‘It’s like losing a family member’: Former Lutsen Lodge owners of 30 years reflect on loss, legacy

In Scott Harrison and Nancy Burns’ 30 years of ownership at Lutsen Lodge, they’ve seen thousands of couples get married, watched families make new traditions and helped create memories for generations of Minnesotans.

Now memories are all that remain after the main lodge was completely destroyed in a fire Tuesday morning.

“The best feeling that we got was people being outdoors and enjoying themselves — winter, summer, spring, fall — and staying at our resort,” said Harrison, “We’ll miss most not only the guests, but the key people that helped run that for us and with us.”

The lodge has been a Minnesota landmark on the North Shore since 1885, making it the oldest resort in the state. Swedish immigrant Charles Axel Nelson began renting out his homestead to other North Shore pioneers. Nelson’s grandson, George Nelson Jr., continued his grandfather’s legacy before passing down the lodge to Harrison and Burns in 1988.

“It was a privilege for us to have the Nelson family reach out to us and engage in negotiations to buy it,” said Harrison. “We managed it in a real familial style. So one of the things that I'll miss most, and I’m sure Nancy does as well, is our relationship with all the key employees up there.” Harrison and Burns sold the resort in 2018.

With such a long history, generations of families have been able to stay at the Lutsen Lodge. Burns said she often heard stories of traditions being passed down.

“People would come and say ‘oh, my kids first started coming here with my grandparents,’ or ‘oh, my parents were married here.’ It’s just such an incredible web across the state of people who have worked at the resort, played at the resort, started relationships and friendships at the resort,” Burns said.

In the aftermath of the fire, it’s clear to Harrison and Burns how many lives the lodge has touched.

“The number of people that have reached out from from our past and present … It’s just been very heartwarming and touching to experience that wide reaching out from across the state,” Burns said.

Harrison said he hopes the lodge will be rebuilt, just as it was after the fires in 1948 and 1951. The current general manager says rebuilding is the goal. In the meantime, Harrison said “I hope they continue to come up, visit the North Shore.”