Kettle Falls Hotel facts for kids
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Kettle Falls Hotel
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U.S. Historic district
Contributing property |
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The Kettle Falls Hotel viewed from the south
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 Location in Minnesota
Location in the United States
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| Location | Kettle Channel in Voyageurs National Park |
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| Area | 8 acres (3.2 ha) |
| Built | 1913 |
| Architect | Ed Rose |
| Part of | Kettle Falls Historic District (ID78000376) |
| NRHP reference No. | 76000210 |
Quick facts for kids Significant dates |
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| Added to NRHP | January 11, 1976 |
| Designated CP | July 17, 1978 |
The Kettle Falls Hotel is a special historic hotel located in Voyageurs National Park in Minnesota. It first opened its doors in 1913. This was deep in the wild Boundary Waters area. It sits right where Namakan Lake and Rainy Lake meet.
Today, the Kettle Falls Hotel is the only place to stay inside the park. You can only reach it by boat. In 1976, the hotel was added to the National Register of Historic Places. This means it is important for its history in business, fun, industry, and travel. It was recognized for offering a place to stay and eat for many people. These included fishermen, lumberjacks, traders, and tourists. It was a key stop in a remote area without roads. Two years later, it became part of the Kettle Falls Historic District.
Hotel History
The land where the hotel stands was first claimed in 1910 by Ida May Winslow. Later, a surgeon named Frederick A. Dunsmoor owned the property. In 1913, he sold the land to William E. "Big Ed" Rose. Rose was a timberman, someone who worked with wood. He is believed to have built the first part of the hotel that year.
In 1918, Rose sold his part of Kettle Falls to Robert Sloan Williams. Williams already ran a hotel and nightclub in Ranier, Minnesota. The Kettle Falls Hotel was an extra business for him. The hotel got electricity by 1935. An extra building, called the "big house," was built behind the hotel in 1946.
Robert Williams passed away in 1956. His wife, Lil, and her step-son Charlie, with his wife Blanche, kept running the hotel. Lil Williams died in 1961. In 1976, the National Park Service bought the hotel from the Williams family. The family continued to operate it. The hotel was updated and fixed up a lot in 1986 and 1987.
