The Lake: Family History w/Linda LeGarde Grover

Written By Brenna Greenfield

This episode is a conversation with award-winning writer and University of Minnesota Duluth emeritus professor Dr. Linda LeGarde Grover. We spoke on Labor Day 2026, when she was busy finishing an essay for a deadline. She was gracious enough to share some time with me to discuss:

  • The gifts that drew her ancestors to Lake Superior, the Great Ojibwe Sea.

  • Creatures and beings in and near the Lake.

  • Stories of her family, including herself, in this place.

  • The fur trade, Madeleine Island, the Civil War, Chippewa City, deer, rabbits, Ojibwe migration, outhouses, boarding houses, Park Point and the Fond du Lac neighborhood, Oliver, boarding schools, glaciers, and Spirit Beings. 

Gratitude, honesty, and care are cross-cutting themes. 

Here is a link to the book Gichigami Hearts that Dr. LeGarde Grover recommended:

https://birchbarkbooks.com/products/gichigami-hearts

And, an interview from 2016: https://pshares.org/blog/exploring-native-american-literature-with-linda-legarde-grover/

Brenna Greenfield
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