A general store and more!

A place everyone must visit on Lake Vermilion is Moosebirds!  My family loves to stop by the general store not because of what items they have to purchase really (although they have it all), but for the nostalgic feel of the store with the friendly staff.  Owned by Ron and Sue Martin, Moosebirds is known on the lake for having the best ice cream cones!  People come from all over the lake to enjoy one of their special flavors offered each week.

Moosebirds is accessible from the lake or Highway 24 and offers food, clothing, gift items, jewelry, coffee, wifi access, and don't forget the ice cream!  If Ron and Sue aren't there to greet you at the cash register, one of their staff will help you with a smile.

Moosebirds also has cabin rental, boat rental, camping supplies and my husband says the BEST bait on the lake!  A new feature they offer is on-line shopping for supplies.  What a great idea for incoming guests they may have or someone coming up for a weekend with limited time to pick up supplies.

I personally look forward to going in each year in the spring and picking out my new sweatshirt or t-shirt for the season.  I always let myself buy one a season from Moosebirds because I love their selection.

So what is a Moosebird anyway?  Well....the legend is that the lumberjacks nicknamed the Canadian Jay the Moosebird because is would catch a ride on the antlers of the Moose in the northwoods.  The Moosebird is known also to be a greyish-blue bird that will come take food right from your hand if offered to them.

The dictionary describes the bird:  The Gray Jay (Perisoreus canadensis), also Grey Jay, Canada Jay, or Whiskey Jack,^[2] is a member of the crow and jay family (Corvidae) found in the boreal forests across North America north to the tree-line and in subalpine forests of the Rocky Mountains south to New Mexico and Arizona. It is one of three members of the genus Perisoreus, the others being the Siberian Jay, P. infaustus, found from Norway to eastern Russia and the Sichuan Jay, P. internigrans, restricted to the mountains of eastern Tibet and northwestern Sichuan. All three species store food and live year-round on permanent territories in coniferous forests.

Here's a photograph of a Moosebird found on the internet.



Whether you have an opportunity to ever see an actual Canadian Jay be sure to check out Moosebirds on Lake Vermilion!  I promise you'll be welcomed with smiles, great service and great ice cream!