My Dear Friend,

I was recently invited to Seven Pines Lodge.

Grandeur and serenity are words that begin to describe the wooded 60-acre property. The founder and original owner was Charles E. Lewis, a wealthy Minneapolis businessman who chose the name, Seven Pines, in honor of the seven tallest white pines, some of which are over 300 years old.

When you enter the lodge, you are taking a step back in time. A Legendary fly fishing inn, it was constructed in 1903 and is now a national historic landmark. The lodge's history includes an overnight visit from President Calvin Coolidge in 1928 and a mounted buffalo head, donated by Teddy Roosevelt. In the central room , a grand fireplace, Native American handiwork, handsome mission-style furniture, and game trophies suggest times gone by.

This inn was built log by log by a Norwegian craftsman and two assistants who—except for the nails in the floor—used square wooden pegs throughout the structure. During the cold winter they traveled to the site on snowshoes and wooden skis, and those artifacts hang above the fireplace today.

But the unchallenged jewel of the property is the stream. Healthy, brisk, and spring-fed, it courses through the land and provides perfect conditions for thriving trout—rainbow, brown, and brook trout attract world-class fly fishermen. It has lured notable anglers such as James Wilkie, who filmed "The Way of a Trout" at this location. A photo of the stream and lodge was selected for the 1993 Trout Unlimited calendar, a rare honor for a private resort.

Wrapping around the lodge above the stream is the dining room. You seem to be in a tree house, sipping fine wine and eating fresh trout from the gourmet kitchen. The lodge boasts fifteen inviting guest rooms (some with whirlpool baths) and a conference center suited for the perfect corporate retreat.

Through wars, depression, and the vicissitudes of life, this venerable lodge has remained true to its original state. Seven Pines is unique: it is a celebration of  nature, a keeper of history, and a participant in the world of  today. It is a rare find, one to be treasured.

Very cordially yours, 

JAMES D. PRIEST

Adapted with permission from James Priest, novelist and travel columnist.