Stay Curious. Stay Connected.
MailNewsletters♡Donate Now
Sign up
*Password must be at least 8 characters and contain one uppercase letter, one lowercase letter, one number and one symbol.
Already have an account?
By submitting, you consent that you are at least 18 years of age and to receive information about MPR's or APMG entities' programs and offerings. The personally identifying information you provide will not be sold, shared, or used for purposes other than to communicate with you about MPR, APMG entities, and its sponsors. You may opt-out at any time clicking the unsubscribe link at the bottom of any email communication. View our Privacy Policy.
Sign in to your profile
Forgot Password?
New to MPR News?
Welcome back
to news
for you
Reset Password

Enter the username on file and we'll send you a code to reset your password.

Still require assistance or not sure what your User Name is?
Welcome back
to news
for you
Email Verification

A verification code has been emailed to

Still awaiting the code?
Cody Nelson

Why 'The Root Beer Lady' got into soda-making

Dorothy Molter poses for a photo at her home on Knife Lake.
Dorothy Molter poses for a photo at her home on Knife Lake.
Courtesy of the Dorothy Molter Museum

Go Deeper.

Create an account or log in to save stories.

Log inCreate a free Account

Like this?

Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories.

Show me!

Throughout 2017, Minnesota Public Radio will celebrate 50 years on the air by sharing highlights from our archives, connecting Minnesota's past to its present. | This story originally aired in Oct. 15, 1986.

She'll live in memories as "The Root Beer Lady," but how Dorothy Molter got started making her homemade pop seems to involve much happenstance.

MPR marks 50 years
• More stories from the archives
• Join the celebration, tell us your story

Molter was the last person to live in the Boundary Waters as tightening regulations made the area more of a protected wilderness than a developed tourist destination.

Her island homestead on Knife Lake was a regular stop for campers who'd buy candy bars and soda while taking Molter's campsite advice and directions.

She'd buy all kinds of pop, flown in by the case.

But the planes eventually stopped coming. In 1949, President Harry Truman issued an executive order that restricted planes from getting to Molter's home. Three years later, the plane of a defiant pilot who had continued to fly around the Boundary Waters was impounded. It was an example set for the others, and that's when the flight ban really took effect.

So, Molter was left with an abundance of pop bottles and a good idea.

"When the planes quit flyin', I got stuck with all the pop bottles I had. I wasn't about to take 'em back over the portage and return 'em to town so I just kept 'em. Thought I might as well keep 'em up here and do something with 'em. So somebody suggested makin' root beer. I'd never made it before, but they seem to like it."

That's part of what Molter told former MPR reporter Mark Heistad for his documentary, "The Land Between: An Aural Portrait of the B.W.C.A.," which aired in 1986.

Heistad asked Molter how long she'd keep living in her summer tent and winter cabin in the woods.

"If I feel myself gettin' sick, I'll get out," Molter said.

She never left the woods — and died in 1986 on Knife Lake.

Molter's home was removed from the Boundary Waters and has been re-assembled as a museum in Ely.