The first recorded owners on the abstract were John and Jane Jackson. John’s 1926 obituary states that he lived on a farm sixteen miles west of Deer River, on the road through the National Forest.

“Mr. Jackson’s home has probably been the stopping place for more settlers than any other in the county. Emigrants traveling into the territory northwest of here stopped at Jackson’s for food and shelter. The sturdy pioneer was most hospitable.”

Itasca News, May 6, 1926

The obituary described Jackson as a substantial citizen who welcomed travelers and encouraged them on their way. John had married Jane Fairbanks approximately forty-one years earlier. Jane and their three children—Hattie Peters, Catherine Tibbetts and William Jackson—survived him.

After John’s death, Jane sold the property to Thorpe Bros., a land company from Minneapolis. Thorpe Bros. had purchased lake property in Itasca County during the early 1920s, divided it into smaller parcels and sold it to people who wanted to build lake homes.

One of the company’s most successful ventures involved land around Deer and Moose Lakes just north of Deer River.

Howard Vincent Shull, a resort owner from the Marcell area, purchased the property from Thorpe Bros. in 1928. He built the lodge, added several cabins and named the property Cut Foot Sioux Lodge.

Shull and his family lived in St. Louis County, so he hired Fred Tibbetts to manage the resort. Tibbetts was also a fishing guide. It is possible that the Shull and Tibbetts families were both present during the busy summer season.

Cut Foot Sioux Lodge was prominently marked on a 1931 Itasca County map showing local fishing resorts.

Jessie Bowen sold Eagle Nest Resort after Herb died in 1931. Her son-in-law and daughter, Al and Stella Christie, sold the similarly named Cut Foot Sioux Inn around the same time.

Al was interested in buying a service station with a large home behind it for his family and mother-in-law. They spent the summer looking, but ultimately decided to purchase Cut Foot Sioux Lodge. The transaction was finalized by deer-hunting season.

After operating the property for approximately a year, the family renamed it Bowen Lodge. Jessie—called “Ma” for as long as anyone could remember—Al and Stella operated the resort until 1946.

George and Rose Goodwin purchased Bowen Lodge in 1946. They—and later their son Bob and his wife Shirley—owned the resort until 1974. The Goodwin family lived in the same cabin previously occupied by the Christie family.

Joy Christie Tervo recalled that her parents and siblings lived in their own cabin, away from the lodge and guest cabins, because her grandmother Ma Bowen did not want children around the resort guests.

When the Goodwins purchased the resort, only a few cabins had cooking facilities. They added kitchens to the remaining cabins and stopped serving meals in the main lodge.

This type of change became common during the 1940s and 1950s. By allowing families to prepare their own meals, resort vacations became more affordable.

Sven and Joan Olin owned Bowen Lodge from 1974 to 1979. Larry and Althea Miller purchased it next, and Robert Heig Sr. acquired the property from the Millers in late 1982.

In retirement, Minneapolis businessman Robert Heig Sr. decided to invest in a resort. His family had spent annual vacations at resorts on Pelican Lake near Brainerd, and those memories inspired the decision.

Robert and his oldest son, Robert Jr., began looking for property in northern Minnesota early in 1982. By the end of the year they had purchased Bowen Lodge. The father-and-son team welcomed their first guests for the 1983 fishing opener.

After several years, Robert Jr. chose to dedicate more time to his career. Robert’s other son, Bill, joined his father after funding for Bill’s wildlife-management position in Washington state ended. Gail had known Bill for years and became part of the resort team when it opened in 1986.

Bill and Gail married at Bowen Lodge in 1987, forty-six years after Joy Christie—Ma Bowen’s granddaughter—and Hjalmer Tervo held their wedding ceremony there.

“We got along really good, and we made good decisions. Bob was here until he was 90, and we worked really well together. He was always involved in the major decision making but gave us the freedom to make other decisions on our own. Then he passed the torch.”

Gail Heig

Bob Sr., Bill and Gail shared responsibility for managing the resort for twenty years. Their decisions included significant changes to the accommodations.

When the family started, the resort had twenty-one rental units. Some had no running water, some had only cold water and only one included a toilet. Those older units were removed. The property also included tent and RV camping.

The resort later offered twelve cabins—the largest with five bedrooms—twenty-six seasonal RV sites and six short-term RV sites.

The original lodge, built in 1928, changed under nearly every owner. During remodeling, the Heigs discovered that its linoleum matched a pattern used at Cut Foot Sioux Inn. The oldest portion of the lodge can still be identified by its original timbers and rock foundation, and the front door remains in its original location.

In 1992, a timber-framed, 30-by-36-foot great room was added overlooking the lake. Bill constructed it entirely with pegged joints.

Bowen Lodge began as a fishing resort, as did many Itasca County resorts. Over time, however, the experience became about much more than fishing.

“It’s about the whole experience. It’s about being on this beautiful lake. A lot of people enjoy sitting and just looking at the lake. We put the emphasis not so much on fishing—it’s about being on vacation with your family. It’s about reconnecting. Watching the eagles.”

Gail Heig

Gail described guests who had returned for more than sixty years, often reserving the same cabin during the same week. Their children grew up together, and some visiting families had reached their third generation at Bowen Lodge.

The Cabin 14 Mix-Up

Gail recalled a memorable story from the years before the resort used a computer. First-time guests arrived and were shown to the cabin then known as Cabin 14. They settled in for the evening.

Around 11 p.m., another group arrived and said they were booked in Cabin 14. After comparing names, the resort owners discovered that the first family was actually supposed to be staying in Cabin 14 at William’s Narrows.

The first guests had to pack and continue to William’s Narrows. Bill and Gail then cleaned the cabin and changed the bedding while the correct guests waited.

Despite the difficult introduction, those guests became loyal customers. As their family grew, they eventually reserved five cabins for their visits.

Ma Bowen Cabin

Cabin 14 was later renamed Ma Bowen in honor of Jessie Bowen, the lively and capable matriarch who once ran the resort.

Descendants of George and Rose Goodwin—who lived in the cabin while their family owned the resort—continued to stay there during their annual vacations.

A Continuing Family Tradition

During the Heig family’s first thirty-six years at Bowen Lodge, they raised two sons, Jens and Dane, helped sponsor a Make-A-Wish experience for a nine-year-old boy with leukemia from Iowa and hosted a group of international tree climbers.

Gail and Bill became known as gracious hosts with extensive knowledge of the area’s wildlife and history. Their efforts to make each visit special created friendships that lasted for years.

The Heigs loved resort life and intended to continue the Bowen Lodge tradition for years to come.