Category Archives: Minnesota Resorts

Glengarry, The First Resort on Leech Lake

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

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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And Then There Were None

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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Daughters of History

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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Latest addition to “Shared Photos”

We are pleased that Rick Wolfe has shared another 70+ postcards, his twelfth contribution. These photos are especially significant to Rick, since some of them show early life at Serpent Lake, located between Crosby and Deerwood, where Rick currently lives … Continue reading

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Radio interview

I was recently interviewed on Your Best with Kathy Weckwerth. On Kathy’s radio show we discussed her family’s purchase of a historic resort cabin, my books, and how Minnesota’s resorts are changing from the early era of smaller resorts with rustic … Continue reading

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Fuller’s Tackle Shops

On June 26, 2017, I spoke to members of the Hubbard County Historical Society at the Northwoods Bank in Park Rapids. The topic of the program was one that I could relate to quite well: Fuller’s Tackle Shop. The reasons? … Continue reading

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Kurt Brown’s Leech Lake Postcards

Kurt Brown’s family has been going to Leech Lake, Minnesota since the 1930s when Kurt’s grandparents started staying at Sunset View Resort, near Brevik. His grandfather eventually built a cabin near Sunset View. Later that cabin became part of Carlson’s … Continue reading

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Early Clearwater Lake at Annandale, Minnesota

Steve Briggs, from Eagan, Minnesota, is a postcard collector with a special interest in Clearwater Lake in Minnesota. He has generously contributed fifty cards to the “Shared Photos” section of this website. Most are associated with early resorts, and many are over … Continue reading

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A Mini-Minnesota Tour of Northern Minnesota

It is amazing how much of Minnesota’s resort country can be packed into four days of travel. My wife’s sister Ann, and her husband Ray, from Michigan, have been around the world twice on National Geographic Tours, but had never … Continue reading

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