A History of Hanson's King Island Lodge
Way back in 1926, things were a lot different from what they are today, and many things have changed over the course of an entire century.
Consider that in 1926:
- The first transatlantic phone call, from London to New York, was completed.
- Route 66 was established in the United States.
- Actress Marilyn Monroe was born June 1st in Los Angeles, California.
- The World’s oldest scheduled airline, still operating today, was founded (Lufthansa).
- The United States celebrated its Sesquicentennial (150 years).
1926 was also the year that King Island Lodge, located on a 7-acre island on Sabaskong Bay, Lake of the Woods, was founded. Kendall Hanson, grandfather of current owner Donna Hanson, originally built the main lodge and five log cabins. At the time, Highway 71, which connects present-day Kenora to the north still wasn't completed. There was, however, access to Americans in the US Midwest.
Many took The Fishermen's Special, which ran from Chicago to destinations in Wisconsin, such as Minocqua and Eagle River. One eventually made it up to Baudette, MN, supplying the new lodge with its first US guests. These fishermen would then be picked up by boat in Baudette and ferried to the lodge on Sabaskong Bay. Many anglers from the Chicago area took advantage of it, venturing from the big city north into the Canadian wilderness!
Fishing in the 1920s was quite a bit different from what it is today. In a conversation with Donna Hanson, King Island Lodge's current owner, she mentioned the adventures of anglers fishing for muskie out of canoes with a fly rod! One can only imagine what it would have been like landing a 50-incher in a canoe! For the first 80 years of its existence, anglers visited the lodge on a regular basis in the summer months, only interrupted by the Great Depression in the 1930s and World War II in the 1940s.
Even with those events, the anglers never completely stopped coming; they just slowed down. They enjoyed not only the great fishing but the escape from the city and, of course, the delicious meals prepared at the lodge under the "American Plan" package. This vacation tradition has been going on for 100 years!
The King Island Lodge Timeline
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1926: King Island Lodge was established on Sabaskong Bay by Kendall Hanson.
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1926: A Sunset Country history article says Kendall Hanson and his elder brother Marion opened the tourist camp.
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Early access: In the early years, guests came by train from Chicago to Baudette, Minnesota, on the “Fishermen’s Express.”
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Early fishing: Fishing was originally done from canoes with fly rods, targeting muskies and bass.
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1926–1930: Five cottages and the lodge were built as log structures between 1926 and 1930.
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1930s: The Hanson family entered the outpost business.
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1936: The completion of Highway 71 between Fort Frances and Kenora changed access to the area.
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1936: Kendall Hanson built Hanson’s Hideaway Lodge on Crow, also known as Kakagi, Lake.
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1936: The Nestor Falls bridge connected the road that had ended at Green’s with the road north and west toward Kenora and Manitoba.
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Depression and war years: Visitor numbers declined during the Depression and war years, but fishermen never completely stopped coming.
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World War II: Kendall Hanson served during the war, while Ellen Hanson kept the lodge operating with help from employees and family.
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World War II era: Ellen Hanson also taught in the one-room schoolhouse in Nestor Falls.
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Postwar period: Two additional cabins were added after World War II to the original five log cabins and lodge.
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1950s–1960s: Walleye became one of the sought-after species during the 1950s and 1960s.
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1956: Chuck Hanson married Merla and took over management of King Island Lodge.
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1956–1991: Chuck and Merla operated King Island until 1991.
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1991: Donna Hanson, Chuck and Merla's daughter, took over after Merla’s passing in 1991.
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1960s, 1970s, and 1980s: Three more cabins were added, one in the 1960s, one in the 1970s, and one in 1980 and the original cabins were converted to Housekeeping units and modernized.
Watch the video below for a more detailed history of this century-old fishing lodge on Lake of the Woods.
