I got a post on my blog asking about Pinestead Resort. I did some research and here is what I came up with.
Pinestead Resort was on the west side of Lake May . I found information about the owners and the resort at the time on maps that I have collected through the years.
I'm guessing this listing is from the 60's sometime. It had 10 digit numbers and prior to that, they had 2 letters and 5 digits.
PINESTEAD RESORT - Chain on 5 lakes. Top bass and pan fishing. 1 1/2 miles from Walker. 13 moderncabins. Supurb beach, playground, game room, store, bait, freezer service, good boats. "A family resort." Bill and Tina Blechschmidt, Walker, Minn 56484. Telephone 218-547-1024
This listing is from later in the 60's. Again, just my best guess.
PINESTEAD RESORT -Lake May. Completely modern cabins, beach, shuffleboard, horseshoes, picnic area, playground. Golf at Tianna Country Club. Variety fishing, chain of 6 spring fed lakes. Deep freeze service. Mr and Mrs A Borgman. Tel. 547-1447.
Pinstead Resort was my playground from 78-90. My best friends family owed it for a significant time & sold it in 89-90. I spent hundreds of days and nights enjoying everything than northern Mn had to offer. Some of my fondest memories in my life were made there.
ReplyDeleteIt's not a resort that I'm familar with. I spent my youth growing up on the east side of the lake near Brevik. We were by Carlson Resort and Sunset View Resort. I had many of the same memories as you did I'm sure. And they were great memories. My grandpa had a cabin there on the east side. He sold it in 79 and we started renting at different resorts first on the east side, then anyplace on the lake we wanted to try. We took my kids up there and we kept those traditions going. Those were also a part of my fondest memories. All at Leech Lake.
DeleteWere Bill and Tina Blechschmidt the owners when you went there? So many good memories. I named my dog after Brevik. So much fun.
Tell me more about the resort grounds and the cabins. I'm not sure if they are gone or not. I'm going to have to look when I go over
DeleteBill and Tina definitely owned the resort when my family went up there. We were pretty much there every summer for a week or two from the early 70’s thru the early 80’s.
DeleteIt was definitely a very family friendly resort through all that time. My father was an avid fisherman, and he dragged me out on Lake May or Long Lake at dawn every morning we were there, fishing for walleye. If I remember correctly, we usually stayed in either Cabin 11 or one of the other two bedroom cabins. My parents got one room and my sisters the other. I was relegated to sleeping on an old threadbare sofa in the main room. There was a basic kitchen in the main room, one bathroom, and an old heater right between the doors to the bedroom.
Up at the lodge, there was a community house for one big fish fry each week, and a game room where the kids hung out during the day (I believe that was an old converted garage).
I had a lot of good times there growing up - even received my first kiss from a young lady as a 13 year old.
Hi Mike, my parents are Bill and Tina Blechschmidt. My brothers Bill, Tom and I had so much fun growing up at Pinestead Resort. My mom loved organizing the Potluck Fish Frys. Every Cabin that participated brought a dish to share. The game room was a converted Garage. We stored the cabin linens in the back room behind the jukebox. Also in the game room was a pool table, 2 pinball machines, a skeet ball game and a couch. In the side porch in our house was a freezer for the guests to store the fish they were taking home. On the other side was our office. In the office we checked in the guests and had a little store. In the store was Candy, canned goods, first aid items, soda, beer, postcards, gifts, Pinestead t-shirts, hats and other simple staples. We also had Tombstone Pizza which everyone loved! Lakeside next to the office was a large screened in porch where we had a ping pong table and chairs for socializing. Then the boat launch, docks and bait house. Each cabin came with a dock and a boat, and of course a thread bare sofa! :) If a guest wanted a motor they were available to rent. Pinstead's beach was awesome, everyone loved to hang out there. Walking down to the Channel from the beach we had a volleyball, badminton net for our guests. The channel was so beautiful and good fishing too! Pinestead had 13 Cabins on a chain of 7 lakes. May and Long Lake and then passed the old girls camp at the end of Long Lake there was a channel that led to 3rd, fourth, five and sixth lake. Fifth lake had an upper and a lower lake equaling 7 total. On Long Lake was (and still is) a beautiful sand bar, super fun! The family that bought Pinestead after us sold it in the 90's and turned all the cabins into condos. Many of them are still there, some were torn down. There was a big house built on the beach property. It's been a while since I've been up there but am planning a trip soon. Walker was an amazing place to grow up, I have the best childhood memories. I'm super curious of the girl who gave you your first kiss! I don't remember all the kids' names but was always so excited when they came, many friends were made.
DeleteThank you so much for posting to my fog. I loved your post. Those are the things that I’m really looking for. We all had a lot of similar memories up here as adults And children just in different places.
ReplyDeleteMy memories as a child were on the east side of the lake over by Brevik. Many many good memories As an adult, we put different places when my grandpa sold his cabin over by Brevik. Now, we are over by Walker In a cabin We lease on the south side of Walker Bay. It is my most special place in the whole world.
Thank you so much again for Sharing your memories. Every time I read somebody’s post, it brings back a lot of memories for me
My grandfather actually live up near Benedict for a long time. If I remember correctly, he spent some time as a fishing guide on Leech Lake in the 60s. He lived up there with my step grandmother til he passed away.
ReplyDeleteAfter Pinestead was sold, my dad moved his vacations to Leech Lake. He stayed at multiple different resorts near Walker on the lake throughout the 90s. I can’t remember the names of any of the places he and my mom stayed at on Leech Lake, but I will touch base with my mother to see if she remembers any of them.
I will look forward to that.
ReplyDeleteThe resort they gravitated toward was Bayside. I’m disappointed I didn’t remember this, since I had been there a time or two.
ReplyDeleteInteresting story, at least to me, my father was suffering from the Stage IV lung cancer that eventually took his life during early 2004. I wanted to take him on one last fishing trip before he passed, and had researched a couple of fly-in trips up in Canada. When I talked to him about it, he declined, saying he would rather take a last trip to Leech Lake. So, I contacted Bayside, set us up for early June, and let him know. Unfortunately, we didn’t make it there before he passed away, but on the day he succumbed to the cancer, he had been getting his fishing gear ready for the trip. He was putting new line on his “trolling” setup when he really started to go downhill. I helped my mom get him to the hospital, and he passed away in a room there that had wallpaper trim on the walls with a fishing motif. He was thinking about Leech Lake on the day he passed.
Hey Mike! I got a post from Susan Blechschmidt, Bill and Tina’s daughter. I’m not sure if it allows you to respond directly to others posts. She was wondering who you were!
DeleteThat was an interesting story. I remember taking my dad on his last trip to Leech Lake. He couldn’t get around too well so we had to rent a pontoon boat so he could walk straight on. He couldn’t get in the boat. He didn’t get a walleye but did catch a nice northern. He loved the lake. He had been going up since the 30’s. This would have been in the mid 2000’s.
ReplyDeleteBittersweet for sure. I’m sure you know what I mean. Bayside is still open. Fewer and fewer resorts around. I drove by Bayside yesterday. https://www.baysideleechlake.com/
Hello! My parent Bill and Tina Blechschmidt Owned Pinestead Resort in the 70"s. It's so fun to find this blog and am wondering who KC Mike is. My brothers Bill, Tom and I had the best childhood growing up on Pinestead Resort! :)
ReplyDeleteThanks for your post Susan. That must’ve been great growing up on the lake! How long did your parents own Pinestead Resort? I would love to hear any stories of your time at the lake or the things that went on at the lake.
ReplyDeleteDo you still go to the lake? 4 generations of my family have gone to leech. A lot of great memories.
So sorry, I responded under Mike's post instead of here. I believe our family owned Pinestead from approx. 1969 to 1975 My mom loved organizing the Potluck Fish Frys. Every Cabin that participated brought a dish to share. The game room was a converted Garage. We stored the cabin linens in the back room behind the jukebox. Also in the game room was a pool table, 2 pinball machines, a skeet ball game and a couch. In the side porch in our house was a freezer for the guests to store the fish they were taking home. On the other side was our office. In the office we checked in the guests and had a little store. In the store was Candy, canned goods, first aid items, soda, beer, postcards, gifts, Pinestead t-shirts, hats and other simple staples. We also had Tombstone Pizza which everyone loved! Lakeside next to the office was a large screened in porch where we had a ping pong table and chairs for socializing. Then the boat launch, docks and bait house. Each cabin came with a dock and a boat, and of course a thread bare sofa! :) If a guest wanted a motor they were available to rent. Pinstead's beach was awesome, everyone loved to hang out there. Walking down to the Channel from the beach we had a volleyball, badminton net for our guests. The channel was so beautiful and good fishing too! Pinestead had 13 Cabins on a chain of 7 lakes. May and Long Lake and then passed the old girls camp at the end of Long Lake there was a channel that led to 3rd, fourth, five and sixth lake. Fifth lake had an upper and a lower lake equaling 7 total. On Long Lake was (and still is) a beautiful sand bar, super fun! The family that bought Pinestead after us sold it in the 90's and turned all the cabins into condos. Many of them are still there, some were torn down. There was a big house built on the beach property. It's been a while since I've been up there but am planning a trip soon. Walker was an amazing place to grow up, I have the best childhood memories.
ReplyDelete