Guests have often asked us how we came to own Duck Bay Lodge.  So here is the story...

We met in 1984 and got married in 1986.  At the time, Dave was traveling for work two weeks out of every four and it started us thinking about owning our own business. So we developed three criteria - it had to be something fun, something we could do together and something seasonal so we would have time to travel.

We started looking at all kinds of available businesses - a couple of restaurants in a beach community, a gas station and even a supper club.  One Sunday we were out driving around and stopped at a little resort to buy a soft drink.  We walked around the resort and thought how fun it would be to do something like this;  suddenly the idea was born.  And only one visit to beautiful Lake of the Woods convinced us this was where we wanted to be. 

A local realtor spent two summers showing us everything that was available, and he kept trying to convince us to go and see Duck Bay Lodge.  Because it had been closed for over 5 years and had no clientele, we kept telling the realtor we weren't interested in seeing it.  Finally he had nothing else to show us. 

The realtor landed his plane and tied up to the rickety docks and we sincerely hoped the plane would still be there after we viewed the property.  Beavers had built a huge dam on the dock running parallel to the shoreline.  There was a large boat house, but it was falling down.  The first cabin was less than impressive as the roof leaked and the mattresses were moldy.  But we walked into that fabulous lodge and kitchen, and were sold.  We spent the summer of 1989 working on it every weekend while we stayed at our full-time jobs, and opened in the spring of 1990.

The rickety main dock (mentioned above) floated away the next summer in a storm, we tore down the boathouse and blew up the beaver dam.  The moldy mattresses were burnt, and the leaky cabin torn down; in its place we built the recreation hall.  As those of you who have been with us for many years know, the projects have not ended.  As soon as something gets finished, we start on the next one on our list. 

Here is our little secret - this is the best job in the entire world!  The guests are wonderful and we are grateful for the many friendships we have made over the years.  The scenery is spectacular;  this is truly God's country.  Thanks to all of our wonderful guests who make our dream possible year after year.  We hope to continue being of service to you for years to come.