In 1956, my aunt and her father bought a cabin in the Brainerd Lakes area. We have changed virtually nothing in the 60 years since.
It is a small, simple one-room space. It is not winterized, although we sometimes stretch the season with electric heaters. The only door is to the bathroom. There is an open porch, kitchen, dining area, book nook and one bedroom. Most of the interior has knotty pine walls. There are two outbuildings: the original two-holer outhouse for storage and a boathouse down by the lake. The cabin sleeps 11 people in beds (with the futon and bunk beds), although I recall 20-plus people in the cabin. Sometimes there are folks in tents outside. The focal point is a massive, cut-and-polished stone fireplace for storytelling and general reflection in the evenings. Aspen, birch and pine trees complement the setting.
Extended family and their friends used the place nearly every weekend between May and October. One year, I counted more than 50 different visitors in the guest log. It is also a weeklong summer vacation spot for many. We use an online "cabin calendar" for reservations, although all are welcome. Costs and maintenance are voluntarily shared by the family, roughly according to usage.
There is a 14-foot fishing boat and pontoon (20 feet) at the dock. Three old Johnson motors, one 6-horsepower and two 20, provide power. I recall a 1940s Martin 4-horsepower that was somehow dropped into the lake, and never ran again.
We swim, fish, tube, grill, play board and card games, do 1,000-piece puzzles, have pancake-eating contests — all the things kids love to do. The communal food is a big part of the fun. Other than maintenance — roofing, system upgrades, painting — nothing has been done. It is perfect the way it is, and owns itself.
A trust has been established with a chronological order of decisionmakers. It has now been a family treasure for five generations. Hopefully with more to come.
Lyle W. Kratzke, St. Paul
