Property Record
3580 ROCKY REEF LN
Architecture and History Inventory
| Historic Name: | Rocky Reef House |
|---|---|
| Other Name: | Rocky Reef Resort (lodge) |
| Contributing: | |
| Reference Number: | 132535 |
| Location (Address): | 3580 ROCKY REEF LN |
|---|---|
| County: | Vilas |
| City: | |
| Township/Village: | Boulder Junction |
| Unincorporated Community: | |
| Town: | 41 |
| Range: | 7 |
| Direction: | E |
| Section: | 19 |
| Quarter Section: | |
| Quarter/Quarter Section: |
| Year Built: | 1916 |
|---|---|
| Additions: | |
| Survey Date: | 2004 |
| Historic Use: | resort/camp building |
| Architectural Style: | Side Gabled |
| Structural System: | |
| Wall Material: | Composition Board |
| Architect: | |
| Other Buildings On Site: | |
| Demolished?: | No |
| Demolished Date: |
| National/State Register Listing Name: | Not listed |
|---|---|
| National Register Listing Date: | |
| State Register Listing Date: |
| Additional Information: | Fieldstone entrance markers define the driveway to the Rocky Reef Resort which consists of a main lodge and ten cabins. All cabins, as well as the main lodge were re-sheathed with masonite siding within the last twenty years. Al Doolittle came to Trout Lake by no later than 1895 and established first what was known as Rocky Reef House by no later than 1902. In 1907, the original hotel was destroyed by fire anda new structure/main lodge was built. John Whitbeck purchased the resort from Doolittle in 1913 and the following year, the lodge burned to the ground yet again. Two years later, yet another fire destroyed the lodge and finally the current lodge was built. In addition to the lodge (which included sleeping rooms), the property included thirteen stuccoed cabins (which were originally sheathed with 8-inch lapped siding) by 1924. The resort originally ran as American Plan, but was gradually changed to housekeeping. Following Whitbeck, the property was under ownership of the Aid Association for Lutherans, the group of which held it until 1944. Paul and Rose Niske ran the resort until 1951, when it was sold to John and Ella Brooks. The property, which is currently for sale, has been owned by Bob and Pauline Patula since 1977. |
|---|---|
| Bibliographic References: | Jones, George O. and Norman S. McVean. History of Lincoln, Oneida and Vilas Counties. Minneapolis: H.C. Cooper Jr. & Co., 1924. |
| Wisconsin Architecture and History Inventory, State Historic Preservation Office, Wisconsin Historical Society, Madison, Wisconsin |