They had a big long harbor that was cut into the land, and the cabins pretty much sat around the harbor that I remember. I don't know if any sat on the lake.
I can remember as a kid that they had plywood cutouts of bears around the harbor and if I remember some of them had things written on them. I always thought that it was very, very cool.
Anybody out there have a clearer memory about this resort? It closed down as a resort quite some time ago and as the fate that befell many of the resorts on Leech, it now is private cabins.
I don't have any pictures. Anybody that knows, please feel free to comment. If you have any pictures, send them to me and I'd be glad to post them.
These pictures are from Skearth of Bear Island View. See his posts below to get some great history of the resort. Thanks Skearth!
Hi old Resorter
ReplyDeleteI too am a teacher and our family is purchasing a property that I think is the original lodge for bear island view resort. Do you have any mor info on this old resort. We have been staying at agency bay lodge for 25 years and are really excited to own our own place.
Hi Skearth,
ReplyDeleteI'm sorry, I don't have much more information about that resort. I did email my brother about it. He has a little more knowledge about the area as he worked at Carlson's Resort for a couple of years in the 70's.
To my knowledge, most of the cabins from Bear Island View have been torn down. I couldn't tell you if any of the homes around the harbor there were the old cabins remodeled.
I think that one of the homes is owned by the one of the Coleman family that owned Bear Island Resort once upon a time. I was told by my father that the Coleman house is the large one just outside the harbor entrance to the north of the harbor.
I believe that the resort closed in the 70's or 80's, but I can't be sure. I can remember as a kid that they had cutouts of bears in the entrance of the harbor that warned boaters to slow down. I really don't remember much else.
We spent most of my 52 years on Leech on the east side of the lake near where your place. My grandfather owned a cabin near there from the 40's to the late 70's. We have also stayed at Sunset View Resort, Carlson's Resort, and Chippewa Lodge. Mostly we stayed at Carlson's Resort since my grandfather sold his cabin. His cabin is now a part of Carlson's Resort.
I love the lake in general, and obviously have a great fondness for the east side. Great walleye fishing on Partridge Point in the spring and fall. Lots of good fishing around Bear Island also.
I would love to hear any of your stories from your time on the lake and your 25 years at Agency Bay Lodge.
We just stayed at Carlson's Resort at the end of July. I might suggest if you have some free time, head over ot Carlson's Resort, just to the south of the old Sunset View Resort, and ask any of the VanWerdens or Ottos if they have any knowledge about the old cabins and lodge at Bear Island View.
If I come across any more information on the resort I will pass it along on this blog.
If you find out anything about the resort, please post it here!
Congratulations on your purchase. I would love to get together and talk about Leech with you when we are up there again.
If you would like to contact me directly, please email me at kbrown.cdbeab@gmail.com
My brother emailed me back today, and said he thought that they mostly remodeled the old cabins so it may be there, just underneath a remodel. So you might have it! Does it look like an old lodge?
ReplyDeleteI'd love to see it sometime when we both are at the lake!
It does. It has a large stone fireplace that according to a neighbor was built by an Ojibwe stone mason when he was a kid. It is a large structure with long hallways, similar to a small hotel. I know there was an addition made in the 1980s to add a second story. The views are worth the price of purchase. Hopefully we will get to know the neighbors and learn more, as I think they are from the same family and were part of the resort at one time. I will let you know more after I get to know them.
ReplyDeleteExcellent! I'm happy for you. There are some great views of the big lake on the east side. We have watched many a sunset from the beach at Carlson's. I look forward to hearing from you as you find out more.
ReplyDeleteI did learn some interesting history at our association meeting. The neighbors were very nice and said they were glad to have some new people moving in to empty houses. I learned that our new home was originally the house (not a cabin) of the resort owner Coleman in the 30s-70s. The only thing left is the massive fireplace- they built around it. I saw pictures of the early days with many, many walleyes on stringers. I also learned that Chief White Cloud of the Leech Lake Ojibwe is buried on the border of our land and the neighbors (with 3 other American Indians and their horses).
ReplyDeleteOne more thing: The other new neighbor is from Nebraska and said his family stayed at Carlson resort since the 1920s. His name is Paul, but I can't remember his last name.
ReplyDeleteI just read your Carlson Resort post and now realize that our new neighbor Paul is a Van Werden.
ReplyDeleteYes he is. That is interesting. I know that the Van Werdens have some pictures of Chief White Cloud. Wow, I have seen your house from the outside, but obviously not from the inside. Congrats on your purchase and move in. The views from that side of the lake and from Pikedale on south on the east side are more than spectacular!
ReplyDeleteI'd love to see any pictures or hear anything you learn about Bear Island View or the area in general.
I see that your pictures didn't load on your post. I'll post them in the original part of this blog post.
Thanks again.
I am having trouble finding information to verify Chief White Cloud is buried there and which White Cloud. Do you have a resource for this? Thanks for posting pics for me.
ReplyDeleteYou might want to start at the museum in Walker. It is next to the old Conservation Building in Walker.
ReplyDeletehttps://www.facebook.com/jpvossen/media_set?set=a.10205950092847090.1073741904.1102842915&type=3
ReplyDeleteMy family owns this & Then later on my uncle Jimmy and aunt Ruthie built a large home on this property and we have others that still live nearby in that channel area! Our Aunt Ruth passed away and we just sold her home a few years back & I see it’s been re-sold recently! If you want more information you can contact me at my email address Bridgetfee@me.com “Bridget Coleman” Fee-Graber absolutely stunning piece of property
ReplyDeleteJim and Ruth were great friends beginning in Downers Grove, IL. I was one of Jim's ComEd fishing crew for at least 20-years. We fished as a group on the Walleye Opener in May as well as in the Fall. My late wife and I purchased a lake home near Longville over 30-years ago and Jimmy and I fished many times during the summer. Lots of fond memories.
ReplyDelete