The lodge is so beautiful. I do know that many of the resorts had what they called the American Plan where they rented you a cabin and also prepared meals for you as a part of your stay there. I always found this picture so interesting. I don't know if this dining room was just for the people that stayed at the resort or if anyone could eat there.
It is obviously from another time and another era. It reminds me of the restaurant that they have at the old Merit Lodge on the south side of Leech Lake.
Anybody out there have any stories about Journey's End Lodge?
I'm thrilled about the response that I've gotten from this post! As we are now leasing a cabin at Ivanhoe Resort next door to where Journey's End Lodge used to be, I have more interest at this point besides some cool pictures.
I have added one more picture that James Nelson sent me. Enjoy! Emily and James, more stories are always welcome! I do really enjoy reading them.
From the late 1950's early 60's Chamber of Commerce map:
Journey's End Lodge - Strictly modern cottages. Dining room. Excellent beach, lawn games. Housekeeping cottages, modified or American plan. Good fishing ins afe boats, water sports. James and Marilou Fladebou, Walker, Minn. Tel. KI 7-1502
Journey's End is now my Grandparent's cabin. The dining room (used for guests) still looks like this, but has couches and home decor as a living room would. The view is every bit as spectacular. We still keep old brochures from when it was "Journey's End" and there is now a 4 seasons addition to the lodge with added kitchen, bathrooms and bedrooms. It's gorgeous!
ReplyDeleteI would still love to see the inside of the old lodge. Do your grandparents still own the cabin? On my daily walk with the dogs, I'll go down that road and walk by the old lodge. The picture of the inside of the dining room is so cool. From another era. I would love to hear more of your stories any pictures would be good too! Did your grandparents stay at Journey's End while it was a resort?
DeleteEmily,
DeleteMy wife and her parents stayed at Journey’s End for many years, eventually purchasing two cabins. Our children also grew up going to the cabin most weekends of the summer. I am very interested in seeing if it would be possible to scan the old brochures your family has kept. If that would be possible please let me know. Thanks Brian Tofte
Hi Emily! Thanks for the post. I hope that you have that postcard someplace! It is such a cool looking place. I'd love to see your grandparent's cabin and talk to them about the area. Maybe when I'm up there this summer, I can look them up. I am really fascinated by the old resorts and stories about their time up here. Are any of the other cabins left around there? Do you know when the resort itself closed down?
ReplyDeleteI would love to hear any of your stories about your times up at Leech.
Thank you again for posting to my blog! I plan on adding more this summer. Please post again!
We vacationed at Journey's End in the 1960's and 1970's.
ReplyDeleteThe photo above of the main lodge dining room is exactly how I remember it. The resort was owned and operated by Jim and Marilou Fladeboe. They had two sons, Kent and Rodger, who also worked at the resort. I believe Kent Fladeboe stills lives in the Walker area. The photo of the water was the main dock and boat house (shed), which also contained an above ground gas tank. The water was so clear that, even at the end of the dock, you could see the bottom of the lake and the leeches swimming in the water. The top photo is one of the cabins. You can see how steep of a slope it is from the main lodge down to the water. The cabins were fairly rustic, with gas burning stoves.
ReplyDeleteDinner was served every night in the main lodge. College aged girls would come down to the beach in the afternoon and take your dinner order for that night. I remember that after dinner some nights, they would clear the tables and show movies in the main dining room. I remember watching the original Parent Trap at Journey's End. There was also a recreational center on the main level by the entrance that contained pinball games and a jut box where the teen age kids would hang out.
I understand the Fladeboe's sold the resort in the late 1970s or 80's and the cabins were sold off individually. Great photos and great memories.
What is there now, does anyone know?
My family also vacationed there in the 60's and 70's. We went with my aunt's family and other friends, taking up 3 or 4 cabins. It remains my favorite vacation spot of all time. In the afternoons Jim Fladeboe would take anyone water-skiing. The dinners were so delicious! After one dinner we had a good old-fashioned square dance because one of the guests was a "caller." One year my cousin was a "cabin girl" there. What memories! Can anyone tell me exactly how to get there? Thanks!
DeleteSuzanne (Mayer) Lucas
Hello Suzanne,
DeleteThanks for posting to my blog! I'd love to hear more of your stories. I love the site of Journey's End. It sounds like there were a lot of people that loved that place. Do you still go up to Leech Lake? It is no longer a resort and it is all private cabins. It was located along Heath Trail NW just off of Calypso Dr. NW. I think it closed down in the 80's . I'd love to hear more from you.
Thank you for the directions. We are thinking of going up there this summer to look around. Would you recommend Ivanhoe Resort? I also remember taking the "Mail Boat Ride" all over Leech Lake and stopping at a beautiful lodge for pie half-way through the route. Is that lodge still there? We were told that every summer a writer stayed there working on his newest novel. We would go to Walker on Friday(?) nights after dinner to watch the Native Americans dance. Every day the cabin boy would bring more oil for the stove and a cabin girl would bring new towels etc. and ask us for our menu choice for dinner. One year Jim F. put in a trout pond and guests could catch trout to have for dinner. There was also shuffleboard and tennis courts. He was always improving the resort. They worked so hard!
DeleteHi again Suzanne,
DeleteThat was a fantastic story. It was really cool to hear about how they did things at the resorts. Really any stories from the resort era at Leech.
Ivanhoe is not a resort any longer, at least in a traditional sense. Some of the cabins were sold off privately and the rest are owned by a group and are rented by the season. That is how I came to stay there. There are a lot of hotels around as well as resorts. Here is the chamber of commerce website: http://bit.ly/2qPyM3P
I hope that you come up this summer. If you decide to come up, stop by Ivanhoe and ask for me. I'd love to talk with you.
From Emily's post above, the main lodge dining room is her grandparent's cabin. It is still there. I drove down by there this spring and there was no sign of any of the other cabins. They are all private at this point. I also went by at the lake. There is nothing recognizable as either the lodge or any of the cabins.
ReplyDeleteThere are several postcards from Journey's end on ebay right now with pictures of the different cabins and the lodge.
Thank you so much for your post. I love hearing stories like yours. One of the reasons I started this post was somewhat of a "Field of Dreams" version of Leech Lake after my father passed away. I thought of all the stories that my Dad told me and all the stories I wish I would have asked him about or he would have told me.
Thanks again for your post. Any other memories, espeically family stories are always appreciated!
The Old Resorter
We vacationed there every year for about 10 years. I know my parents have photos, even 8mm movies from our vacations. Next time I am at my parents house, I will try to look for some photos.
ReplyDeleteEmily, did your grandparents ever stay at Journey's End resort before they purchased the cabin? I would love to see any photos they have from when it was in operation. I am in Chicago, so I can't just drive up for the day. I have studied the area using Google Earth, but I can't really tell which house is the old lodge. There are clearly new homes built on the property. I remember the lodge was on the street level, at the top of the hill above all of the other cabins.
Jim Nelson
Chicago, IL
I would love to see your photos. Feel free to post them, I'm not sure if you are allowed to post pictures in my blog, if not, email me at kbrown.cdbeab@gmail.com and I will post them for you.
DeleteMy wife and I are now leasing a cabin at what used to be Ivanhoe Resort. Of course it is right next to where Journey's end used to be. What a place! We have enjoyed part of our first season there.
Kurt Brown
Battle Creek, IA
I've posted another picture that Jim Nelson sent to me. It is with the other three that I have posted. A very cool picture! Please check it out.
ReplyDeleteHi,
ReplyDeleteI stayed at Journey's End Resort as a kid, with my family, in the late 1960's. I have a couple of pictures, but not sure how to post?
Thank you for your pictures and memories! As I noted in the earlier post, the old lodge is still there, but it is a part of a home. Most of the old cabins are still there, it looks like quite a few of them have been refurbished. That is one of the coolest spots on Leech Lake.
DeleteMy brother and I were talking last summer. There are now no resorts anywhere on Walker Bay. Kind of a sad deal.
Thank you for running this awesome site. Please send me a private email and I’ll provide you with the email for the owner of Journey’s End lodge
ReplyDeleteHi Jeff
DeleteI’m sorry I didn’t respond to your post. I usually check on these things in a timely manner. I must have missed it.
My email: kbrown.cdbeab@gmail.com.
Thanks.