In 1920, Wilmot Swanson-artist and wanderer reined his horse and buggy into a logged-over lumber camp just south of Lakewood, Wisconsin.

As he surveyed the clipped off stumps and the feeble sprigs of popular, he had a vision. What he saw was a world of peace and beauty. A magical world of stone houses and wooden gates. Of hand-hewn furniture and pictures framed in the roots of trees. A world of man living in creative harmony with nature.

He spent the rest of his life turning that vision into a wonderful reality.
His final creation-the Gingerbread House -greets visitors to the resort first. This stone and wood masterpiece was completed in the mid-1950s and, in it one can see fulfillment of many of the design concepts Swanson developed while working on four earlier cottages and a large farmhouse.

Rock Rest, nestled down a gentle slope from the Gingerbread House and hugging the shore of Maiden Lake, shows many of these same techniques. It was built just prior to the Gingerbread House.
Three other cottages-built between the '20s and '50s-are located on Camp Lake. Two are constructed of logs, the last of stone. They are part of what seems to be a small European village complete with a stone barn.

Since the log cottages were constructed first, it seems that Swanson found-in stone-his preferred medium. Various colors and shapes of stones are used as subtle commentary. Others form useful features such as waterfall style downspouts. In stone, Swanson's vision reached its full magical potential. Swanson made much of the furniture that graces his cottages.

But Swanson's world is made up of far more than 5 cottages. Paths that wander across the 127 acres lead you to discover all sorts of elfin gates, stone columns, and curious turnstiles.

Swanson died in Dec. 1972. His failing health kept him from completing a 6th cottage he'd envisioned just south of the Gingerbread house.

Today, Camp Lake Resort remains much as Swanson left it-operated by his daughter, Esther, and her husband, John Larson.

Guests of Camp Lake Resort typically return again and again. Often bringing friends and family to share in the unique pleasure of this incredible place.

Don't miss your chance to enjoy the peace and beauty of this man's magical vision. Call now to reserve your own time in the world and imagination of Wilmot Swanson.