Kettle Falls Hotel
Encyclopedia
The Kettle Falls Hotel is a hotel that was built beginning in 1910 in what is now Voyageurs National Park
on the Kabetogama Peninsula, at the juncture of Namakan and Rainy
Lakes. The hotel was built to replace temporary lodgings, accommodating dam workers, loggers and tourists, and was finally completed about 1913. The hotel is known for its uneven floors.
The site was first patented as a homestead in 1910 by Ida May Winslow. The property passed to Minneapolis surgeon Frederick A. Dunsmoor, who in turn sold the land to William E. "Big Ed" Rose, a timberman, in 1913. Rose is reputed to have built the north-south wing of the hotel in 1913. Rose sold his Kettle Falls holdings to Robert Sloan Williams in 1918 for $1000 and four barrels of whiskey. Williams operated a hotel and nightclub in Ranier, Minnesota
, with the Kettle Falls Hotel as a sideline. Williams had a number of run-ins with the law, charged with selling illegal whiskey in Ranier and Kettle Falls, and later operated still
s and a smuggling operation. The hotel was electrified by 1935. An annex, called the "big house," was built behind the hotel in 1946. Bob Williams died in 1956; his widow Lil and children Charlie and Blanche continued to run the hotel. Lil Williams died in 1961. The National Park Service
acquired the hotel from the Williams family, who continued to operate it, in 1976. The hotel was extensively renovated in 1986-87.
The Kettle Falls Hotel is part of the Kettle Falls Historic District
, which includes the surrounding neighborhood and the dam at the falls. The hotel was placed on the National Register of Historic Places
on January 11, 1976. The hotel is the only lodging in Voyageurs National Park, and is accessible only by water.
Voyageurs National Park
Voyageurs National Park is a United States National Park in northern Minnesota near the town of International Falls. It was established in 1975. The park's name commemorates the voyageurs, French-Canadian fur traders who were the first European settlers to frequently travel through the area...
on the Kabetogama Peninsula, at the juncture of Namakan and Rainy
Rainy Lake
Rainy Lake is a relatively large freshwater lake that straddles the border between the United States and Canada. The Rainy River issues from the west side of the lake and is harnessed to make hydroelectricity for US and Canadian locations. The U.S...
Lakes. The hotel was built to replace temporary lodgings, accommodating dam workers, loggers and tourists, and was finally completed about 1913. The hotel is known for its uneven floors.
The site was first patented as a homestead in 1910 by Ida May Winslow. The property passed to Minneapolis surgeon Frederick A. Dunsmoor, who in turn sold the land to William E. "Big Ed" Rose, a timberman, in 1913. Rose is reputed to have built the north-south wing of the hotel in 1913. Rose sold his Kettle Falls holdings to Robert Sloan Williams in 1918 for $1000 and four barrels of whiskey. Williams operated a hotel and nightclub in Ranier, Minnesota
Ranier, Minnesota
Ranier is a city in Koochiching County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 145 at the 2010 census.-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , all of it land.-Demographics:...
, with the Kettle Falls Hotel as a sideline. Williams had a number of run-ins with the law, charged with selling illegal whiskey in Ranier and Kettle Falls, and later operated still
Still
A still is a permanent apparatus used to distill miscible or immiscible liquid mixtures by heating to selectively boil and then cooling to condense the vapor...
s and a smuggling operation. The hotel was electrified by 1935. An annex, called the "big house," was built behind the hotel in 1946. Bob Williams died in 1956; his widow Lil and children Charlie and Blanche continued to run the hotel. Lil Williams died in 1961. The National Park Service
National Park Service
The National Park Service is the U.S. federal agency that manages all national parks, many national monuments, and other conservation and historical properties with various title designations...
acquired the hotel from the Williams family, who continued to operate it, in 1976. The hotel was extensively renovated in 1986-87.
The Kettle Falls Hotel is part of the Kettle Falls Historic District
Kettle Falls Historic District
The Kettle Falls Historic District encompasses a portage site on the United States-Canadian border in Voyageurs National Park, Minnesota. Kettle Falls is a drainage channel between Namakan Lake and Rainy Lake on the United States side of the border on the eastern end of the Kabetogama peninsula...
, which includes the surrounding neighborhood and the dam at the falls. The hotel was placed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
on January 11, 1976. The hotel is the only lodging in Voyageurs National Park, and is accessible only by water.
External links
- Kettle Falls at Voyageurs National Park
- A Brief History of the Kettle Falls Area