Author Archives: Ren Holland

Event – Little Falls Craft Fair 2022

Posted on August 30, 2022 by Ren Holland

We will be at the Little Falls Craft Fair Saturday and Sunday, September 10th and 11th.  Stop by our booth located in front of the Good Book Bookstore. renholland.com  

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Kabekona Bay Resort

Posted on January 16, 2021 by Ren Holland

My thanks to Cathy Brugger who contributed the following 1950s photos of Pine Cone Resort located on Kabekona Bay on Leech Lake. According to a 2006 Woodland Resort Newsletter, Pine Cone Resort was built about 1951. Owners in the 1950s … Continue reading →

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Glengarry, The First Resort on Leech Lake

Posted on February 21, 2020 by Ren Holland

There were few accommodations available at Walker, Minnesota in 1896 when white travelers began to arrive on its first railroad. Camping was the main option for visitors, and a community of tents dotted a peninsula on the Leech Lake shoreline. … Continue reading →

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“Catch a Memory:” Historic Fishing Contest Photos

Posted on July 22, 2019 by Ren Holland

Fuller’s Fishing Contest in Park Rapids, Minnesota was probably the first major fishing contest in the state. It was certainly the longest running fishing contest, beginning in 1916 and lasting until 1985. The contest was sponsored by Fuller’s Tackle Shops … Continue reading →

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Early Logging around Lake Itasca

Posted on March 2, 2019 by Ren Holland

My thanks to Wayne Ostlie, who has donated the following photos related to early logging around Minnesota’s Lake Itasca. These historic photos (ca 1910) reflect the hardships early loggers faced in cutting the timber that was floated on the Mississippi … Continue reading →

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26th Annual Writer’s Digest Self-Published Book Awards

Posted on January 20, 2019 by Ren Holland

Last year I entered my book The Early Resorts of Minnesota in a writing contest sponsored by Writer’s Digest Magazine. Over 2,300 books were entered in “The 26th Annual Writer’s Digest Self-Published Book Awards.” My book was published in 2012, … Continue reading →

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Book signing at Arts and Crafts Fair

Posted on September 15, 2018 by Ren Holland

The 46th annual Little Falls Arts and Crafts Fair attracted its usual large crowd, estimated at around 100,000, including crafters, artisans, antique collectors, and classic car owners. Seven authors and I were invited by Marge Krinke of The Good Book … Continue reading →

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And Then There Were None

Posted on July 28, 2018 by Ren Holland

Recently I had two opportunities to take pleasant steps into the past. One was by visiting my favorite sites at Itasca State Park; the other was to look for the site of an early resort near Park Rapids. The occasion … Continue reading →

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Shared photos: Big Whitefish Bay Resort and a Historic Mailboat

Posted on April 14, 2018 by Ren Holland

I want to thank Tim Donohue for sending photos taken at Big Whitefish Bay Resort during the summers of 1963-64, when he was a young boy. Tim’s sister, Jane, worked at the resort and they both share fond memories and … Continue reading →

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Daughters of History

Posted on March 17, 2018 by Ren Holland

On March 10, 2018, I spoke to the Brainerd, Minnesota chapter of the Captain Robert Orr National Society Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR). Before my slide presentation, I brushed up on the goals of the DAR on their website … Continue reading →

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