Homesteader/Dog musher dream....looking for land for homestead in Northwoods

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My wife and I are looking to buy some land in the Northern MN, WI, MI area. We would like to set up a homestead. We would like to raise all of our own food and I would like to dogsled in the Winter. We are looking at land. The Ideal site would be a remote area of about between 20-80 acres surrounded by National or State Forest land. We would like maybe some tillable land and some forest and a pond or stream or nearby lake. I would like to work summers and have winters off to mush. My wife would like to stay home and work on the Garden and Can and I will also do that as well on my time off. We are prepared to live in a Yurt and build a cabin, but a cabin already on the property would be a plus. We would like it to be not more than an hour or two drive to a small town with some Tourism/service related type work and a Baptist Church. Also it must be near dog mushing trails. Our price range is about $40,000.00 But we would need to finance it with $2000.00 down. Right now We live in upstate NY. We have good enough credit to by land like this here but we really don't consider this wilderness here and not enough snow in this area. I am not sure how banks would feel about us relocating and how that would affect our credit. Thanks for any leads.

-- Theodore Heistman (dolf_lungren@hotmail.com), December 27, 2001

Answers

Yeah, me too...count me in. although i would prefer Alaska. Really, it sounds awesome. good luck in your search.

-- Buk Buk (bukabuk@hotmail.com), December 27, 2001.

Hello Theodore. Why don't you do a search for Duluth, MN area. Duluth metro area has a population of 266,000 but lots of nice little towns surrounding. The John Beargrease Dog Sled race is held here every winter. I'm in No. WI near the Chequamegon National Forest and Lake Superior. My neighboring town is 8,000 population. It is one and a half hours drive to Duluth. Good luck in your search.

-- Jean in No. WI (jat@ncis.net), December 27, 2001.

Sounds like you're looking for land in the Houghton/Hancock area of Upper Michigan. Contact the chamber of commerce there and they'll send you a lot of information. I also know from personally searching that there are several real estate websites for that area. Good Luck! I'm also interested in your e-mail address, where have I seen that name before?

-- Rose Marie Wild (wintersongfarm@yahoo.com), December 28, 2001.

Hi Theodore: Our place (house and 10 acres)in NW Minn (look for Bemidji on the map - about an hour NW of there) will be up for sale in a month or so. Right in the price range you mentioned; but we would not be able to finance it ourselves. Quite a bit of state land pretty close by. Also the 150 acres closest to the property are in CRP; so no farming there for at least the next 8 years; probably not again in the foreseeable future. I have noticed several groups of sled dogs around and I know that the furbuyer(4 miles away) sells beaver and muskrat meat to sled dog owners. Black, great topsoil in our area. I only gardened there 2 seasons; but really had great luck. Driveway is 1/2 mile long (permanent, transferable easement); with lots of trees around house. Definitely secluded. Well, good luck on your search! Cynthia

-- Cynthia (farmsteaderus@yahoo.com), December 28, 2001.

You can buy my 140 a in Northern Ny for 70,000.There is a stream half open the other half wooded .A house {in the process of being renovated} and a barn that needs work .

-- Patty {NY State} (fodfarms@hotmail.com), December 29, 2001.


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