Arrive by ferry and leave the ordinary on shore. The offering of the Clara Cabin is a rare opportunity to own a private residence within the storied island setting of the National Register-listed Stout’s Island Lodge on prestigious Red Cedar Lake in Northwest Wisconsin. Positioned in the southwest corner of the Main Island, Clara pairs wooded privacy with spectacular south-and-west-facing lake views and sunsets, a full kitchen, deck, fireplaces, and close proximity to the island’s extensive trail system, docks, tennis courts, and west-end waterfront recreation. The residence consists of approximately 1,450 finished square feet with two bedrooms, three baths, and an unfinished/storage lower level of approximately 700 square feet. What sets Clara apart is not simply its footprint, but its provenance. This residence belongs to the legendary Island of Happy Days, the Red Cedar Lake retreat created for Frank Deming Stout and recognized for its architecturally sophisticated Rustic Style design. Although Clara is a modern build on the Island, the bulk of the estate dates to 1909-1911 and was modeled in the spirit of the great Adirondack camps in Upstate New York, where log architecture, fireplaces, and broad rooflines are woven carefully into the natural landscape. Here, ownership feels less like a purchase and more like stewardship. Days begin with a ten-minute ferry crossing and unfold in a car-free setting of shoreline paths, boathouse culture, lake activities, lawns, common gardens, and evenings by the bonfire. Even the bridge to the east island carries its own story, having been gifted to the estate by Andrew Carnegie, a close friend of Frank Stout. With owner use extending into the winter months, Clara is not only a summer escape, but a four-season family holding in one of the region’s most evocative island estates, located approximately two hours from the Minneapolis–Saint Paul metropolitan area and roughly six hours from Chicago.
Listing courtesy of Edward Rupp, Northco Real Estate Services
