Joyce Estate, Moore Lake Cabin, Chippewa National Forest Road 2144, 3 miles north of County Road 335, Grand Rapids, Itasca County, MN

Significance: When wealthy Chicagoan David Gage Joyce constructed the first buildings for his summer retreat on the west side of Trout Lake in 1917, his estate enclosed about 2,600 acres. In following years, Joyce expanded the boundaries to 4,500 acres. One of his most scenic acquisitions, completed in 1925, was Moore Lake, located just to the southwest of Trout Lake. About 100 yards from the lake's east shore was a small island, comprising little more than one-half acre of ground. Near the eastern tip of this island, Joyce constructed a small cabin. Although the cabin's completion date is unrecorded, the building probably was erected shortly after Joyce purchased the site. Its wood-frame construction and drop-sided exterior are similar to that of the estate's Golf Course Pump House, which was built in the mid-1920s. ... the Moore Lake Cabin occasionally played host to Joyce's daughter Beatrice Clotilde ("B.C."), who, like her father, suffered from a drinking problem. During particularly excessive drinking binges, B.C., who was unable to swim, was deposited on Moore Island until she was considered sober enough to return to the Main Cabin Compound. ... This is a small, one-story, square-plan, wood-frame, hip-roofed building.
Survey number: HABS MN-146-AS