Neljä

Neljä, #4 in Finnish, is known as the “Honeymoon Cabin” and has hosted its share of newlyweds over the years.

Built in the early 1930s, Neljä is the perfect cabin for two with a double bed, fieldstone fireplace with log mantel, and a picture window and large deck for enjoying the lake views.

The earliest guest books for Manninen’s Cabins (from the 1940s) include numerous quotes from people honeymooning at Otter Lake. Two favorites are shown here:

I added guestbooks again when I reopened the cabins in 2019. In today’s world of constant bombardment with text messages, social media posts, and tweets, it’s refreshing to pick up a pen and write down your thoughts. It really makes you take a moment to appreciate your surroundings. I especially love when people take the time to make a sketch in the guestbook or describe some experience they had at the cabins, maybe catching a big fish, spotting a bear or bald eagle, or just noticing a new wildflower or bird.

I imagine how honeymooners in 1942 must have spent their days at the cabins versus today, eight decades later. Actually it probably isn’t so different. Maybe a morning fishing trip, followed by a swim or a hike, frying up a walleye for lunch, and then some late afternoon reading and porch sitting.

The trees have grown, the lake has risen a bit but the skies are still blue and the sunrises still brilliantly surprising. It’s all still as it ever was.

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