Body of missing canoeist recovered during search in Boundary Waters near Curtain Falls

The body of a Cambridge man missing since his canoe went over a waterfall in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness nearly two weeks ago has been recovered, according to the St. Louis County Sheriff’s Office.

Jesse Melvin Haugen, 41, described by a friend as an avid outdoorsman with a lot of experience in the BWCA, was found during a search Friday near Curtain Falls, between Crooked Lake and Iron Lake on the Minnesota-Ontario border.

Reis Melvin Grams, 40, of Lino Lakes is still missing.

On May 18, a caller reported to authorities that two canoes had gone over the falls. Two men were missing and another one was badly injured. Authorities said at the time that one of the canoes “got into some distress and the others tried to give assistance.” Both went over the falls.

The search for the missing men has continued since then, with officials from the Superior National Forest at one point closing off trails, campsites, portages and bodies of water tied to Iron Lake. Last week, Gov. Tim Walz enlisted the National Guard’s help finding the canoeists.

Crews will continue to search for Grams, according to the Sheriff’s Office.

Haugen was known to sleep outside his tent when camping in this northern Minnesota destination. On the night before the accident, they watched the Northern Lights, according to Reis Grams’ brother Erik, who was also on the trip.

Erik Grams, whose family started a GoFundMe for the families of the missing men, described Haugen as a mentor at the local church and an amazing father, husband and friend, and a joy to be around. He ran marathons and rode BMX.

“Jesse was an incredible fisherman and an even better human being,” said Grams, of Ham Lake. “There is going to be a gaping hole that we cannot fill, but he was a God-fearing man and had rock solid faith.”

Haugen owned Rock Solid Plumbing, based in East Bethel. A message posted to his company’s Facebook page said that employees were continuing to work hard for him.

“You worked hard for the last 14 years to get RSP where it is today,” it said. “You are always rock solid. You are our biggest motivator, you are our biggest role model, we won’t let you down. We love you.”

Kyle Sellers of Ham Lake and Erik Grams both survived going over the waterfall, while Jared Lohse, of Cambridge, remained back at the group’s campsite.