The Southwest Airlines ad begins with an embarrassing scene and then a voice says: "Want to get away?". Southwest, however, does not have service to Angle Inlet, Minnesota.I conducted a funeral Friday for a man whose son lives there. I had never heard of Angle Inlet. Let me tell you a bit about it. You can get info from your computer. It is the only US property, outside of Alaska, north of the 49th parallel. It is even farther north than Maine. In the Treaty of Paris of 1783 a mistake made in the Mitchell Map used for drawing borders between United States and British Territories left this six hundred plus square mile angle, mostly water, belonging to the United States. There is an Indian Reservation taking most of the land.
Today about 150 people live in and around Angle Inlet. They have the only one-room school left in Minnesota. There are nine students in grades one through six. The junior high-high school kids are bussed to Warroad Minnesota, a round trip each day of 120 or more miles. Some of the elementary kids come by boat to school and by snowmobile in the winter. There is one teacher. Ray told me they have one policeman in the township. He has had to put his uniform on twice in the last four years. One community church is there but no pastor. The folks meet and read scripture and pray and that's it. Great fishing in that area.
They have talked about secession from the US and annexation by Canada a few times but it hasn't happened.A best selling novel "Lake Of The Woods" by Tim Obrien was written with this place as its setting. Want to get away to Angle Inlet? You have to either go through Canada,or boat across "Lake Of The Woods".
You might get away from people and the hustle and bustle of life, but God will be waiting for you at Angle Inlet. "Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens you are there. If I make my bed in the depths you are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea(at Lake of The Woods) even there your hand will guide me your right hand will hold me fast." Psalm 139:7-10
