It Began with a Wanigan

My great Uncle Clint Lydick (1931-2022) recalled that his parents,  Horace and Susan (Roy), hosted their first paying guests in 1932. That was the start of the Pike Hole Resort.¹Lydick, Clinton R. Untitled autobiography, 2019. Typed copy given to Karrie Blees.

The Beginning

Three men from Illinois ventured to the north woods of Minnesota in search of outdoor sporting opportunities. These men worked for the Public Service Company of Northern Illinois where they knew a man who was a nephew of a man that had cabins on the east side of Big Lake (4 miles west of the Lydick Homestead).

This contact told them to drive to Beltrami County, Minnesota for good fishing. So they did.

Apparently, the cabins on Big Lake were not fit for habitation. The weather had been wet. Rain fell through cracks in the roofs. Water soaked the beds.

So, the fishermen headed east in search of a more suitable place to stay.

As they crossed the Turtle River, they spied a cabin on the river bank, just north of the bridge. This was Lydick’s wanigan.

Wanigan

The Algonquin Abenaki word waniigan denotes a box for supplies.

Horace used his wanigan as the river lumbermen did; it was a bouyant bunkhouse. According to Uncle Clint, this wanigan was first used as a floating and then a stationary cabin until the 1960s.

Horace Lydick standing in boat, wanigan behind²Photographer unknown. The Three Musketeers. October 31, 1934. Irene Lydick Church (1915-2009) Red Album. Digital Copy made by Karrie Blees, July 28, 2022.

Exiting their vehicle, the men greeted Susan and Horace, explained their vacation predicament, and asked if the cabin (wanigan) was available to be rented.

Not only would the Lydicks rent the wanigan, but if the men agreed to pay a little extra, Susan would feed them.

Pike Hole Resort

These 3 guests marked the beginning of the Pike Hole Resort.

Clint Lydick, Pile Hole Resort, 1934³Photo belonged to the late Irene Lydick Church (1915-2009). Digital Copy made by Karrie Blees, July 28, 2022.

What’s Next?

Do you have photos of the Pike Hole?
What stories do you remember about the wanigan?

SOURCES

• 1
  Lydick, Clinton R. Untitled autobiography, 2019. Typed copy given to Karrie Blees.
• 2
  Photographer unknown. The Three Musketeers. October 31, 1934. Irene Lydick Church (1915-2009) Red Album. Digital Copy made by Karrie Blees, July 28, 2022.
• 3
  Photo belonged to the late Irene Lydick Church (1915-2009). Digital Copy made by Karrie Blees, July 28, 2022.