William Hartwell first saw the lake in September 1917. He had just returned from France, carrying more weariness than wounds. Chicago's catering business had thrived in his absence, but the city felt different now - smaller, more constraining. He needed a refuge with some distance.
He came north with three business partners. They took the train to Duluth, then another train west through cutover land to Remer. The stumps stood in rows between the tracks. Some still smoked from fires that burned underground in the root systems.