The
Path Less Traveled
The Map of Forest Lodge on Lake Namakagon
is a beautifully colored government survey map which has wonderful colors of blues,
reds, and golds depicting an image of Lake Namakagon and the immediate
Wisconsin area. The survey was performed in July of 1924 by Otto Goble and
illustrated by George Resler in 1930. Within Resler’s painting he has
depictions of animals, both on land and in lake; however the animals in the
lake are unlike any other animal. There are images of mermaids, a sea monster,
and the water god Neptune. These depictions are rare because of the large
religious movement sweeping across the nation due to the Depression; however,
Resler pushed forward and created a beautifully illustrated survey map of Lake
Namakagon.
George
Earl Resler was an American artist born November 12, 1882 in Waseca Minnesota
and died January 16, 1954 in Rochester Minnesota. When Resler was a child his
family moved from Waseca to St. Paul, where is spent most of his life. He has
many artworks within the Minnesota Historical Society which has amassed a
collection of over 200 pieces. Resler’s artwork is located in the Fine Arts
Collection and many of his paintings are still on display, some of his artwork includes:
The Marsh, A Mermaid (vertical), A Mermaid (horizontal), Willows, William and Mary, and The Bird House. Most of Resler’s work
depicts everyday life in Minnesota, which during the late 1920s to late 1930s,
most of his work depicts life during within the Great Depression.
Resler’s
illustration of The Map of Forest Lodge
on Lake Namakagon has two beautiful images of mermaids. The mermaids are
located north and northwest of the Burgundy Peninsula. The first mermaid,
located north, is of a female swimming through the water, her left arm extended
above her head, her right arm bend at the elbow by her side. Although, the
image appears to be floating in the air rather than swimming through the water because
there is a lack of water ripples surrounding the mermaid, unlike the mermaid
that is northwest of Burgundy. This mermaid seems to be lying down, resting the
weight of her upper body on her extended right arm. Her left arm is bent and
the mermaid seems to be running her fingers through her hair. This mermaid who
is lying has water ripples where her body meets the lake, which is unlike the “floating”
mermaid.
There
is also a sea monster located within Resler’s map. The sea monster is seen
southeast of Burgundy Peninsula and is depicted swimming above a man in a
canoe. The serpent-like creature has a streamlined head followed by three
humps. The sea creature is also depicted as having two fins located on the back
of the animal. The fins resemble spiny dorsal fins found on fish like Bass and
Blue-Gill. The serpent-like creature is depicted as moving swiftly through the
water due to the direction and closeness of the water waves it is creating.
There
is also a god depicted within Resler’s The
Map of Forest Lodge on Lake Namakagon. The god Neptune or Poseidon is seen
in the left-middle side of the map. He is seen with his crown, trident, and holding
a fish. Neptune is the Roman God of the Sea and Poseidon is the Greek God of
the Sea, both are relatable to each other, both are protectors of the sea (for
the sake of this piece Neptune will be used). Neptune is the Roman God of water
who protects all living things within his domain. He can call upon the winds
and create catastrophic storms for any person showing disrespect to any body of
water or creature.
Neptune,
the mermaids, and the sea monster are all depictions that are not typically
seen on a survey map or any map created in 1930. This is because there was a
strong presence of God and the bible throughout the nation. There are many
psalms and prayers which ask the Lord for assistance, forgiveness, and
protection while out at sea. This is see within Psalm 107, which states:
They that go
down to the sea in ships, that do business in great waters;
These see the
works of the Lord, and his wonders in the deep.
For he
commandeth, and raiseth the stormy wind, which lifteth up the waves thereof.
They mount up
to the heaven, they go down again to the depths: their soul is melted because
of trouble.
They reel to
and fro, and stagger like a drunken man, and are at their wit’s end.
Then they cry
unto the Lord in their trouble, and he bringeth them out of their distress.
He maketh the
storm a calm, so that the waves thereof are still.
Then are they
glad because they be quiet; so he bringeth them unto their desired haven. (verses
23-30)
And also within the Book of Common Prayer, stating:
O most
glorious and gracious Lord God, who dwellest in heaven, but beholdest all
things below; Look down, we beseech thee, and hear us, calling out of the depth
of misery, and out of the jaws of this death, which is ready now to swallow us
up: Save, Lord, or else we perish…Hear, Lord, and save us, for the infinite
merits of our blessed Saviour thy Son, out Lord Jesus Christ. Amen. (76)
Within the psalm and prayer men
would pray to the lord to protect them and carry them through to land. They
would ask the Lord to calm the weather to make their passage safe. They would
pray to the lord to control the wind and sea and to protect them from death. This
is in conflict with the Roman god Neptune because he is depicted as the god of
the sea within mythology. People would pray and make sacrifices to him for a
safe passage across any body of water. Thus, Resler’s illustration of The Map of Forest Lodge on Lake Namakagon,
holds a figure which is in direct conflict with the Lord and many individuals
during the time of the Great Depression.
During
the Great Depression many families and individuals had lost their jobs and
income. With this devastating loss, families where left with nothing and their
health and home lives where made more difficult. To help with the loss during
the Great Depression, the population flocked towards churches, leading to a
large influx of practitioners. The citizens of the nation had no other place to
turn, so their efforts were focused on an aspect they could control…religion.
During this time people’s religious beliefs were focused around the bible and
the teachings of the word of Christ; thusly, removing the belief in multiple
gods, Neptune. Neptune and other Roman and Greek gods were placed on the
sidelines and forgotten. It is Resler’s illustration of Neptune which should make
his contribution of The Map of Forest
Lodge on Lake Namakagon as an iconic image rather than an unseen archive.
George
Earl Resler created a beautiful image of Lake Namakagon with animals and land
masses. It is his contribution to the world, he added the fictional mermaids
and sea-monster but also the god Neptune, which was against most of the population’s
belief in the Lord. Resler stepped outside of the normal to deliver a beautifully
rendered image of a Wisconsin survey. He took artistic license to add what
others had forgotten about, making his work on the 1930 survey, The Map of Forest Lodge on Lake Namakagon,
unique and controversial. His work now sits in the Wisconsin Historical Society
Archives; however, I believe that this work should be viewed by all, for his
determination and endearing depiction of images forgotten during a time of
great depression.
Works
Cited
PBS. “”Great Depression transforms religious landscapes.” WGBH
Educational Foundation. 11 Oct. 2012. Web. 27 Oct. 2015
Raban, Jonathan. “The Book of Common Prayer.” The Oxford Book of the Sea. New York: Oxford University Press, 1992.
75-6. Print.
---. “Psalm 107.” The Oxford Book
of the Sea. New York: Oxford University Press, 1992. 55. Print.
Resler, George Earl. The Map of
Forest Lodge on Lake Namakagon. 1930. Wisconsin Historical Society: Map
Collection, Map or Atlas. Image 115968. Web. 27 Oct. 2015.
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