Alderwood Resort

Alderwood Resort
By Madison McMillan

What is now known as the Alderwood Resort has a long history as a vacation destination. Before private ownership, early local residents say that a small Ojibwe camp was located on the land where they would gather and sell blueberries.

In 1938, Edmund and Helen Kmnett, originally from the Chicago area, bought and opened the “Chain O’ Lakes Lodge” on what is now the Alderwood property. The resort consisted of a main lodge with four bedrooms and three, two-bedroom cabins. After selling the Chain O’ Lakes Lodge to Edward and Cora Scotten in 1944, the Kmnetts opened the Lakeland Sporting Goods store and continued to be involved in the Manitowish Waters community.

The Scottens had been investing in real estate within the Manitowish Waters area for many years, and the Chain O’ Lakes Lodge purchase was just one of the many that they made. The Scottens re-opened the property and re-named it Alderwood Lodge. They were in operation for four years until 1948 when it was sold to Floyd and Baye Christensen and George and Lucille Speas all from Necedah, Wisconsin. They used the property as a family vacation compound, no longer operating it as a resort. The Speas sold their interest to the Christensens about a year later, because they weren’t able to spend enough time in the Northwoods to justify continued ownership.

Floyd had three children from his first marriage to Irene Williams: Robert, Patricia (Holst
Lauer) and James. Floyd was president of F.M. Reed Lumber Yards based out of Necedah with satellite locations around the central Wisconsin area. James later became the manager of the business, allowing Floyd and Baye time to spend three seasons at Alderwood.

Since Floyd was a lumberman, the buildings had to be kept in near-perfect condition, and he expected the family to work on the buildings as part of their vacations every summer. Floyd also had a full lumber shed for repairs. They added two bedrooms to the Bayview cabin, and a kitchen and bedrooms were added to the Beachview cabin. Each of their children had use of one of the three cabins: Bayview, Lakeview and Beachview.

Bayview and Beachview were originally one-room cabins when Baye and Floyd bought Alderwood, each with a closed-in front porch. Each cabin and the lodge had wood or kerosene stoves and ice boxes, and there was a small barn where lake ice was stored in straw for use in the summer months. In the early days, there was no electricity, and what is now the gift shop was a generator house to light the lodge, while the three cabins were lit with kerosene lights. Baye and Floyd had a beautiful fireplace built in the lodge where they spent time reading in the quiet evenings. Alderwood had its own dump in the woods, so at night, you might spot a bear coming out of the woods.

Robert and wife Betty eventually purchased their own summer home further down the shore of Alder Lake. Leaving one cabin (Bayview) unoccupied, Floyd and Baye rented it to select friends for the summer. The famous outhouse had a women’s and men’s separate entry door, but when you got inside, the two holes were side by side with no partition. Floyd liked to surprise guests with this prank.

Each early summer, no one was allowed to cut grass, and the cleared area burst into bloom with Indian Paintbrush and white oxeye daisies. Blueberries thrived in the open field, and just down the road, blackberries could be picked by the quart.

Alderwood had four Rhinelander fishing rowboats for the family. Robert, Jim and Floyd were avid fishermen and deer hunters. Baye loved to fish, and the fishing off the property was excellent. Just down from the swimming area was a bay with what seemed like thousands of pollywogs in various stages of development. When available, the Christensen cousins would be out on Alder Lake having races or just exploring the lake looking for adventure. One of the cousins, Roger Christensen, decided that he wanted a boat and motor for waterskiing. His father Robert said, “Fine but you have to earn the money to buy it.” So, he became the neighborhood paperboy in Wauwatosa. Soon, the boat became a reality, and waterskiing became the focus for the younger generation.

The busy summers got quieter as the years went by. The third generation of Christensens grew up, and after Floyd passed away, Baye continued to spend her three seasons at Alderwood, and the porch became her reading room. After Baye passed away, the property was then subsequently sold to the Bartling’s Manitowish Cranberry Co. in 1988.

In 1988, looking to expand their cranberry farming, the Bartlings bought 45 acres of land that included the Alderwood Lodge. Mike and Barbara Bartling reopened the property as Alderwood Resort in 1989, providing seasonal short-term accommodations..

In 2015, their son David and daughter-in-law Becca took over management of the property for the company. They aim to “merge new ideas with the nostalgic Northwoods resort.” You can rent and stay in the original Lodge cabin or the Beachview, Bayview or Lakeview cabins to get your own Northwoods summer experience. Some guests have been visiting for more than 25 years, making great family up-north experiences. Some have bought property in the area but continue to rent “their week” at Alderwood because it’s their family tradition.