The Glory Days of Lake Ripley's Grand Lodges
by Tristan McGough
Special to the Lakes Edition
Resorts of the past once plentiful along Lake Ripley's shoreline have a long history stretching back to the late nineteenth century. The most vibrant era of the grand lodges occurred between the 1920s and the 1970s. During that period, visitors from cities -such as Madison, Milwaukee, Chicago, and Rockford- found their way in the Summer months to this idyllic bastion of nature abounding along the wooded shorelines of Lake Ripley, conveniently accessible to these regional travelers looking for a nearby vacation getaway. The grand lodges of Lake Ripley catered to the recreational comfort of guests who sought high relief from rat-race pursuit of the "American dream."
(Photo courtesy of Lake Ripley Lodge)
Shore Place Resort offered a gorgeous lakeside view with home-cooked meals and fine dining. It had an on ice cream shop featuring fountain drinks and burgers, a boating facility for rentals, as well as a companion marina. South Shore Place was also renowned for evening dancing and had a lot of talented musicians entertain guests.
Cedar Lodge was an attractive contingent of small cottages some overhanging Lake Ripley where they remained until the construction of Lake Ripley Road. Additionally, there was Johnson's Resort, Wolfrom's Cabins, and Ingelside Resort which had a landscaped flower garden, sundial, grass tennis court, and library with grand piano.
Davidson Resort on the north end of the lake was known for its' charming A-frame cottages. It was also frequented for its' food specialties such as key lime pie and handmade dinner rolls that melted in your mouth even without butter.
On the west shore of the lake was
Lindenhurst. There was additionally
Hi-Lee
cottages. The southeastern shore of Lake Ripley featured a later addition to the resort community, the Swiss themed,
Alpine Village which opened in the early 1950s.
Today, vacation homes and permanent residences occupy most of the lake shore. Gone are the grand lodges that once graced Lake Ripley's shoreline, all except one, the Lake Ripley Lodge remain. Built in the early 1900s, this gem of a resort has gone through a few owners and incarnations, but still remains much as it did when President Coolidge's VP, Charles Dawes spent many summers there with his family. In the 1940s and 50s the resort was known as Maple Villa under the ownership of the Schmidt family, and later as the Women's Reducing Spa in the 1960s.
And for a night over or weekend the Lake Ripley Lodge is a welcomed retreat from Zoom meetings and modern living. It's a place of solitude and relaxation, where you can sit back and enjoy the view of Lake Ripley while doing absolutely nothing.
Lake Ripley
Contrasting many of our region's lakes (dammed rivers or marshes), Lake Ripley is a natural, glacial kettle lake formed more than 12,000 years ago. The DNR has designated the lake as a "Priority Lake" meaning it is considered an outstanding natural resource and needing protection and long term management. More
