A Truly Special Place

A family cabin on a Minnesota island is all about adventure

- Michael Paulsen

That was the message we inscribed on a large, tablet-shaped stone on our first visit, as brand new landowners, to the site of what would become our family’s intimate and unique cabin retreat.

Building on an island hadn’t been part of the original plan. But there we were – on a beautiful, craggy point in a quiet cove on an island, accessible only by boat, in extreme northern Minnesota. Five hours north of our home in Minneapolis, “Ely Island” (pronounced “Ee-lee”), on beautiful Lake Vermilion, has become our treasured family summer escape. The lake and land are glorious and largely unspoiled – rocky and wooded, with eagles, owls and loons inhabiting coves, landings and perches.

We had been looking for an opportunity to build or buy a cabin for some time. Our various exploratory trips gradually led us farther and farther north – and further and further away from familiar city life. We soon discovered that land on an island was twice as interesting and half as expensive (and about half as mosquito infested!) as land on shore.

So we decided to take the plunge. That summer, back in 2004, we bought a small parcel from the owners “next door” in the adjacent cove. At the time, our kids were truly kids – Luke was 12, and Caroline was 6 years old. (Now 24 and 18, they grew up spending summers on the Island.)

We started gradually: The following spring, we added the barest essentials – a dock in our cove and a 15-foot motorboat to get us to the island from the local marina. We camped for three summers on our land – no facilities, bathing in the lake, cooking over a small camp stove – all the while dreaming, planning and building our island cabin.