If you could meet anyone, dead or alive, who would it be?
For me, it’s this guy right here—Robert Rutherford, or “Bob” for those who knew him. I have so many questions for him…
Why am I so curious about this guy? Well, I’ve been doing a little digging into the past of White Eagle Resort—learning who owned it, who built what, and what this place was before the Lantry family purchased it in 1989. And Bob? He was a big part of our history.
Bob was born Edward Kirsch in Michigan in 1876. He married his wife, Elizabeth Mamerow, in Louisville, Kentucky in 1914. Then, for reasons unknown, the two began going by the names Robert and Ella “Ellie” Rutherford and relocated to Minnesota. Just before their marriage, in 1913, Ellie purchased a homesite in Virginia, MN—in her own name—which was quite unusual for women in that era.
It appears that Bob started a photo studio in Virginia, and Ellie enjoyed spending time up on Lake Vermilion fishing. She fell in love with the area. In 1915, Ellie purchased “Gheen Point”—the land White Eagle Resort sits on today—from Stephen Gheen. Interestingly, even though she was married, she was the only one listed on the purchase agreement. There’s no mention of Robert.
At first, according to newspaper articles, they dreamed of building a 200-bedroom hotel called “Magic Rocks.” But at some point, that vision shifted. Instead, they created something simpler—a wet boathouse, a lodge, and several small outpost-style cabins meant for fishing and lake vacations. They used logs from the property to build the cabins and insulated them with old newspapers. Many of the cabins were built right on old tree stumps and ledgerock. We still have a few original structures standing today, including the boathouse, the “museum,” and a couple of the smaller cabins.
From 1915 to 1939, Bob and Ellie operated the resort, building it into a well-known outpost that often found itself in competition with the neighboring Chaps Lodge. Rumor has it that Bob and the owner of Chaps got into an argument about a root cellar that was partially built on Chaps’ property. Rather than move it, Bob simply cut the corner of the root cellar off—leaving the rest standing—and the feud only escalated from there.
