The Main Street of Balsam Lake grew rapidly during the '20s, '30s and '40s with three grocery stores, two hardware stores, a hotel, feed mill, drugstore, doctor's office, two gas stations, new and used (Kaiser Fraser) car lot and garage, the courthouse and jail, bank, Paradise Lodge and Schnur's Boat and Bait Shop. The Indianhead Lodge was built in 1939.
Indianhead was constructed from start to finish in 36 days, including the fireplaces. Indianhead was owned by Walter and Dorothy Andersen, general contractor was Herluf Paulsen. Much of the decor at Indianhead is original. For 71 years, Indianhead Supper Club has been known to locals and visitors as a landmark for its comfortable lodge atmosphere and outstanding cuisine.
Our Story
SUPPER CLUB
The land by the Millpond, which Indianhead Lodge is built on, was the home of the Chief of the Ojibway Indians, Archie Mosay, his parents, grandparents and their families. Chief Archie Mosay was born August 20, 1908, on this land and lived with his family in wigwams during the summer, then moved into a teepee in the winter for warmth. There were no stores here yet, so the families walked through the woods to St. Croix Falls for their groceries. They would leave very early in the morning and get to St. Croix Falls by noon, do their shopping and get back home just before dark.
Prior to the Millpond becoming a body of water, it was a swamp with lots of brush and small trees. There were many beautiful huge pine trees
Movie and Book
Wisconsin Supper Clubs: An Old Fashioned Experience shows why supper clubs are such a big part of Wisconsin's food culture and the full experience of supper club dining; a brandy old fashioned sweet at the bar, relish trays at the table, huge portions of steaks, seafood and game, and the friendly, loyal customers who have been dining at their favorite places for so many years.
Now Available! Wisconsin Supper Club Book: April 2013. Ron Failoa visits 50 supper clubs around the state. The book is published by Agate Publishing on their Midway imprint.
​Shop for it at your local independent bookstore, Barnes & Noble, Costco, Target, Wal-Mart and online at Amazon.com or BN.com. Hardcover book,
225 pages - also available on Kindle and Nook.
​Information from www.supperclubmovie.com
Executive Chef - Roark Flenniken
Roark has been giving guests exceptional cuisine at Indianhead for several years. Trained at the French Culinary School in New York, Roark has an extensive resume with fine dining at restaurants in New York City and Minneapolis.
Owners Jeff Potts & Bruce Wirth
Jeff and Bruce purchased Indianhead in the spring of 2022. Both have been coming to Indianhead for several years. They intend to keep the Indianhead Supper Club tradition alive and well in Balsam Lake.
INDIANHEAD
Who We Are
surrounding the swamp on the higher grounds. During the late teens, the power company built the dam on the south end of the swamp and a body of water was formed, known as the Millpond, also part of Balsam Lake.
There also were Indian burial grounds a few blocks north of County Road I along Park Drive in the lowlands by the lake.
For the first 12 years of his life, Chief Archie Mosay lived on the land where Indianhead Lodge now stands. At that time, W.H. Parks owned the land and asked Archie and his families if they would move south of the dam so the land where they had been living could be developed.