The Resort Report: From Lodges and Cottages to ... Lodges and
Cottages,
with a few extras
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The resort industry in the Brainerd Lakes area began around Bay Lake, due east of Brainerd. Bay Lake was located near Deerwood where a section house for the planned Northern Pacific railroad was built. In 1871 the first trains traveled through Deerfield. Around 1890 Ruttger’s, on Bay Lake, became the first “resort” operating in the Brainerd Lakes region. It first hosted fishermen who would come for day trips from Deerfield station. The fisherman, upon finding the Ruttger’s homestead with good food and informal accommodations, would stay often stay overnight. The first guests often slept in the barn, which the Ruttgers developed into a bunkhouse. The Knieffs, another Bay Lake homesteading family, also took up the business. In this innovative resort climate, the Knieffs built the first private cabins for vacationers in the region (1924), while the Ruttger’s developed the first golf course (1925). Resorts around Bay Lake began to flourish. |
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After the construction of the Brainerd and Northern Minnesota Railroad around 1890, the resort business began to shift further west. Resorts grew close to the rail stops of Merrifield, Hubert, and Nisswa. The western Brainerd Lakes region saw early development of resorts along Lake Clark (Minnewawa Resort), Upper Whitefish Lake (Shady Rest Resort, Piney Ridge Lodge), Lake Hubert (Pucwanna now Alaska Lodge), Pelican Lake (Marquis Resort and Velvet Beach), and finally Gull Lake (Rocky Point Resort and Oxonite Resort). Generally those resorts closest to train stations were the first to develop, given the absence of good roads in most of the area. Most resorts did not develop until automobile ownership became common and roads were built, these include some of the largest resorts, such as the infamous Breezy Point. |
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Today the largest resorts are developing on-site amenities which tailor to a clientele that demands diverse recreational options, with the potential for year round enjoyment.
Grand View
The Grand View Lodge and Resort is one of the more exclusive in the Brainerd Lakes region. It initially began as a hunting camp in 1915. Early its promoters touted its accessibility by rail and then by automobile, with new highways being built in the region. The lodge made waves as one of the first "hotels" built on an undeveloped site in the area.
The Grand View is heavily marketed upon its historical authenticity. The official website reads "There was a time when style was as important to a great vacation as substance. When elegance was measured in terms of Northwoods charm and attention to detail, as well as in the quality of recreational lifestyle and distinguished cuisine. That time still lives on today at Grand View Lodge on Gull Lake near Brainerd Minnesota."
It has since grown to encompass not only a main grounds, which are substantial, but the owners have also developed surrounding land for miles around. The central golf course and tennis courts, spa, and other amenities are mentioned in the promotion of surrounding properties. Its status as an exclusive resort is cemented by its relationship with the toney Camp Lincoln and Camp Lake Hubert camps for Boys and Girls. These properties are owned by the Cote Family, who operated Grand View as a place for parents to stay when they dropped their children off for camp. The camps themselves still operate in much the same way as they did historically, and continue to draw the children of the wealthy and powerful.
Minnewawa
"Benjamin Heald Sr., a Shakespearean actor from New York, built Minnewawa Lodge, one of the earliest resorts surviving in Minnesota. Fellow actors often joined him at the Clark Lake property, which served for many years as an actors’ retreat where guests could practice their lines and act out plays.
Heald built the main structure – a two-story, wood-frame building that
contained the resort’s dining hall and kitchen – in a simple neoclassical
style with a columned portico. Several additional cabins stood on the
resort grounds. Before passable roads were built, guests reached the lodge
by boat from the Lake Hubert railroad station (MNHS).
Today Minnewawa is more known for its youth hockey camp then its vacation resort function. Because the vacationer business is sidelined to the hockey camp, the owners have not invested in on site facilities to serve vacationers. Instead they promote Minnewawa's proximity to the Paul Bunyan Trail and golf courses (and its position on Clark lake, of course).
Breezy Point
Breezy Point resort has probably the most colorful history of the regional resorts. The elegant lodge, built of solid logs shipped in from the west coast, is pictured above at the height of the resort's fame (circa 1926). Breezy Point was started by a publishing tycoon cum world class big game hunter, "Captain" Billy Fawcett. It was reported that to operate fully during its earlier years, the resorted required at least 100-125 people. The lodge and annex had 63 guest rooms and could accommodate about 125 persons. At its peak Breezy Point was a rendezvous for a plethora of Hollywood celebrities. a fire in 1959 destroyed the swank building and took the lives of two guests.
Today Breezy Point is still one of the largest resorts in the region. Pictured above, is the resort map.. Like Grand View, it has a section of development on the main grounds and around the Golf course and other amenities with development by the same owner for miles around. Breezy Point, though, is on a much larger scale than Grand View. They have also begun to build their own specialty amenities such as the Breezy Point [Hockey] Arena. Pictured Below.
