One Hundred Years of Hospitality
by Ted Tofte, Rob Buntz and Tommy Hansen

From the time the Native Americans welcomed the first settlers to the area we now call Tofte on the very property we know as The Bluefin Bay Resort, this site has been the center of hospitality on the North Shore of Lake Superior. Indeed, were it not for the moose meat given by the Indians to our founding fathers, they may never have survived that first winter here.

The year was 1892; the place was Duluth - and once again the four recent immigrants from Norway (Andrew and John, identical twins, and their sister, Johanna and her husband, Hans) gathered in Johanna's kitchen to try to solve their dilemma: where, in this land of opportunity, should they make their permanent home?

Back then, Duluth was a boomtown. Huge ore deposits had been discovered. Ore docks, railroads, mining towns and grain elevators had to be built. Logging camps and lumber mills were bidding for workers. And Duluth itself was bursting at the seams.

But it was not that easy. For another kind of seed had been sown. An enterprising boat captain and fish buyer had enticed them to visit the North Shore. Free homesteads covered with virgin timber, an abundance of fish and the promise "I'll buy all the fish you can catch"—plus one of the most exciting, majestic and beautiful bodies of water in the world. And with all, so remindful of their Norwegian homeland!

A pure gamble! No houses to live in - not even a clearing. No neighbors. Complete isolation from the rest of the world, except for the promise from a fish buyer that he would come by periodically to bring supplies and pick up their fish.

But a seed had been sown, and an improbable dream had grown. The incomparable beauty and drama of old Lake Superior and exciting enchantment of the North Shore was like a giant magnet that would not let go. And so they settled in Tofte.

And, although our pioneers were hearty Norwegians, their first years were hard. But they had friends in the Native people who taught them how to trap the forests and all about the Big Lake.

From these early days, the relationship between these two peoples from such different cultures flourished, to the benefit of both.

Hans Engelsen placed his homestead on the Bluefin property and built a cabin where the volleyball court is now located. Hans, John and Andrew Tofte built the Twin Fish House near the rock point. Soon, a dock went up to accommodate the steamships. And then a potato warehouse — a short- lived community effort at diversification.

Soon, many folks were coming to Tofte, so the Tofte Lodge was built on the site that is now the Tofte Meeting Center at Bluefin. From that day forward, there has always been a lodging establishment here. As Tommy Hansen wrote, "Engelsen was a commercial fisherman on Lake Superior and a prominent man who took very much interest of this area. In 1936 and 1937 this property was purchased by Tom and Madeline Hansen from Hans Engelsen and David Lind.

In 1936 the property consisted of a 16-room house, which was used by Engelsen for a commercial store, home, post office and telephone central. Two large fish houses, two warehouses and a garage. The garage was owned and operated by Dave Lind Chevrolet.

In 1935, Tom and Madeline rented rooms from Engelsen and, as Tom also was a commercial fisherman, rented the fish house where Tom operated commercial fishing until 1946.

In 1936 Tom and Madeline purchased the fishing site from Engelsen, plus the garage and property from David Lind. They following year, they built the first Edgewater Inn, which they operated for three months during each summer along with Tom's fishing industry. In 1946 the Hansens started a general store in addition to the restaurant business and from then on kept the store and restaurant open all year around.

For five years, Tom had an idea of building lodging for the tourist industry, which began to be more popular along this area. There were numbers of cabins and tourist courts along states but Tom wanted to build a motel. 'I don't know where I got the motel name from, as I could not find the name in the dictionary.' So in 1949, the Hansens started taking down all the old buildings, including the fish houses, to make space for the new Edgewater Motel.

In 1963, the one-story restaurant was replaced with a new three-story structure to be used for a commercial store, dining room and convention room.

The Hansens operated their business for 34 years until it was sold to Anderson and Drygg. The new owners discontinued the store business six months after they took over. In 1977, Anderson and Drygg sold the Edgewater Inn and Motel to the Olsens, the grandchildren of the original owner, Hans Engelsen.

The Olsens renamed it the Olsens' Edgewater and added the business to their Olsens' Motel next door.

In April of 1981, Rob Buntz, a young developer from St. Paul, was driving up the North Shore with his dog, Bumper, on their last cross-country ski trip of the season. As they passed by the Edgewater and the Olsen's Motel in Tofte, Rob marveled at the unique and beautiful setting on the Bay. He had grown up mostly on the East Coast and spent time along the coast of Maine and so envisioned a resort that would pattern itself after a coastal fishing village. That afternoon, he stopped by to pay a visit to Charlie Skinner, who had recently purchased the Lutsen Mountains Ski Area from the Nelson Family. In the course of their conversation, Rob mentioned The Edgewater and, as serendipity would have it, Charlie knew the owners, The Olsen Family, and had heard they might be interested in selling. Charlie phoned them and by the next day, negotiations began for Rob to purchase The Edgewater Inn and the Olsen's Motel. Within two weeks they all had agreed to the purchase of each — closing The Edgewater purchase May 15, 1981.

A developer of condominiums and other real estate in St. Paul, it was Rob's vision to create a condominium resort on the property. The resort would take its inspiration from Lake Superior and be designed to reflect the coastal architecture that had been exported throughout the world by the seafaring people of Great Britain and the Scandinavian Countries. His goals included creating a resort, which would reflect the natural elegance of Lake Superior and provide owners and Guests alike with the opportunity to experience the wilderness while being able to come home to all the "creature comforts." Rob found the hallmarks of the style - simple, clean lines, pitched roofs and clapboard siding - embodied in a building, in the Twin Cities, designed by Architect Lloyd Jafvert of Jafvert, Mueller and Associates, Bloomington. Lloyd was retained and agreed to initially work without compensation to help get off the ground. Together, they created the look and style of Bluefin Bay which was based in part upon the Twin Fishhouse of Tofte Founders, John and Andrew Tofte & Hans Engelson, and was then so beautifully refined and executed by Lloyd and his staff.

In those years, it was a struggle to operate the Edgewater Resort while planning for the development to come, but the Tofte Family and others were great supporters. In 1984, Rob brought in Dennis Rysdahl, his partner on two other projects, and they began to build Bluefin Bay into what you see today.

As Ted Tofte wrote, "Now, one hundred years have gone by, and more changes have been wrought than in any like period in history; but the Big Sea Water remains almost exactly as those pioneers found it—enchanting, exciting, turbulent, peaceful, powerful, beautiful, majestic—ever changing, yet ever the same. Millions have discovered it and come to enjoy it. Indeed, it is now a national treasure.

Today, in the self-same spot where these immigrants settled and worked and lived and enjoyed, there is now a tasteful and magnificent complex known as Bluefin Bay, with its unobstructed view of the Shining Big Sea Water so that hundreds can see and enjoy and be inspired.

If those first settlers were here today, I feel sure that they would be thrilled to know that others would be able to live fuller lives because they too had experienced mighty Lake Superior."

With the development of the new Tofte Cove Townhomes across Bluefin Bay, on the site of the old Tofte Bros. Fish House, the tradition of hospitality in Tofte continues and grows. And, with the addition of the North Shore Commercial Fishing Museum, the traditions and heritage of this special and beautiful place and its unusual pioneers will be preserved forever.