached, flipped. Sellers went over the falls. Hauan briefly got his footing, then lost it
Eric and Reis Grams moved towards him to help. All washed over the falls.
Eric Grams survived; Broken Pelvis. Carl Sellers survived
EPIRB Activated. Search begins
Haugen's body recovered May 31, Reis Grams on June 2
Pilot Honored In Rescue Of Two Canoeists
Inside a backcountry canoe rescue in the BWCAW
On May 18, 2024, around midnight, Minnesota Department of Natural Resources pilot Grace Zeller landed her helicopter on a rock shelf in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (BWCAW). The mission: begin the evacuation of injured canoeists.
Overall, Zeller would make two flights into the BWCAW, transporting three medics and two canoeists. Because of her actions, Zeller was recognized in September for lifesaving efforts beyond the call of duty and awarded the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources Division of Enforcement Lifesaving Award.
Canoeists swept over falls in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness
It was around 4 p.m. on May 18 when brothers Erik and Reis Grams watched their friends, Jesse Haugen and Kyle Sellers, approach Curtain Falls on Crooked Lake in the BWCAW. They witnessed the canoe move closer to the falls, then turn parallel to the falls, and then capsize. Immediately, Sellers went over with the canoe; Haugen, according to a report in the Minnesota Star Tribune, appeared to be standing in chest-deep water at the lip. None of the four were wearing PFDs or life jackets.
The Grams brothers approached cautiously, hoping to pull their friend from the top of the falls. Seconds later, all three went over the 30-foot cascade. Erik Grams and Kyle Sellers survived the incident, sustaining a range of injuries including broken bones and hypothermia. Jesse Haugen and Reis Grams were missing.
Downstream, canoeists Tony Maynard and his friend Nick came upon Erik Grams and Kyle Sellers and immediately recognized the situation was serious. Maynard hiked back to high ground at the portage, where he remembered he had cell service, to call 911 to initiate the rescue. Later, Maynard and his friend also used a Garmin InReach to communicate with first responders as the rescue continued.
In all of this, there was a fifth member of the party with Sellers, Haugen and the Grams brothers, who had elected to sit out for an afternoon of fishing from shore. The group of five had paddled into the Boundary Waters with just two canoes, and were camped upstream of the falls. Maynard made a trip back upstream to let the friend know what had happened before returning downstream to his camp and the survivors before dark.
As the night wore on, Maynard and his friend focused on staying with the survivors, communicating with search and rescue and keeping the fire going. Sometime before midnight, they received a message through the Garmin InReach that a helicopter was coming.
At the other end of the EMS system, in Brainerd, Minnesota, pilot Grace Zeller received a call in the night to see if she was willing and able to fly. She knew something bad had happened deep in the BWCAW, and there were no other aircraft available or able to access that location, but little was known beyond that.
“When Grace originally landed, she came in on the southwest side of the island and landed on a little tiny rock right in the middle of the river, and they couldn’t get to land from that rock,” Maynard explained. “They had to go back up again and bring it to the other side of the little island and there’s just the perfect tiny little spot to land a helicopter. She was able to fit there and get them out that way. It was something I’ll probably never see again.”
Zeller made two trips into the BWCAW, first transporting an injured Sellers and two medics, then Erik Grams with an additional medic about an hour later. In the morning, a float plane came to retrieve the group’s fifth member and volunteers from the St. Louis County Rescue Squad streamed in to begin the search for Jesse Haugen and Reis Grams, who were still missing. Haugen’s body was recovered on May 31 and Reis Grams’ on June 2, 2024.
Overall, the St. Louis County Rescue Squad logged almost 6,000 hours during the rescue and recovery of the canoeists, making this the largest operation in the all-volunteer squad’s history. According to Maynard, the information he provided to rescuers included the number of people involved, their injuries, location and landmarks, resources available and resources needed, and the fact that there were two people still missing. “They needed to know where we were in the vicinity of Curtain Falls. They were able to see us probably a couple miles out because we had a fire going,” Maynard added.
After the incident, Maynard said he’s a lot more diligent in wearing his PFD on the water, and paying closer attention to conditions. “I’m wearing it everywhere, even on a pond,” Maynard said.
According to Rick Slatten, captain of the St. Louis County Rescue Squad who responded to the incident, of the over 500 water fatalities in the squad’s history, less than three percent were wearing life jackets.
Pilot Grace Zeller receives state lifesaving award
On September 16, 2024, Zeller was honored for her rescue efforts above and beyond the call of duty with the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources Division of Enforcement Lifesaving Award. “Normally, we’re just the search party. We don’t really get involved in the rescue part,” said Jacob Willis, Chief Enforcement Pilot, in a DNR video highlighting Zeller’s award. Both Erik Grams, Kyle Sellers, and members of their families were present for the award ceremony.
“Most rescue pilots or EMS pilots, they don’t even get to know if their patient made it,” said Zeller following the award ceremony. “Not only did I get to do that, I got to meet their family members, and that is really special.”
Two canoeists missing in Boundary Waters after going over waterfall
Dan Kraker, MPR News, Duluth MN
May 19, 2024
Two canoeists are missing in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness after two canoes went over a waterfall between two large lakes along the Canadian border.
On Saturday at about 7:20 p.m., the St. Louis County Sheriff's Office received an emergency call that two canoes had gone over Curtain Falls, which connects Iron and Crooked Lakes. The caller said one person was badly injured and two were missing.
Shortly after midnight, a Minnesota Department of Natural Resources helicopter rescued the injured paddler, who was flown to the Essentia Health hospital in Duluth with serious but not life-threatening injuries. The helicopter also evacuated the uninjured paddler.
The Superior National Forest has issued an emergency closure order until Wednesday for a section of the Boundary Waters in the area where search and rescue crews are searching for the missing canoeists, including Iron Lake and Crooked Lake west of Sunday Bay.
The St. Louis County Rescue Squad is leading search efforts. An individual who was with the group but not involved in the incident has also been flown out of the wilderness.
IDs released as search resumes for 2 of 4 canoers who went over BWCAW waterfall
People in "one of the canoes got into some distress, and the others tried to give assistances," Sheriff's Cmdr. Nate Skelton said. "That's when they both went over the falls."
By Paul Wals, Star Tribune
May 20, 2024
A ground, water and air search resumed Monday for two of four people in two canoes from in or near the Twin Cities who went over a waterfall in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness this past weekend, officials said.
Cmdr. Nate Skelton of the St. Louis County Sheriff's Office said the search for the two paddlers resumed at 7 a.m. and involved remote-controlled submarines, a drone and personnel on the ground.
People in "one of the canoes got into some distress, and the others tried to give assistance," Skelton said. "That's when they both went over the falls."
"The water is rushing pretty hard through the falls," Skelton said, noting one of the challenges the search operation is facing.
In an effort to assist the search, Superior National Forest officials have closed, through Tuesday, all trails, campsites, portages and bodies of water associated with Iron Lake, including the LaCroix-Bottle portage and LaCroix-Iron portage and Crooked Lake west of Sunday Bay.
On Saturday around 7:20 p.m., a caller reported the canoes went over Curtain Falls, located between Crooked Lake and Iron Lake on the Minnesota-Ontario border, the sheriff's office said. The caller said two people were missing and at least one other person was badly injured.
Sunday after midnight, a state Department of Natural Resources helicopter removed the two surviving canoers, one of whom was seriously injured and is hospitalized in Duluth. The Sheriff's Office Rescue Squad said its personnel brought them to safety from a campsite associated with the canoers.
The sheriff's office identified the missing canoers late Monday morning as Jesse Melvin Haugen, 41, of Cambridge, and Reis Melvin Grams, 40, of Lino Lakes.
Injured while going over the falls was Kyle Thomas Sellers, 47, of Ham Lake. Spared physical harm was canoeist Erik Michael Grams, 43, also of Ham Lake. Located on the campsite was Jared Jay Lohse, 33, of Cambridge, the Sheriff's Office said.
Haugen was one of the canoeists trying to come to the rescue of the others. Broc Vierzba said Haugen and Reis Grams are friends, and Reis and Erik Grams are brothers. Sellers is a friend in the group.
"This is totally like Jesse," Broc Vierzba said of his friend Haugen. "He was in the Army. I know he did a couple of [overseas] tours. ... Just a solid, reliable guy. If anyone's going to make it out there and carry them out, that's Jesse.
"Friends, two families and a wide circle of friends are devastated ... by the events at Curtain Falls in the Boundary Waters," a statement late Sunday from the Rescue Squad read.
From Jeff Pilgrim: Two separate groups were on Lake Agnes of the BWCA. One got into trouble at Curtain Falls, at mouth of Lake Agnes (The BWCA is pool and drop, most folks aren't accustomed to moving water paddling, they portage around it). A second group tried to help and a boat from the 'rescue group' went down curtain falls. The 'rescue boat' had their lifejacket's strapped into the boat, no one wearing one.
"Curtain Falls, which cascades a total of 20ft from Crooked to Iron Lake. It is by far the most spectacular waterfall in the western part of the BWCAW." p 126 BWCA Western Region V1 Robert Beymer copyright 2000
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From St. Louis County Rescue Squad: Friends, two families and a wide circle of friends are devastated tonight by the events at Curtain Falls in the Boundary Waters. Two canoes carrying four individuals went over the falls. Despite many challenges and setbacks, we successfully evacuated two injured patients late last night, as well as a third uninjured person in their party from a campsite early this morning. Two paddlers are still missing. We ask that you keep them and their families in your thoughts.
LY, Minn. (Northern News Now) May 31, 2024 - The St. Louis County Sheriff’s Office and St. Louis County Rescue Squad has located the body of one of two missing canoeists in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (BWCAW). According to the St. Louis County Sheriff’s Office, they have located the body of 41-year-old Jesse Haugen of Cambridge, Minnesota. The body was found Friday during a search of Curtain Falls, nearly two weeks after Haugen’s canoe went over the falls while he and Reis Grams were fishing. Search efforts continue for 40-year-old Reis Grams of Lino Lakes, Minnesota.
CNN June 3, 2024 — The bodies of two canoeists have been found after the men went over Curtain Falls in northern Minnesota and went missing more than two weeks ago, according to authorities.
On Monday morning, authorities recovered the body of Reis Melvin Grams, 40, of Lino Lakes, Minnesota, west of the Curtain Falls in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area, according to a Facebook post from the St. Louis County Sheriff’s Office.
The body of the other missing canoeist, Jesse Haugen, 41, of Cambridge, Minnesota, was found Friday by crews near Curtain Falls, according to a news release from the St. Louis County Sheriff’s Office obtained by CNN affiliate KBJR.
The St. Louis County Sheriff’s Office was first dispatched to Iron Lake near the border of Canada at 7:21 p.m. on May 18, according to a news release. Two canoes had gone over Curtain Falls in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area, the sheriff’s office said. One canoeist was badly injured and two were missing.
Shortly after midnight, a helicopter was used to rescue one injured person and one uninjured person, according to the sheriff’s office. The injured person was flown to a hospital with “serious but not life-threatening injuries,” the sheriff’s office said.
