Lake Vermilion in Northern Minnesota is best known for walleye and muskie, but for me it’s the great taste of sunfish. It may be a lack of patience on my part or the belief that in an hour and half I can provide dinner for two. Add a little fish batter from the local Homestead Mills in the town of Cook and a fine meal is on the cabin table. Finish it off with some wild raspberries drizzled with sumac syrup for desert. Nirvana!!
I’ve been blessed with a profession in architecture, which I truly enjoy greatly. But that enjoyment is doubled when I can conduct a client meeting or site visit by boat. I’ve lost count of the number of clients I’ve served on Lake Vermilion but still remember when Stave and Nancy showed up at my dock looking for an architect! I put down my fishing rod and blocked the pencil and sketchbook out of my vest pocket.
Cabins on Lake Vermilion come in all shapes, sizes, and age. There still exists some original Finnish log cabins over a hundred years old amongst new contemporary cabins that are created in droves. The lake has over 200 islands and is over 25 miles from east to west end. It also boasts more Minnesota shoreline than Lake Superior!
I’m currently sketching a cabin on the west end for some folks from Illinois. And my next door cabin neighbors fly into their getaway from Washington D.C. Float planes clearing the tree lines are a likely sight on the lake.
To learn more about what I’ve designed on Lake Vermilion, see my cabin featured in Back to the Cabin and Cabinology from Tuanton Press. Or, check out our web site for other examples such as Ludlow’s Island Resort and their four story Dreamcatcher cabin!
Dale Mulfinger is SALA’s renowned Cabinologist. His Dreamcatcher project on Ludlow’s Island Resort is featured in this month’s Minnesota Monthly magazine. If you’d like to take a look at more of Dale’s cabins, visit his profile page! Or if you’d like to see more of his posts on cabins on the SALA Blog, READ ON!