Emil Waldemar Iverson (November 2, 1892February 21, 1960) was a

Danish Danish may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to the country of Denmark People * A national or citizen of Denmark, also called a "Dane," see Demographics of Denmark * Culture of Denmark * Danish people or Danes, people with a Danish a ...

-American

ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an ice skating rink with lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. In ice hockey, two opposing teams use ice hock ...

player and coach, and an

anthropologist An anthropologist is a person engaged in the practice of anthropology. Anthropology is the study of aspects of humans within past and present societies. Social anthropology, cultural anthropology and philosophical anthropology study the norms and ...

. The

Minnesota Golden Gophers The Minnesota Golden Gophers (commonly shortened to Gophers) are the college sports teams of the University of Minnesota. The university fields a total of 25 (12 men's, 13 women's) teams in both men's and women's sports and competes in the Big Te ...

ice hockey team of the

University of Minnesota The University of Minnesota, formally the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, (UMN Twin Cities, the U of M, or Minnesota) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul, Tw ...

won seven national championships while Emil Iverson was coach. His training programs were so ahead of the times, that some are still used today. Iverson was head coach of the

Chicago Black Hawks (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

for one season, 1932–33, along with

Godfrey Matheson Godfrey Arthur Matheson (October 29, 1881 – January 20, 1978) was a Canadian ice hockey coach. Matheson was head coach of the Chicago Black Hawks for one season, 1932–33, along with Emil Iverson. Career On October 15, 1931, Matheson was na ...

Biography

He was born on November 2, 1892 in

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. When Emil Iverson and his brother Kay first arrived in America they coached different ice hockey teams in

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and

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, before starting coaching at universities in

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and

Wisconsin Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...

. Iverson did anthropological work on the

Ojibwa The Ojibwe, Ojibwa, Chippewa, or Saulteaux are an Anishinaabe people in what is currently southern Canada, the northern Midwestern United States, and Northern Plains. According to the U.S. census, in the United States Ojibwe people are one of ...

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people in areas around the Great Lakes and Minnesota/

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border. He died on February 21, 1960 at the Illinois Masonic Hospital in

Chicago, Illinois (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

Anthropology and other pursuits

Emil Iverson was responsible for discovering 50 Ojibwa skeletons and native artifacts in 1928. The site was one of the last undisturbed dwellings inhabited by the Kawawaigamak people of the

First Nation Indigenous peoples are culturally distinct ethnic groups whose members are directly descended from the earliest known inhabitants of a particular geographic region and, to some extent, maintain the language and culture of those original people ...

people. He continued to conduct extensive research regarding the history of the Ojibwa people that seasonally migrated throughout Hunters Island and the Border Lakes. The thriving tribe of Kabwawiagamaks, located at Kawa Bay, were eventually decimated by the Spanish influenza epidemic and the forced removal by the Canadian Government. The people of the village were known by the European settlers as the Kabwawiagamaks – because of their proximity to, and reliance on, what is now called the Wawaig River. After discovering the village Emil Iverson made sure the dead got the proper burial rites and brought back many artifacts to the Nett Lake people - their reservation being adjacent to his outfitting headquarters. This act of kindness was greatly revered by the Kawa Bay Band; to show their gratitude, Emil was given a ceremonial drum and the

Annishinabe The Anishinaabeg (adjectival: Anishinaabe) are a group of culturally related Indigenous peoples present in the Great Lakes region of Canada and the United States. They include the Ojibwe (including Saulteaux and Oji-Cree), Odawa, Potawatomi, ...

name "Chief of the Big Waters". The survey and graves proved once and for all, the size and scope of the Kabwawiagamak village was much larger than previously thought. His movie and photos of the expedition were shown to President Coolidge to help preserve the Quetico and

Boundary Waters The Boundary Waters, also called the Quetico-Superior Country, is a region of wilderness straddling the Canada–United States border between Ontario and Minnesota, in the area just west of Lake Superior. While "Boundary Waters" is a common name ...

area. The complete story of his expedition and the history of Two Rivers, a leader of the Kabwawiaigamak Ojibwa, can be found in the novel ''Hunters and Hearts''. Educational information can be found in past issues of The Ely Echo, The Chicago Area Pioneer Press, Minnesota Sun, U. of M newspapers, 13 Moons, The McHenry County Living Magazine, or by going to www.huntersandhearts.com. In addition to his advocacy for the Annishinabe people, Emil Iverson developed one of the first fishing and exploration programs for women. Iverson also traveled throughout Asia and Africa hunting big game and exploring both continents. A previously unknown location, southeast of Kawa Bay is currently being researched by this family in an effort led by his grandsons.

Head coaching record

NHL

College

References

*''Hunters and Hearts'' by Iverson, James and Iverson, John – U. of M news articles – 1927–28 Expedition journals – Expedition photo and survey record – Bois Forte Heritage Museum, numerous Minneapolis and St. Paul newspapers, circa 1927–29 – U. of M. ice hockey alumni – Quetico Archives

Notes

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Iverson, Emil Canadian ice hockey coaches Chicago Blackhawks coaches Minnesota Golden Gophers men's ice hockey coaches 1960 deaths 1890s births Danish ice hockey coaches Danish ice hockey players 20th-century American anthropologists Danish emigrants to the United States