Cragun’s Resort in Brainerd Sold to Investment Group

One of the largest resorts in Minnesota will soon have a new owner.

Investment group Leisure Hotels and Resorts is purchasing Cragun’s Resort on Gull Lake in Brainerd. Terms of the sale have not been released, and the sale won’t be final until later this spring.

Cragun’s employs more than 400 people and includes 206 lodge-style rooms, 55 cabins, and seven homes on the golf course, along with five dining options and three golf courses.

The resort has been owned by the Cragun family since 1940. Dutch Cragun, who is now 93, and his late wife Irma operated it for many years after Dutch’s parents originally bought the property.

Eric Peterson, Cragun’s general manager, said in a press release that “Dutch and Irma’s vision shaped this lakeside destination, so it’s important this transaction not only marks a new chapter in the amazing legacy of Cragun’s Resort but ensures its generations of memories continue to create just that …more generations of memories!” He added that the “current resort team looks forward to working with the new ownership group to continue providing the amazing hospitality that has set Cragun’s Resort apart”.

Jamie Tatge, the president of Leisure Hotels and Resorts, is a Brainerd Lakes Area resident. He said in the release that his organization is “incredibly honored and humbled to carry the legacy and excellence of this legendary property, which has produced nearly a century of memories for so many Minnesotans”.