Demolition underway of historic ski resort to clear way for new regional park

Thom Peterson and one of his brothers visited the alpine wonderland of their childhood as a demolition crew began tearing it down this week.

“We met a lot of wonderful people there, went through a lot of ups and downs, but there are still people to this day talking about their experience out there,” he said.

Val Chatel, once a charming ski resort at the headwaters of the Mississippi River near Park Rapids, Minn., closed in 1984. The Peterson family opened it in the mid-1950s during peak ski culture. It was home to the state’s second ski lift, which hovered over the frozen lake. With short downhill runs, it was popular for school field trips. And a destination for wedding receptions and dinner with reviews of its first-class supper club “that draws customers from a wide radius. If those customers are skiers, they’re doubly satisfied,” a 1968 profile in Skiing Magazine read.

But following some snowless winters and divorce, new owners never got the historic ski lift running again. After a short-lived outdoor Viking re-enactment amphitheater overlooking the lake (yes, real ships crossed the lake for performances), the property sat vacant for decades, becoming the frequent target of vandalism and squatters who rummaged the property for copper.

To breathe life back into the place, amphitheater demolition is underway. Next, the gingerbread-trim lodge where yodeling could be heard and guests dined at the dinner theater and could book a lakeview room, will be razed to make way for a new regional park.

“They can take away the buildings and they can demolish this and that,” Peterson said. “But our memories can’t be taken away.”

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With help from the anonymous Minnesota donor, the Trust for Public Land bought the 352-acre property from a group of investors for $1.8 million in 2022 and then donated it to Hubbard County to maintain.

To the south, the trust acquired 2,600 acres with trails and lakes in 2023. That land is now part of the Paul Bunyan State Forest, said Bob McGillivray, the trust’s land protection director in St. Paul.

“That will provide a bunch of trails and adjacent areas for people that are camping at Deep Lake Park to visit and enjoy,” he said.

McGillivray said the delay in opening the park was for an archaeological study required by the Greater Minnesota Regional Parks and Trails Commission. Cory Kimball, the county’s land commissioner, said no artifacts were found on the property.

Demolition work started after the County Board accepted the lowest bid last week from DRC Inc. in Litchfield, Minn., which specializes in school and asbestos removal. DRC owner Dave Rettman said it’s not often that his crew is tearing down ski resorts.

The bid for DRC says work must be completed by Nov. 1.

Kimball said he expects the land to be open by the end of the year for trail use after demolition, which can’t happen on the lodge until all the asbestos is removed.

A 60-foot fishing pier will be installed next spring. The lake has been private and untouched all these years. Soon it will be open to the public.

Kimball said the county will keep the pristine waters a nonmotorized lake. There is another private lake on the property as well.

Pieces of history will be preserved. A giant chandelier (wood, not glass or gold) hanging in the lobby will find a new home at the park and giant beams will be repurposed, Kimball said.

Developing the property into a regional park is a 12-year phased plan, Kimball said. There will be a campground for tents and RVs, plus four cabins will be built and available for rent, Kimball said.

Thom Peterson said Val Chatel was a product of his parents Rodney and Helen Peterson’s foresight and vision. His dad was the artist; his mom was the chef and business mind.

Val Chatel is where people worked, celebrated anniversaries and learned to ski (two of the six Peterson kids broke legs learning to ski) for a $1 ski pass.

“It was a pioneering adventure in northern Minnesota that was enjoyed by heck of a lot of people,” Thom Peterson said. “It was a good thing for the area for the 30-plus years that it was there.”

He’s pleased with the foresight and vision for the future of the property to welcome visitors again and make new memories.