Duluth Man Dies in Boundary Waters Canoe Area

Some sad news to report from the Boundary Waters Canoe Area after a Duluth man was found dead.

The St. Louis County Sheriff’s Office reports that around 5 PM on Friday, May 10th, canoeists in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area called 911 to report the shocking find on Lake Agnes, located about 25 miles from Ely.

Members of the St. Louis County Sheriff’s Office Rescue Squad and US Forest Service arrived on the scene to find a capsized canoe, and the partly submerged body of 62-year-old Mark Ham of Duluth.

According to Ham's family, he was in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area on a solo camping trip. The St. Louis County Sheriff’s Office says, "A life jacket was located on scene but was not worn by the victim". The death is under investigation by the St. Louis County Sheriff’s Office and Midwest Medical Examiner Office.

The St. Louis County Sheriff’s Office and Rescue Squad are reminding everyone to wear their life jackets while out on the water enjoying their favorite water recreations this summer.

According to Minnesota law, there needs to be one "U.S. Coast Guard approved, properly sized, and easily accessible" life jacket for each person on the boat. Additionally, all kids under the age of 10 are required to wear an approved life jacket when a boat is underway, this means a boat that isn't anchored, touching ground in shallow water, or tied to the shore.

Minnesota averages about 40 drownings per year, and drowning is the #1 cause of injury death for children between the ages of 1 and 4.