For a time, it was the only course in the United States where golfers could play one round in two different states. Currently, the Stateline Inn is owned by the Mendham family and Draeger Enterprises.ДЄrchitect Robert Bruce Harris designed the nine-hole golf course. Many of the inn's original beams are still in existence and can be seen today. Now named the Stateline Inn, rumors abound that the floors of the inn were once painted with a line, so you'd know which state you were in. Quite often their tips were dollar bills which had been stuffed into a bowling ball's holes and then rolled down a lane to them. Long before the days of automatic pinsetting machines for bowling lanes, the Gateway employed people to do that job. Only 24 years old at the time, Turnquist was a Land O'Lakes local. The cabinetry, booths and other interior woodwork were handcrafted by carpenter Felix Turnquist. Helping to contribute to the higher construction cost of the inn was the fact that its furniture was custom built. It contained bowling lanes a billiard hall a large dance floor with almost nightly entertainment banquet and lounge facilities and areas for gambling - which, at the time, was legal. The inn, located partly in Wisconsin and partly in Michigan, cost $200,000 to build. When asked if he knew a particular tune, he'd say he wrote it. Biaggio Colavecchi, another one of the first musicians hired by King, entertained for many years thereafter on Friday nights. Vic Rossi and The Kings of Rhythm entertained from 1938 to 1945.

This feature still functions today and creates that same striking appearance in the dark of the great Northwoods. The entire structure simply glowed at night. On the exterior of the lodge, neon lighting was installed under the building's eaves and around the gables. Some of the rooms still contain interior closet doors with these very same original porcelain handles. Porcelain-handled doors were custom constructed on site to fit each individual opening. This can be seen in the above photo and in photos of the Vintage Inn Supper Club, the original dining room of the lodge.

The beauty of this local craftsmanship is still awe-inspiring and welcomes today's guests with its exemplary artistry. The paneling was made of native pine pieced together in the traditional tongue and groove manner. This finish was achieved by applying red-hot irons to the surface of the beam, removing the charred wood and then coating the surface with varnish. Some had private baths, but most rooms shared hallway baths.ДЄll the beams were hand-hewn timbers that were hand-hewn and given a burnt-brown finish. The main lodge was originally a one-story structure with approximately 65 guest rooms. At the time, the guest Гўв‚¬Е“shuttle serviceГўв‚¬пїЅ from the Land O'Lakes train station to the lodge was by horse and buggy. The going rate for a tradesman's labor was 37 cents per hour. The original cost to build the Gateway Lodge was $100,000. The airport would eventually be located to the south, behind the lodge. The original complex consisted of the main lodge the inn, located across County Highway B the golf course, located west of the lodge the trapshooting fields of the Gateway Gun Club, located east of the lodge the ski jump, also located east of the lodge the ski chalet with attendant downhill skiing areas, located just one-half mile from the lodge, east of Highway 45 the riding stables and employee housing, located northeast of the lodge in Michigan on Crystal Lake Road. Groundbreaking for the Gateway Lodge began in 1937, and construction of all the planned buildings, except the airport, was completed in 1938. King initially considered Watersmeet, Michigan and Phelps (previously known as Hackney), Wisconsin as sites for the complex, but ultimately chose the town of Land O'Lakes, located in Vilas County, Wisconsin. His portrait still hangs in Gateway's main lobby today, as shown in the above photo. The Gateway Lodge was built by radio and theatre magnate John King of Detroit, Michigan.

Lawrence welk owners lounge