An Informal History of Gunflint Lodge...

Part 3

By 1933 the depression had severely hit the Spunner family and they were forced to give up their home in Illinois and move permanently to Gunflint. This had never been in the plans. Justine put off her continuing education at Northwestern and her dreams of a medical career for a year and then one more year and then forever. Luckily by this time she had fallen in love with the Northwoods.

Also in 1933 Bill Kerfoot, son of the president of Hamline University, arrived on the Gunflint Trail. The depression had cut short his plans of a career in the foreign service. Bill camped on the sand beach at the west end of Gunflint. He was eager for any job at any rate of pay. Justine finally took him on for room and board. According to a friend at the time, she decided he was “good with the guests.” In September, 1934, Bill and Justine were married.

With two of them working together more projects around the resort could be accomplished. In 1935-36 they built themselves a log cabin home after a learning experience on a smaller building. That cabin would be Justine’s home until her death in 2001. Several more cabins were added. They started sending out a newsletter to past guests around 1937-38. Bill would do the writing and Justine was the illustrator. An old mimeograph machine cranked out the copies. A large building housing a gift shop/trading post with three small units was added in the early 1940’s. The outfitting of parties for canoe trips in the wilderness continued and expanded.

During those early years the guests were fishermen and hunters. Spring, early summer and fall were the busy times as these groups of primarily men came up for a stay at the lodge. Another group of guests came from outing clubs like the Prairie Club of Chicago. The outing clubs took over the entire resort while they spent a week or so canoeing, swimming and hiking. Gradually a few men brought their wives up to enjoy the fishing and scenery. The next step came when these couples returned with their families. Even during the worst of the depression and World War II, there were people taking vacations.

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