A note from our proprietor, Kurt Knipp

In 2017 I pulled into the driveway of the former Long Lake Hotel and 30 seconds later concluded we had to have this incredible property.  Without Kathy Gibson’s support and many contributions over the years, the potential of this property could not have been realized and shared with guests.  Much of the structural remodeling reflects Kathy’s design and, between renovation phases, she converted layers of weeds into beautiful gardens.   Her unique skills and special touch have made this place feel magical.

Wilber Oudman spent years here as the master carpenter.  This was his last major project prior to retiring to his South Dakota farm.  I lived in a real-time YouTube video of This Old House.  Wilbur converted the lower level garage into the bunk house, the back porch into livable space and the upstairs rental units into redesigned suites.  Prior to Wilbur, the back porch was resting on tree stumps and barely connected to the main house.  Per Wilbur, we were “one snow storm from total collapse.”  I learned a lot from Wilbur.  It’s so amazing to watch a lifetime of tradesman experience at work.  I tried to help Wilbur several times but I was more likely a distracting annoyance.  What an incredibly gifted man.

Wayne Lichtenburger was my remodeling partner-n-crime for years and great friend.  Wayne is Mr. fix-and-install-it.  Together we rewired most of the house while Wilbur did the structural changes.  In the early 1900’s there were four hotels in Porter County.  Three burned to the ground.  It’s a miracle this one didn’t burn down as well.  Much of the electrical wiring was the old porcelain knob-and-tube.  We added a mile length of replacement wire to just the second floor.  We uncovered so many splices with electrical tape.  What a project!  Go Wayne!

Stu McMillan has been my wise-ol’-friend and really-smart-guy-advisor for many years.  He’s an engineer’s engineer type with wonderful ideas.  I learned what a Wago connecter is.  Stu is credited with the all-time classic line.  Wayne and I had the 2nd floor completely torn apart, having opened the walls and removed the ceiling to install the new wiring, lights, switches and breaker boxes.  Stu had come by to check out our current handywork.  He walked in, canvased the room, panned his head from side to side and said, “I sure hope you guys know how to put Humpty Dumpty back together again!”  Thanks to Wayne, we did! 

Jay Costas is an incredibly generous guy, great friend and strong supporter of LLM.  I call him “The Doctor” because he can fix anything.  Jay makes wonderful contributions to improve the property and provides great feedback to improve the LLM experience.  He has become the outdoor lighting expert and we have some really cool projects planned for this year.

A final thanks to all of the current members of the Long Lake Memories Team!  I greatly appreciate your continuing contributions as we build incredible success together!