Rocky Reef Resort is one of the 1st resorts, of 6 resorts established on the lake, back in the 1920's and early 1930's when the area was well know for the white pine lumber industry, as well as the wild rice and maple syrup industries, that each came after the lumber was all harvested. In the early 1930's the resort was known for its chicken and steak dinners and its 15 modern cabins. Now back then, modern meant that your cabin had a basic structure with a roof over your head. The cabins had gas lights and gas space heater furnaces, a couple of beds, no indoor plumbing, and a community outhouse and one shower house.
It came with a 16-ft wooden row boats that you could use, but if you wanted to pay .50¢ to a guy, which was considered at that time to be a guide, because he had a boat and motor. He would hook multiple boats together with ropes and tow you out into the lake. When you got to where you thought you might like to fish, you would just untie the rope from the cleat on your boat and you could fish the day. The guide would come back out at a certain time and pick you up. Just look at what we have now. Back then, Lake Mille Lacs was not known for its walleyes. No, it was know for its big Northern Pike. You have to remember that, back then they were not going out very far from shore. The lake was known for getting and I quote; very rough, very quickly. Once the early spring spawn was done, the walleyes would move out into the main lake and not many people could get to them. So they fished the huge Northern instead. It was not until the late 50s and early 60s before people could access the deeper parts of the lake that the walleye fishery really took off.
In 1939, the main lodge burned down and the Resort was moved from where hwy 169 sits now, down to the waters edge. We are now in the early 60s and the resort is going through another change with the times. The owner at that time bought a launch and started to do the launch fishing, along with a boat dealership, that sold Lund boats and Johnson and Seahorse outboard motors. That went on until 1977 when a new owner decided that there was no money in boat sales and turned the resort into a fish house park. There were over 100 fish house spread across 5 acres of resort property. Let’s just say that plan did not work out too well and the resort fell into a state of disrepair and the business struggled until its sale to me in 1990. Now I was just a young man of 26 when we bought the resort. I was just finishing up my outboard motor mechanics schooling at the Anoka technical institute. Just before I was to complete my 15- months of schooling, my instructor came to me and said, Digger that is what they called me because I would work on anything that no one else wanted to. You really need to work for yourself; there is a resort on Mille lacs for sale.
I had been staying at a resort for 5-years, just up the road from Rocky Reef so I knew where it was and how bad of shape it was in. To make a long story short, we bought the resort and we moved up here 3-weeks later. Patty drove back and forth to the twin cities every day for almost 3-yrs. She already had 23-yrs in with the meat cutters union and she was going to try to put in 7 more years to draw her full pension. Well that was not going to happen, with her working all week and then coming home and working all weekend, it was taking its toll. So she quit her job of 23 years at Holiday, which is now Gander Mountain, and made the resort our full time job. We spent the next 7 years rebuilding and cleaning up decades of junk and trash. With the Treaty issues of the 90s and the various slot changes, the areas economic state was in a deep depression. In 1995 and 1998 we put in over 30 rv sites and had gotten rid of over 75 fish houses and had remodeled all of the cabins and the resort was starting to emerge from its many years of disrepair and economic down turn. We started to see that there were many resorts on the west side that where not able to diversify enough and soon found them selves being bought out by the tribe.
Once again in 2002 the Resort went through another change; we added the restaurant to the Resort. That went very well, so 3 years later in 2005 we added the bar to the restaurant. There were no places left, from here to Garrison and south to Chico’s to stop and have something to eat and a drink, especially on the lake. So it has been a good call. Everyone seems to really enjoy the service, food and drink along with the view of the lake. I hate to say it but, we are a dying breed, the mom and pop resorts in the state and for that matter, in the country.
We are now in the process of converting the Resort to a PUD “Planned Unit Development” where you can own a piece of the Rock.
This is a “First Time Offering” of these Clean, Spacious, Cabins and RV Lots for sale. This conversion will allow you and yours, a place to own a very nice spot in the best area of the lake. It has very low fishing pressure and some of the best fisherman on the lake, on site. These waters hold all of my money spots for the tournaments that I fish through out the season on the lake. So there you have it, just some history of the resort and what it has been through and where it is headed. We are very excited to offer these lots and cabins to you and yours to own your piece of Rocky Reef on Lake Mille Lacs. God's not making anymore lakeshore that’s a fact. Get in now while you have a great opportunity to own a lake lot for under $150,000 dollars.
Prices are not going down and will only go up! Real estate in the area has increased 2 and 3 times the value in just 3 years already. These cabins and lots are ready to use, with low property taxes per lot and no yard maintenance you can come up and enjoy the lake the way it was meant to be. We sit on 6.5 acres and 700 ft of shorefront.
Call John Odle at (320) 532-3431 to learn more.
Call us at (320) 532-3431 to make a reservation or use our webform: