Brittany N. Johnson, Executive Director of the Douglas County Historical Society, chose this postcard of Hotel Blake from their collection in MDL:

Hotel Blake, Lake Carlos, Alexandria, 1907

This item is a Real Photo Post Card, circa 1907, that shows the iconic Hotel Blake. Hotel Blake – Blakes by the Lakes – is an oft-remembered resort in the Alexandria, MN area. Built in 1903 by John Blake, the resort was located on land between Lakes Carlos and Le Homme Dieu in the Three Havens region on Douglas County’s Chain of Lakes.

The first main Blake Hotel building had enough rooms to comfortably house 80 people, plus several private cottages. Hotel activities included tennis, lawn games, fish fries, Saturday night dances, fishing, boating, and bowling tournaments.

Guests were mainly wealthy families who came from states including Illinois, Texas, Oklahoma, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, and New York. Famous guests who stayed at the Hotel Blake included actress Rosalind Russell, Clarence Darrow, and Drs. Will & Charles Mayo.

Guests at the hotel were often accompanied by the Black domestic workers they employed, who served as chauffeurs (for automobiles and boats), laundry staff, cooking staff, childcare, and more. In this picture, a young Black man is steering one of the larger Hotel Blake boats. From oral histories on resort life, we know that Black chauffeurs were usually expected to sleep in the garage with the automobiles, but a separate sleeping area existed for white chauffeurs.

The original main building was destroyed in 1920 by a fire. During the blaze, guests had to abandon their possessions while fleeing to safety. The resort owners began rebuilding quickly, and Hotel Blake’s grand re-opening was held in early 1921.

This postcard is one of the few in our collection that documents the presence and work of Black staff at resorts in Douglas County. We know from other accounts that Black staff members were employed by vacationing families as well as the resorts themselves in various roles, but there are very few surviving photos in our collection that document their work.

This postcard is one of my favorite things because despite being a 'staged' photo for a postcard meant to help advertise the resort, it offers a glimpse into the lives of those working at the resort as well as those vacationing in Douglas County.

The Douglas County area (part of the 'Park Region') was famous for its easily accessible resorts and lake cottages, which attracted vacationers from all over the United States. The resort and tourism industry was historically and continues to be an important part of Douglas County's economic landscape today.

From its offices in the early 1900s home of Minnesota statesman Knute Nelson in Alexandria, Minnesota, the Douglas County Historical Society preserves photographs, objects and structures that tell the history of this Central Minnesota county. They contributed to the Minnesota Digital Library scenes from the early development of the resort and lake industry in Douglas County.

Browse the Douglas County Historical Society collection in MDL.

See more favorites using the page links below.