Trygg, J. William

J. William Trygg was born September 17, 1905, at Cook Minnesota. He was a professional forester and worked for the United States Forest Service (USFS) from 1926 until 1954. He was in charge of Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) camps in the Ely, Minnesota area, and at the time of his retirement from the USFS was a district forest ranger. In addition to his expertise in forestry he had experience with Indian claims throughout the Great Lakes region.

After leaving the Forest Service Trygg worked as a land use consultant and as an apprasier of natural resources. Through an intense interest in the history of the area he developed a system he used to make historical appraisals on behalf of various Indian tribes in the Midwest, appraisals for Indian lands already ceded to the United States. With his son he owned the Trygg Land Office, a real estate agency located at Ely. Trygg was elected to the Minnesota House of Representatives in 1966 from District 62 (St. Louis County) and served one term.

Trygg died in Washington, D.C. on April 11, 1971, where he was testifying on Indian land claims. He was buried in the Ely Cemetery.

From the guide to the J. William Trygg papers., [195-]-[196-]., (Minnesota Historical Society)