The marketing wizard behind “Axe Giant: The Wrath of Paul Bunyan” has shared with me another northern Minnesota-themed film project, the documentary “Wild Bill’s Run” by independent Minnesota filmmaker Mike Scholtz.
This is the strange but true story of Wild Bill Cooper. Part Arctic adventure and part crime caper, WILD BILL’S RUN is an unforgettable ride with a true American folk hero.
In the winter of 1972, Wild Bill Cooper led a ragtag crew of mechanics, ranchers and photographers on a grueling expedition across the polar ice. During some of the darkest days of the Cold War, their goal was to snowmobile 5,000 miles from Minnesota to Moscow.
They didn’t quite make it.
After the expedition returned home, Cooper embarked on a startling new adventure. Accused of leading a massive drug smuggling operation known as “the Marijuana Air Force,” he was named one of America’s Ten Most Wanted by the U.S. Marshals Service. But the wily outdoorsman was never caught. He refused to surrender to the law, just as he’d refused to surrender to the Arctic. Even today, his whereabouts remain a mystery.
You can watch “Wild Bill’s Run” for free on Hulu for a limited time.
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