I don't know a thing about the Deer Trail Lodge or Red Arrow Lodge. Were they 2 separate resorts or one with two different names? Also would anyone know if they had their own telephone switchboard? I was told by someone today that they have a telephone switchboard that came from a resort at Tomahawk. There are labels on the switchboard for different cabins..Minnow, Bluegill, Crappie, etc. Also for the dining room and the laundry. This person would like some info as to when this may have been used.

_________________
Life is too short for drama & petty things!
So, laugh insanely, love truly and forgive quickly!

Deb,

Red Arrow was on the north side of Lake Alice, and Deer Trail was north not too far from Lake Nokomis, if I'm remembering correctly. They were definitely two different places. If I had to guess, the switchboard may have come from Red Arrow - it was much more fancy than most resorts in the area. Their rates included meals - the American Plan they used to call it. Can anyone else add more info here?

Thanks Mimi! That switchboard is not too far from me near Cadott.

_________________
Life is too short for drama & petty things!
So, laugh insanely, love truly and forgive quickly!

For some reason I keep thinking that Deertrail Lodge burned at one time like back in the 60's or some where in that area. I remember being in there in the 80's and it seemed like a newer building and was more of a bar and resturant. If there had been a switch board it would have probably been burned.

Red Arrow Lodge was just off of Hwy A near where Spring Creek Dr. goes north, about a mile west of the bridge. It was quit large with several cottages. Some of the cottages and I think the main building were burned a few years ago during the Tomahawk Fire School. It had been closed since the late 70's and was just a private residence since. I believe the guy that owned it was named Morris. With the size of the place and the number of buildings that would be the likely place for the switch board.

_________________
God and the Soldier we all adore,
In times of trouble and then no more
when war is over and all things righted
God is forgotten, the old soldier Slighted.

Thanks for the additional info Old Scout. My acquaintance that currently has the switchboard was thinking of donating it to the Eau Claire area historical society. I mentioned that maybe the Tomahawk historical society might be interested in it. Apparently her children think it's an interesting piece and have said they want it. She came by the switchboard from a gentleman in Rhinelander.

_________________
Life is too short for drama & petty things!
So, laugh insanely, love truly and forgive quickly!

I vaguely recall the Deertrail Lodge on Highway 51 just before the turnoff to Heafford Junction. Went to a prom dinner there in ~'62. I think it did burn down sometime around that time...

The Red Arrow Lodge...just the name rings a bell. I always thought the name was neat. No info though.

_________________
Ken Martell
kenmartell@gmail.com
Thankful to be alive and healthy. Proud to call Tomahawk my hometown.

Ken, you are thinking of Jim's Logging camp. It was a very nice high end resturant built of logs. Big horseshoe bar, dance floor and a big dinning room. It was where the Junction resturant is now. It burned in 1963. I was at the same post prom party in 62 put on by the JCs. (that was a good time wasn't it)

Deer Trail lodge was about a mile past Twin Bay on hwy L, (old 51) on the right side. It sat back off the road a little ways.

_________________
God and the Soldier we all adore,
In times of trouble and then no more
when war is over and all things righted
God is forgotten, the old soldier Slighted.

Red Arrow was West of the King Town Hall building on Hwy A. It was owned by a guy name Duane Crowell ( I'm not sure on the spelling for some reason I think his last name started with K). He was a resident of California as were many of Red Arrow's guests including Roy Rogers and Dale Evans and their many adopted children. The place was an American Plan resort where food was served to guests in a main lodge. In addition to the Main buildings there were many residential rental cabins and a large residence. It also had a liquor license in fact after the lodge closed someone opened the bar and attempted to run it as a tavern for a few years until all the buildings were torn down. Crowell had several college age kids from all over the country working there in the summers. They worked as camp counselors, life guards, yard workers and wait staff at the lodge. They also resided on the lodge property during the tourist season. There where many docks and a swimming beach area of several hundred feet on Lake Alice. Red Arrow had a stable with several horses and many bridal paths in the woods to the East up to the area of South Pine Road. The entire property was several hundred acres. To the north of Hwy A and just east of the interstate highway Crowell owned some 500 continuous acres of fenced and posted farm land. Today there stands a lonesome glazed block silo where the farm buildings once stood. Another point of interest on that property is in the woods somewhere to the North of that silo was an old wooden MT & W RR passenger car that was used as hunting cabin or something. It probably has rotted completely or was destroyed during the construction of the interstate. It's been at least 35 years since I saw it and it was falling apart back then.

I think that Morris fellow owned a piece of land East of the Red Arrow property and West of the properties on South Pine Road but I sure could be wrong about that. I know that his driveway was East of the Red Arrow drive and it had a large sign for a residential driveway stating "Morris" in orange letters.

Deer Trail was across from Arnott Trucking on old Hwy 51 (now Hwy L) and bordered on Lake Nikomis. The lodge building was huge as I recall. It burned in the late 1950s or early 1960s. Sometime after the original lodge burned Harvey Arnott acquired the property. A newer Night club building was built on the property and it also eventually burned down. The original "Deer Trail" sign over the entrance road stood for many years.

I think the big nightclub by Heafford Junction that Kmartell referred to was Jim's Logging Camp it was at the old intersection of Hwy 51 and Hwy 8. It also burned about the same time. The only one of those old places still standing along that stretch of road is Phil's (Bootlegger's in present day terms).

You guys are right... I was thinking of Jim's Logging Camp

Too much time living out here in La La Land

_________________
Ken Martell
kenmartell@gmail.com
Thankful to be alive and healthy. Proud to call Tomahawk my hometown.

Time to come back to God's country and leave la la land to the nuts and fruits !

It is going to have the big one, one of these days and fall off into the pacific anyway ! !

_________________
God and the Soldier we all adore,
In times of trouble and then no more
when war is over and all things righted
God is forgotten, the old soldier Slighted.

Old Scout.... Yeah, but every time I check the Message Board I see the Tomahawk temperature....right now it's 45 and cloudy...I don't know if I could handle it. The picture of all the snow in downtown last week scared the C*&p out of me. Showed it to a co-worker of mine and he didn't believe it. I told him he ought to see it when it really snows....can't find the car...heck, can't find the buildings...

But you know I love my home town !!!! My dream is to be on the lake in a patch of lily pads in July, 75 degrees and sunny, calm water, the bass hitting on the Injured Minnow, and some cold ones in a cooler.

Some day.....

p.s. Hey, do kids (or adults) still go out to Crystal Lake to swim like we did back in the '50s ? Just curious...

tooten...great report on the two lodges...sorry for going off subject here...!!!

_________________
Ken Martell
kenmartell@gmail.com
Thankful to be alive and healthy. Proud to call Tomahawk my hometown.

It is still a public beach and probably hasn't changed since the last time you were there. Same cement block changing rooms and long stairs from the parking lot to the beach.

They don't use it for swimming classes anymore since they have the pool at the school and there is also a beach at SARA park (the west end of the old DNR runway). Most of the people in town go to SARA park but a lot of people on the north end and tourists still use Crystal Beach.

_________________
God and the Soldier we all adore,
In times of trouble and then no more
when war is over and all things righted
God is forgotten, the old soldier Slighted.

With all this talk of the old Lodges I am wondering about a place we went to which I think was right off of 8, long driveway and several buildings and a home, but the bar was in an old barn , really fixed up cool with a big dance floor and bar, lots of seating. We saw the "Monroe Doctrine" play there outside. Us hippies back then were just a 'groovin'. This I believe was the early 70's.

Catfish could that have been the old Essex Lodge?
Thanks to everyone about all the information. All indications point to the switchboard coming from the Red Arrow Lodge. I'll will pass the info along to my acquaintance.

_________________
Life is too short for drama & petty things!
So, laugh insanely, love truly and forgive quickly!

Catfish, I think you are refering to the place called the "White Barn" that was on Hwy 8 just east of A. (old 51) In later years it was Redmond's nursery. I seem to recall being in there once but that wasn't my normal hangout and by the 70's I was married and was starting to behave myself. (sort of)

Mentioning Essex lodge, reminds me of the tradition of painting out the Es on the sign. Seemed like at least once a year someone just couldn't resist. (No it wasn't me !!)

_________________
God and the Soldier we all adore,
In times of trouble and then no more
when war is over and all things righted
God is forgotten, the old soldier Slighted.

Thank you "Old Scout" . That was it, The White Barn. Surely wasn'y my hangout either. Didn't do any bar hopping , but went there to see "The Monroe Doctrine". They were great and that was , 'what a nite'. I thought I saw God and the Martians that nite. Oh , those were the days, 41 years ago, and look at me now.

Catfish....saw Martians, eh? Maybe a few too many dips into the Electric Kool Aid bowl

_________________
Ken Martell
kenmartell@gmail.com
Thankful to be alive and healthy. Proud to call Tomahawk my hometown.

I'm afraid so!

My foggy memories of Red Arrow and Deer Trail Lodges.
The turn off to Red Arrow was almost directly across from Forrest City School (now a Town of King facility?). The owners of Red Arrow were Duane and Ruth Krull (sp?) and they had a daughter named Dee Anna (sp?) who graduated from the old Tomahawk High School (since burned down) in the late 50’s or early 60’s. Her father supposedly drove her to school in a new Cadillac which was rumored to prompt many discussions at school. Duane hired a Native American named Domingo and a genuine cowboy named Curly, both from California. Domingo was pretty heavy set, Curly looked like a traditional slender cowboy and they both worked the horses that Duane had. I also believe Duane had one of the first 4WD pickups I ever saw, an International, red in color. My Mother worked for Duane as a cook in the mid 50’s and Duane let me ride one of the many bicycles that Red Arrow had. Then one day Duane caught me doing a slide with the brake locked – at that time it was the worst butt chewing I ever had. Later on Duane hired another Californian named Gil, who also worked the horses. He and Duane later went their separate ways. Gil started his own horse outfit at the corner of County Trunk A and Pine Shore Lane. One of the winter caretakers at Red Arrow was a family named Roland and Mable Bouchard (sp?) and a daughter named Louise. Roland was a dedicated fisherman and hunter – one of his rifles was an M1 carbine. I believe he was a WWII Army veteran with Purple Heart who served in Europe.

I have vague recollection of going to a church sponsored toboggan run at Deer Trail – does anyone recall a toboggan run? I also recall a fire at Deer Trail but don’t remember when.

Old postcards of Deer Trail Lodge, as well as other sites, can usually be found on eBay.

http://shop.ebay.com/i.html?_nkw=heaffo ... m270.l1313

There is even one currently of the old toboggan run someone mentioned.

I've purchased several picture postcards of The Windmill over the years, posted on their website.

The history of these old resorts is fascinating. As a realtor in Tomahawk in the early 1990s, I had the opportunity to go through the lodge at the Red Arrow. It was surreal as I recall all the tables were set: tablecloths, dinnerware, silverware, etc, although it hadn't been used in years.

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My parents bought a house around the bend to the west of Red Arrow in the 70's. I have many memories of Red Arrow. My parents actually bought the pontoon that Duane cruised around the lake with people staying at the resort. The bar was opened up after the resort closed for good. It was sooo wierd looking around. Upstairs from the bar the tables were still set up, with salt and pepper and the red and white checked table clothes. It was as if they were going to serve meals again. It was like this for years. I have tons of postcards from Red Arrow. I have lodging pamphlets, napkins etc.
Talked to my dad and some Tomahawk natives, they do think the cabins were named after fish. There actually is still one cabin standing. More to the East side of the property.
If you have anymore questions, let me know. I will try to get them answered. BTW...we are looking through our many pic's trying to locate a switchboard.

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Life is not measured by the amount of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away.

We spent many wonderful vacations at Red Arrow Lodge in the 1950's. I remember Duane taking everyone for rides in his really fast speed boat, the square dancing in the parking lot and becoming members of "The Order of the Arrow" and receiving spears with feathers and Indian headdresses. At the beginning of each week a table changing card game would be held in the recreation room next to the bar to meet the other families that you would be vacationing with. I also remember the red and white table cloths and the menus posted on the blackboard for each meal....the food was great. You sat at the same table for every meal marked by a paper teepee with feathers and your families name on it.

Every week they would have a shuffle board tournament which my grandparents loved! I enjoyed playing with Deanna in the little log playhouse next to the main building, swimming, riding the horses and fishing with my grandfather in a rowboat Once during the week a small sea plane would come to give rides to the vacationers. That was my first time in a plane and I loved it! The worst part of the whole week were all the mosquitoes buzzing around your head in the cabins. We returned to Red Arrow in the late 1960's with our two sons and enjoyed one last vacation there.

Seems like several people have fond memories of Mr. Duane L. Krull and the Red Arrow Lodge -
a nice resort that I'm sure many, many customers enjoyed over the years.

Regarding the 600-700 acre Moodig farm he procured by other than a straightforward RE
transaction - rumor was that he wanted to transform the farm and 3 lake area in the back
woods into a "gentlemen's" ranch or farm - or was it simply because he had advance
knowledge that the new portion of Highway 51 would cut through the farm and make it
worth far more than he paid (do your research and you will find out what I mean)!
BTW, that silo and RR car near the shores of Smith Lake, were established by the Moodig
Bros., not Mr Krull.

My husband and I spent our honeymoon at Red Arrow Lodge July of 1970. I sure would love to see some of the memorbilia such as post cards or brochures, pictures, etc. Anyone looking to sell any of theirs?

I remember the group meals and tables with tepees and feathers, still have ours. Also remember the maid walking in when we hadn't gone to breakfast...:-0 and the daddy long legs falling off the door sil and in the tub! There was a big raft in the water and we went on a water tobaggon ride and fished, watched movies and saw the biggest moth I have ever seen, probably 6 inch wing span or more. Very fond memories of the place.